Lead Data Engineer

Synechron; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Global office network

Paid annual leave

Job summary

Synechron is seeking a Data Engineer – Data Ingestion to design, build, and support scalable ingestion, processing, indexing, and retrieval pipelines powering AI and analytics solutions. You will work on ETL/ELT development, API integrations, search technologies, and cloud-native data platforms.

The role requires 4+ years in data engineering, experience with AI/ML workloads, vector search, and cloud platforms. The team collaborates with Data Scientists and ML Engineers in a global environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or higher in Computer Science, IT, Data Engineering, or related field.
• 4+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Data Integration, or Platform Engineering.
• Experience with AI/ML, Search, or Generative AI workloads.
• Knowledge of RAG architectures, vector search, and document indexing frameworks.
• Cloud exposure to AWS/Azure/GCP.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain data ingestion pipelines for structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data sources.
• Build scalable ETL/ELT workflows to collect, transform, validate, and load data into enterprise data platforms.
• Develop and support document processing pipelines, including data extraction, chunking, metadata enrichment, and indexing.
• Create and optimize embedding generation pipelines to support AI and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) applications.
• Build and maintain search and retrieval systems using ElasticSearch, Solr, and Vector Databases.
• Develop APIs and integration services using FastAPI and Python-based frameworks.
• Implement data quality checks, validation frameworks, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure data reliability.
• Optimize pipeline performance, indexing strategies, and database queries for large-scale workloads.
• Collaborate with Data Scientists, ML Engineers, and Application Development teams to support AI and analytics initiatives.
• Automate deployments using CI/CD pipelines and support containerized applications in OpenShift environments.
• Troubleshoot production issues and ensure high availability, scalability, and operational excellence.

Skills

Python

SQL

ETL development

FastAPI

API Development

Data Modeling

Data Quality

CI/CD

Containerization

OpenShift

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

MongoDB

Oracle Database

ElasticSearch

Jenkins

Job description

At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron’s progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Digital, Cloud & DevOps, Data, and Software Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 17000+, and has 58 offices in 22 countries within key global markets.

We are seeking a skilled Data Engineer – Data Ingestion to design, build, and support scalable data ingestion, processing, indexing, and retrieval pipelines for structured and unstructured data that power AI, Machine Learning, and analytics solutions. The ideal candidate will have expertise in ETL development, API integrations, search technologies, vector databases, and modern cloud-native data platforms.

Additional Information

The base salary for this position will vary based on geography and other factors. In accordance with law, the base salary for this role if filled within Charlotte, NC is $110k - $120k/year & benefits (see below).

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain data ingestion pipelines for structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data sources.
• Build scalable ETL/ELT workflows to collect, transform, validate, and load data into enterprise data platforms.
• Develop and support document processing pipelines, including data extraction, chunking, metadata enrichment, and indexing.
• Create and optimize embedding generation pipelines to support AI and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) applications.
• Build and maintain search and retrieval systems using ElasticSearch, Solr, and Vector Databases.
• Develop APIs and integration services using FastAPI and Python-based frameworks.
• Implement data quality checks, validation frameworks, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure data reliability.
• Optimize pipeline performance, indexing strategies, and database queries for large-scale workloads.
• Collaborate with Data Scientists, ML Engineers, and Application Development teams to support AI and analytics initiatives.
• Automate deployments using CI/CD pipelines and support containerized applications in OpenShift environments.
• Troubleshoot production issues and ensure high availability, scalability, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Programming & Development

• Python
• SQL
• FastAPI
• Bash Scripting
• Data Ingestion
• ETL / ELT Development
• API Development & Integration
• Data Modeling
• Data Quality & Validation Frameworks
• Performance Tuning

Databases

• MongoDB
• Oracle Database
• Relational Databases

Search & Retrieval Technologies

• ElasticSearch

AI Data Processing

• Chunking & Document Processing
• Structured & Unstructured Data Processing
• Git
• Jenkins
• OpenShift
• Container Technologies

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Data Integration, or Platform Engineering.
• Experience supporting AI/ML, Search, or Generative AI workloads.
• Knowledge of RAG architectures, vector search, and document indexing frameworks.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Experience with distributed data processing and large-scale data platforms.

We offer:

• A highly competitive compensation and benefits package.
• A multinational organization with 58 offices in 22 countries and the possibility to work abroad.
• 10 days of paid annual leave (plus sick leave and national holidays).
• Maternity & paternity leave plans.
• A comprehensive insurance plan including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-/short-term disability (plans vary by region).
• Retirement savings plans.
• A higher education certification policy.
• Commuter benefits (varies by region).
• Extensive training opportunities, focused on skills, substantive knowledge, and personal development.
• On-demand Udemy for Business for all Synechron employees with free access to more than 5000 curated courses.
• Coaching opportunities with experienced colleagues from our Financial Innovation Labs (FinLabs) and Center of Excellences (CoE) groups.
• Cutting edge projects at the world's leading tier-one banks, financial institutions and insurance firms.
• A flat and approachable organization.
• A truly diverse, fun-loving, and global work culture.

SYNECHRON'S DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

Diversity & Inclusion are fundamental to our culture, and Synechron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative 'Same Difference' is committed to fostering an inclusive culture – promoting equality, diversity and an environment that is respectful to all. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce helps build stronger, successful businesses as a global company. We encourage applicants from across diverse backgrounds, race, ethnicities, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientations, or disabilities to apply. We empower our global workforce by offering flexible workplace arrangements, mentoring, internal mobility, learning and development programs, and more.

All employment decisions at Synechron are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to the applicant’s gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.