Principal Data Engineer

Jobtailor; North Carolina; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is hiring a senior metadata and data governance architect to guide enterprise-wide strategies for metadata management, data lineage, and governance across diverse platforms. You will collaborate with senior leaders to translate business needs into scalable engineering solutions, mentor teams, and drive modernization initiatives.

The role emphasizes AI-assisted metadata enrichment, regulatory alignment, and robust governance workflows in a complex financial services environment.

Qualifications

• 7+ years engineering experience or equivalent.
• 5+ years defining and implementing enterprise architecture strategies for metadata management, data lineage, or data governance.
• 5+ years leading large-scale modernization initiatives across complex environments.
• Experience designing scalable metadata ingestion, scanning, cataloging, and lineage solutions.
• Strong understanding of metadata management, data lineage, data observability, data quality, and governance.

Responsibilities

• Advise leadership on complex applications, network, information security, and data needs.
• Lead strategy and resolution of enterprise-wide technical challenges.
• Translate business objectives into engineering solutions.
• Provide vision, direction, and technical expertise on innovative solutions.
• Establish metadata and lineage architecture across platforms.
• Define scalable patterns for metadata ingestion, scanning, lineage derivation, and repository integration.
• Standardize onboarding across technology stacks and domains.
• Ensure consistency of metadata models and interoperability with governance platforms.
• Expand metadata harvesting across legacy and modern platforms.
• Drive automation to reduce manual metadata capture and accelerate onboarding.
• Deliver element-level lineage and lineage-as-a-service capabilities.
• Support regulatory, risk, resilience, and change management through trusted lineage.
• Advance AI-assisted metadata enrichment, semantic discovery, and governance workflows.
• Mentor engineering teams across metadata management, data quality, observability, platform engineering, and governance tooling.
• Resolve cross-domain integration challenges and guide architectural decisions.
• Partner with senior leaders on roadmaps and execution priorities.

Skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Strategic thinking

Mentoring

Leadership

Education

Advanced degree in Computer Science/Info Systems/Data Management

Tools

OpenShift

Kubernetes

CI/CD

DevSecOps

Platform engineering

Job description

• Advise leadership on complex applications, network, information security, database, operating systems, and web technology needs
• Lead strategy and resolution of complex enterprise-wide technical challenges
• Translate business objectives and technology opportunities into engineering solutions
• Provide vision, direction, and technical expertise on innovative business solutions
• Maintain knowledge of industry best practices and recommend operational innovations
• Establish enterprise metadata and lineage architecture
• Define scalable patterns for metadata ingestion, scanning, lineage derivation, and repository integration
• Standardize onboarding across technology stacks and domains
• Ensure consistency of metadata models and interoperability with governance platforms
• Expand metadata harvesting and scanning coverage across legacy and modern platforms
• Drive automation to reduce manual metadata capture and improve onboarding velocity
• Deliver element-level lineage and lineage-as-a-service capabilities
• Support regulatory, risk, operational resilience, and change management requirements through trusted lineage
• Advance AI-assisted metadata enrichment, semantic discovery, knowledge graph creation, and automated governance workflows
• Mentor engineering teams across metadata management, data quality, observability, platform engineering, and governance tooling
• Resolve cross-domain integration challenges and guide architectural decisions
• Partner with senior technology and business leaders on roadmaps and execution priorities

Requirements

• 7+ years of Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through work experience, training, military experience, or education
• 5+ years of experience defining and implementing enterprise architecture strategies for metadata management, data lineage, data governance, or related data platforms
• 5+ years of experience leading large-scale technology modernization, migration, or transformation initiatives across complex enterprise environments
• Experience designing scalable metadata ingestion, scanning, cataloging, and lineage solutions across diverse technology platforms
• Strong understanding of metadata management, business glossary frameworks, data lineage, data observability, data quality, and data governance practices
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Data Management, or a related discipline (desired)
• Experience with enterprise data platforms and technologies such as Databricks, Snowflake, Hadoop, Oracle, SQL Server, Kafka, OpenShift/Kubernetes, and cloud services
• Experience implementing automation, AI/ML, or GenAI capabilities
• Knowledge of CI/CD, DevSecOps, site reliability engineering, observability, and platform engineering principles
• Ability to lead and mentor engineers, architects, and technical teams
• Executive communication and stakeholder management skills
• Experience in highly regulated financial services environments, including risk management, compliance, security, and data privacy
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills
• Position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in metadata management, data lineage, and governance practices, with a strong focus on leading technology modernization initiatives and implementing scalable solutions across diverse platforms. Possesses advanced analytical and strategic thinking skills, complemented by the ability to mentor technical teams and communicate effectively with stakeholders.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Metadata Management
• Data Lineage
• Data Governance
• Enterprise Architecture Strategies
• Automation Implementation

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Metadata Ingestion
• Data Quality
• Data Observability
• AI/ML Capabilities
• Cloud Services
• SQL Server
• Hadoop
• Databricks
• Snowflake
• Kafka

Soft Skills

• Executive Communication
• Stakeholder Management
• Analytical Skills
• Problem-Solving
• Strategic Thinking

Industry Keywords

• Financial Services
• Risk Management
• Compliance
• Security
• Data Privacy

Tools & Technologies

• OpenShift
• Kubernetes
• CI/CD
• DevSecOps
• Platform Engineering