Sr. Data Engineering Lead

MMD Services; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

MMD Services Inc. is seeking a Principal Data Engineer to shape the technical direction for systems powering a large-scale operation in a hybrid Chicagoland setting.

You will lead data architecture decisions, mentor engineers, and partner with product leaders to translate strategy into scalable data platforms across the enterprise.

Join a stable, employee-owned firm where your work directly impacts cross-team outcomes and cloud-first modernization.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of focused data engineering experience in enterprise or large organizations.
• Strong Python and PySpark proficiency; production-grade code is essential.
• Strong SQL and analytical data warehousing experience, Redshift preferred.
• Hands-on AWS cloud experience with cloud-native architectures.
• Understanding of SDLC and ability to mentor without direct authority.
• Effective communication with non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead for the data engineering team; unblock engineers and maintain quality without direct management authority.
• Lead design reviews and document trade-offs for consistent engineering patterns.
• Translate business strategy into architectural roadmaps with product/leadership.
• Design scalable data models, APIs, and event-driven architectures.
• Elevate DevOps and cloud practices: CI/CD, IaC, security gates.
• Drive reliability and observability with defined SLOs and incident learnings.
• Mentor engineers and lead technical forums across the organization.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to business stakeholders.
• Reinforce SDLC and enterprise engineering best practices across teams.

Skills

Python

PySpark

SQL

Data modeling

SDLC

Leadership

Communication

Tools

AWS

Job description

Our client, a well-established, employee-owned distribution company with a nationwide footprint, is bringing on a Principal Data Engineer to help define the technical direction for systems that power a genuinely large-scale operation. If you've been looking for a seat with real influence, where your architectural decisions actually move the needle across teams, this is it.

This is a direct-hire, hybrid role based in the Chicagoland area. Only local candidates willing to go onsite 3 days per week are encouraged to apply.

Why It's Exciting

• A voice in data architecture. You'll represent the data engineering team on a cross-functional architect committee, shaping how data flows across the business.
• Real visibility. You'll partner directly with product and business leaders, translating strategy into technical direction at the highest level.
• Employee ownership. This company shares its success directly with its people — you benefit from the growth you help create.
• Stability plus momentum. A well-established organization that’s still investing seriously in modern engineering practices, cloud maturity, and platform innovation.
• Mentorship both ways. You'll coach engineers and shape how teams think about architecture, while working alongside leaders who value your expertise.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the technical lead for the data engineering team - guiding development decisions, unblocking engineers, and maintaining the quality bar without direct management authority.
• Lead design reviews and high-stakes technical decisions, documenting trade-offs and driving consistent engineering patterns.
• Translate business strategy into architectural roadmaps in close partnership with product and leadership.
• Design resilient APIs, event-driven architectures, and data models built for scale and longevity.
• Elevate DevOps and cloud engineering practices - CI/CD standardization, infrastructure-as-code, and security gates.
• Drive reliability and observability, defining SLOs and turning incident learnings into lasting architectural improvements.
• Mentor engineers, lead technical forums, and raise the bar on architectural thinking across the organization.
• Interface with business stakeholders to communicate technical concepts clearly and credibly.
• Reinforce and model SDLC principles and enterprise engineering best practices across the team.

What You Bring

• 7+ years of focused data engineering experience in enterprise or midsize-to-large organizations.
• AWS as your dominant cloud platform, with hands-on experience in the past couple of years - this role lives in the AWS-native details.
• Strong Python and PySpark proficiency; writing clean, production-grade code matters more than familiarity with any specific orchestration tool.
• Strong SQL - considered a baseline expectation at this level.
• Experience with analytical data warehousing; Redshift is the platform in use, though Databricks or Snowflake backgrounds with strong SQL and PySpark transfer well.
• A genuine understanding of SDLC principles and why they matter in a mature engineering organization - not just familiarity with the vocabulary.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor technically without holding direct authority over the engineers you're guiding.
• Communication skills sufficient to hold a room with non-technical business stakeholders - this is not a heads-down-only environment.

MMD Services Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, ancestry, physical/mental disability, medical condition, military/veteran status, genetic information, marital status, ethnicity, alienage or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.