Microsoft Data and AI Engineer

Strategic Staffing Solutions; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Strategic Staffing Solutions in Minneapolis, MN, is seeking a Principal Microsoft Data & AI Engineer to design and deliver scalable, governed data solutions for workforce analytics, operational reporting, executive decision-making, and AI-assisted analysis.

The senior, hands-on role focuses on Microsoft SQL Server, Fabric, and data modeling in an enterprise setting, with Generative AI accelerating development and governance controls ensuring quality results.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data engineering or related field.
• Hands-on with Microsoft SQL Server and advanced SQL.
• Experience with ETL/ELT pipelines and data modeling.
• Familiarity with data governance, privacy, and security.
• Proficiency using Generative AI tools for development.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, deploy, and support scalable data engineering and integration solutions using MS SQL Server and Fabric.
• Develop reusable ETL/ELT pipelines to move enterprise data into governed analytical stores.
• Write and optimize advanced SQL, including stored procedures and data transformations.
• Design relational, dimensional, semantic, and analytical data models supporting BI and AI workflows.
• Build enterprise data models using Medallion methodology to deliver analytics-ready data assets.
• Develop analytical models supporting hypothesis testing and advanced analysis.
• Integrate data from databases, Excel, CSV, APIs, and other sources.
• Implement validation, reconciliation, and error handling in data processes.
• Profile data, diagnose quality issues, and implement remediation and monitoring.
• Use Generative AI tools for SQL/code development, documentation, testing, and workflows.
• Validate AI-generated outputs before production use.
• Translate business requirements into technical designs and data products.
• Ensure solutions comply with data governance and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft Fabric

SQL Development

ETL/ELT Pipelines

Data Modeling

Power BI

AI-assisted Development

Excel (Advanced)

Data Governance & Security

Azure Cloud

Tools

Azure Databricks

GitHub Copilot

Power Query

Job description

Principal Microsoft Data & AI Engineer

Primary Location: Minneapolis, MN – Strongly Preferred
Additional Locations: Chandler, AZ | Irving, TX | Charlotte, NC
Schedule: Hybrid – 3 days onsite / 2 days remote
Experience: 7+ years

Position Overview

We are seeking a Principal Microsoft Data & AI Engineer to design and deliver scalable, governed data solutions supporting workforce analytics, operational reporting, executive decision-making, and AI-assisted analysis.

This is a senior, hands-on engineering position requiring advanced expertise in Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, SQL, data engineering, and enterprise data modeling, along with practical experience using Generative AI tools to accelerate data analysis and solution development.

The ideal candidate can take ownership of complex data problems from initial source assessment through ingestion, transformation, data quality, modeling, testing, documentation, and delivery of trusted, analysis-ready data products.

Core Technology Environment

• Microsoft SQL Server / Advanced SQL
• Microsoft Fabric
• Fabric Lakehouse & Warehouse
• Power BI / Fabric
• Microsoft Azure
• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• ETL / ELT
• Enterprise Data Modeling
• Generative AI / AI-Assisted Development
• Azure Databricks – future platform; access expected Q1 2027

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, deploy, and support scalable data engineering and integration solutions using Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Fabric.
• Develop reusable ETL/ELT pipelines that move enterprise data into governed analytical data stores and semantic models.
• Write and optimize advanced SQL, including complex queries, stored procedures, views, transformations, and performance-tuned processing routines.
• Design relational, dimensional, semantic, and analytical data models supporting Power BI, Excel, human analysis, and approved AI-assisted analysis.
• Design enterprise data models using repository-driven standards and Medallion methodology to produce governed, high-quality, analytics-ready data assets.
• Build reusable analytical models supporting hypothesis testing, business intelligence, and advanced analysis.
• Integrate structured, semi-structured, and unstructured information from databases, Excel, CSV files, APIs, exported reports, email-delivered files, and authorized web-based sources.
• Build controlled and repeatable processes for nonstandard data sources with appropriate validation, reconciliation, traceability, and error handling.
• Profile data, identify quality issues, perform root-cause analysis, and implement remediation and monitoring controls.
• Develop curated datasets and semantic models for Power BI, Excel, analysts, executives, and approved AI tools.
• Use approved Generative AI tools for SQL/code development, data analysis, documentation, testing, troubleshooting, and prompt-driven workflows.
• Validate AI-generated SQL, code, calculations, summaries, and analytical conclusions before production use.
• Translate business and analytical requirements into technical designs and usable data products.
• Ensure solutions comply with enterprise data governance, privacy, security, risk, and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering, database engineering, analytics engineering, data integration, or a closely related discipline.
• Advanced hands-on experience with Microsoft SQL Server and complex SQL development.
• Strong experience designing and delivering reusable ETL/ELT pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric or a comparable modern cloud data platform.
• Strong knowledge of relational, dimensional, semantic, and analytical data modeling.
• Experience with data profiling, validation, reconciliation, metadata, and data quality management.
• Experience integrating traditional enterprise data with Excel, files, APIs, exported reports, and other authorized nonstandard data sources.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel, including Power Query, PivotTables, data models, advanced formulas, and external data connections.
• Experience preparing data for Power BI, Excel, analytical, and AI-assisted workflows.
• Understanding of source control, testing, code review, release management, and production support.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical solutions to business and executive stakeholders.
• Ability to independently manage complex and ambiguous assignments within a regulated enterprise environment.

Generative AI Experience

Candidates should have practical professional experience using AI-assisted development or productivity tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Devin, or other enterprise-approved LLM tools.

Experience should include:

• Prompt engineering for data discovery, SQL generation, analysis, testing, and documentation.
• Providing schemas, definitions, constraints, examples, and expected output formats to AI tools.
• Validating AI-generated SQL, code, calculations, and analytical conclusions.
• Identifying hallucinations, unsupported conclusions, incorrect assumptions, and potential data leakage.
• Developing repeatable prompt templates or AI-assisted workflows that improve engineering and analyst productivity.