Senior Data Engineer - ELT

First Citizens Bank; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

First Citizens Bank is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to design, build, and operate cloud-based data pipelines with Medallion Architecture. You will own ingestion, modeling, and governance tasks while mentoring junior engineers and collaborating with Leads.

Role requires hands-on delivery of batch and streaming components, dbt models, Snowflake, and CI/CD deployments in a remote US-friendly environment. Strong collaboration with stakeholders is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in a relevant field and 4 years of data engineering experience.
• Alternative: 8+ years of data engineering experience with no degree.

Responsibilities

• Design and build data pipelines using Medallion Architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold).
• Implement batch and CDC-based ingestion pipelines from databases, files, and APIs.
• Support pipeline reliability, scalability, performance, and cost optimization.
• Develop ingestion pipelines using Qlik Replicate for snapshot and CDC patterns.
• Build and extend Python-based pipeline components following established frameworks.
• Develop dbt models using SQL and Jinja templating; test data quality and schema validity.
• Participate in CI/CD deployments of dbt transformations and Snowflake patterns.
• Troubleshoot data pipelines and provide production support.
• Mentor junior data engineers and collaborate with Lead Data Engineers on design decisions.

Skills

Data pipelines

Medallion Architecture

SQL development

Python development

dbt modeling

Snowflake RBAC

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure)

CI/CD pipelines

Observability tooling

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor's Degree

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Qlik Replicate

dbt Cloud

Snowpipe

Snowflake

GitLab

GitHub Actions

Splunk

Dynatrace

AWS

Azure

Job description

Overview
This is a remote role that may only be hired in the following location(s): North Carolina, Arizona, Texas.

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer with strong hands-on experience building and operating modern data pipelines in a cloud-based data platform. This role sits one level below the Lead Data Engineer and is focused on implementing, enhancing, and supporting data pipelines and platform capabilities under established architectural patterns.

Senior Data Engineers are expected to be daily hands-on contributors who can independently deliver complex pipeline components, partner effectively with Leads, and mentor junior engineers while continuing to grow toward platform ownership and technical leadership.

Responsibilities & Qualifications

Duties & Responsibilities:

Data Pipeline Development

• Design and build data pipelines using established Medallion Architecture patterns (Bronze, Silver, Gold).
• Implement batch and CDC-based ingestion pipelines from databases, files, and APIs.
• Support pipeline reliability, scalability, performance, and cost optimization.

Data Ingestion & Integration

• Develop and support ingestion pipelines using Qlik Replicate for snapshot and CDC patterns.
• Implement ingestion processes for structured and semi-structured data.
• Build and extend Python-based pipeline components following existing frameworks.

Transformation, Modeling & Testing

• Develop dbt models using SQL and Jinja templating.
• Implement and maintain automated tests for data quality, freshness, and schema validation.
• Participate in CI/CD-based deployments of dbt transformations.

Snowflake Development & Governance

• Implement Snowflake ingestion patterns using Snowpipe and Tasks.
• Apply and support RBAC, dynamic masking, and tag-based access controls.
• Develop stored procedures and support governed data access patterns.

Cloud Development

• Develop and operate data workloads using AWS services such as S3, Lambda, ECS Fargate, Glue, DynamoDB, and IAM, or equivalent Azure services.
• Collaborate with senior engineers on deployment pipelines, automation, and environment promotion.

Operational Excellence

• Troubleshoot data pipeline issues and participate in production support.
• Implement logging, monitoring, and alerting for pipelines and data processes.
• Contribute to performance tuning and cost optimization efforts.

Collaboration & Mentorship

• Mentor junior data engineers through code reviews and technical guidance.
• Collaborate with Lead Data Engineers on design and implementation decisions.
• Partner with stakeholders to translate requirements into technical solutions.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and 4 years of experience in Data engineering, data technologies, cloud platforms

OR

High School Diploma or GED and 8 years of experience in Data engineering, data technologies, cloud platforms

Preferred Qualifications

Qualified candidates will have proven, hands‑on production experience with most of the following:

• Building data pipelines using Medallion Architecture patterns
• Data ingestion using Qlik Replicate (snapshot, CDC, batch)
• Python development for data pipeline components
• dbt Cloud modeling, testing, and SQL development
• Snowflake ingestion and processing (Snowpipe, Tasks, Stored Procedures)
• RBAC and data masking concepts in Snowflake
• Cloud-native development on AWS or equivalent Azure platforms
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (GitLab, GitHub Actions, etc.)
• Observability and monitoring tools such as Splunk or Dynatrace
• Experience in regulated or governance-heavy environments
• Snowflake AI development using Cortex CoCo
• Relevant cloud or data platform certifications

Additional Information
Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.