Lead Data Engineer

Walker Sands; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Health coverage (medical, dental, 2019

401(k) match

Paid holidays & PTO

Milestone Sabbatical

Performance coaching

Job summary

Walker Sands is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to drive our DATA practice, building the data infrastructure for client reporting, measurement, internal ops, and AI-driven work. You’ll lead technical portions of the data stack, partner with the SVP, DATA on architecture, and shape the roadmap with buy/build decisions.

You’ll grow the team over time, extending the platform and mentoring a data support group, while maintaining governance and scalable data delivery. Hybrid work in Chicago area offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data or analytics engineering, including lead or senior ownership on a production data platform.
• Deep, hands-on Snowflake experience with dbt, SQL and Python.
• Experience integrating SaaS and marketing APIs (ad platforms, GA4, Salesforce, HubSpot) through ELT tools and custom pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain pipelines and dbt models in Snowflake that are tested, documented, and trusted.
• Integrate data from paid media, web analytics, SEO, CRM, and business systems using tools like Fivetran or Airbyte and direct APIs.
• Find and fix breaks at the root, before account teams or clients notice.
• Maintain data governance: access controls, privacy, and consent requirements.
• Structure and document data for AI usage with clear semantic layers and metadata definitions.
• Build governed access patterns so agents only query allowed data and source traces back.

Skills

Snowflake

dbt

SQL

Python

APIs

Leadership

Tools

Fivetran

Airbyte

Job description

Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing integrated B2B marketing agencies in the world. We are looking for a Lead Data Engineer to help fuel that continued growth. The starting salary for this role is expected to be between $155,000 and $175,000 per year.

Walker Sands is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to join our DATA practice (Data, Analytics, Technology and AI) and help lead the data infrastructure behind our client reporting, measurement, internal operations, and AI-driven work.

This is a hands-on role, but not a heads-down one. Reporting to the SVP, DATA, you’ll lead key technical parts of our data stack and be a strategic partner on where it goes next: what to build, what to buy, what to fix, and what actually matters to the business. You don’t need a lot of direction and are comfortable working through ambiguity.

The role grows as you do. Near term, you’ll work alongside our team and external partners to extend and strengthen the platform. Over time, you’ll take on more of the technical ownership and help lead what comes next. And as the practice scales, you’ll build and lead a small data support team handling tier 1 and tier 2 triage.

What You Will Do (Responsibilities):

Data Engineering

• Build and maintain pipelines and dbt models in Snowflake that are tested, documented, and trusted
• Integrate data from paid media, web analytics, SEO, CRM, and business systems using tools like Fivetran or Airbyte and direct APIs
• Find and fix breaks at the root, before an account team or client finds them
• Maintain data governance: access controls, privacy, and consent requirements
• Structure and document data so AI agents can use it reliable: clear semantic layers, consistent definitions, and metadata that tells an agent what a table or metric actually means
• Build governed access patterns for agentic tools (scoped, read-only, permission aware) so agents only query the data they’re allowed to, and their answers can be traced back to the source

Strategy + Partnership

• Work with the SVP, DATA on architecture, roadmap, and build-vs-buy-vs-partner decisions
• Translate business and client needs into data designs that hold up, and push back when a request won’t
• Make data usable for analysts, reporting, and AI-driven tools through well-modeled, well-governed layers

Team Leadership

• Build and lead a small data support team handling tier 1 and tier 2 triage, including the playbooks and escalation paths behind it
• Eventually build out the team as needed for various functions to drive better accuracy, performance and data tools for the business

What You Bring (Requirements):

You’ve spent 7+ years in data engineering, enough of it in lean environments where you owned real things without much hand-holding. You can go deep on a broken pipeline in the morning and talk through a roadmap tradeoff in the afternoon, and you’re good at both. You are a clear communicator, and work to understand needs beyond the technical with empathy and a ‘here’s what’s possible’ mindset.

You find problems, fix them, document them, and explain them without making them more complicated than they need to be.

• 7+ years in data or analytics engineering, including time as the lead or senior technical owner on a production data platform
• Deep, hands‑on Snowflake experience
• Strong dbt, advanced SQL, and working Python
• Experience integrating SaaS and marketing APIs (ad platforms, GA4, Salesforce, HubSpot) through ELT tools and custom pipelines
• A track record of shaping technical direction, not just executing tickets
• Clear communication with technical and non-technical people alike

Strong Pluses

• Agency or B2B marketing data background
• Data governance and privacy experience (role-based access, masking, consent data)
• Experience making data usable for AI and LLM-driven tools
• Experience leading or mentoring others
• Comfortable using AI like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and bringing new ways of working within the data and privacy guardrails of the business

What We Offer (Compensation + Benefits):

• Starting Salary: $155,000 - $175,000

  • Base salary is only a part of the total rewards package. Placement on the salary scale will be determined by a variety of factors to ensure internal equity.
  • Starting salaries are not inclusive of a full range of compensation for this role and are instead meant to reflect the expected beginning salary for a new hire. Merit-based increases can be earned after time in role.

• Bonus Potential: This role will be eligible for a bonus based on company performance.

• Growth Opportunities: Clear career paths, mentorship programs, and learning events to help you grow professionally.

• Flexible PTO and Hybrid Work: Take time as needed for vacations, mental health, or personal days. Includes 8 paid holidays, half-day summer Fridays, and a week off between Christmas and New Year.

• Health Coverage: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans. Mental health resources, pet insurance, and more.

• Retirement Savings: Employer-matched 401(k) and access to financial planning services.

• Additional Protection: Life insurance, disability coverage, and other benefits that provide added financial security.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Free, confidential support for you and your household, including counseling, mental health resources, and help navigating life’s everyday challenges.

• Family Support: Paid leave for new parents and caregivers, plus policies for fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, adoption challenges, and more.

• Performance & Coaching: Regular performance reviews, clear goal-setting, and ongoing coaching to help you understand expectations, grow your skills, and make progress in your career.

• Milestone Sabbatical: Celebrate five years with a two-week sabbatical and a $2,000 gift.

• Community & Belonging: Employee resource groups, volunteer opportunities, and programs designed to build connection across the agency.

• Culture: Our agency offers an award-winning culture. Read more on our website here!

We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. As an equal opportunity employer Walker Sands is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and welcomes everyone to our team.

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.