Lead Data Engineer
Why UKG:
At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That's what we do.
We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you'll get flexibility that's real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters-and so do you.
Overview
We are seeking a Lead Data Engineer to design, build, and lead the delivery of scalable data solutions on our Cloud Data Platform (GCP/Azure). This role plays a critical hands-on leadership function, owning complex data pipelines and models while guiding a small team of data engineers through design, development, and best practices.
The ideal candidate is a strong technical contributor who can translate architectural guidance into execution, partner closely with Product Owners and Architects, and ensure high-quality, reliable data solutions aligned to business needs.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Design & Build Data Solutions
Design, develop, and maintain end-to-end data pipelines and transformations using Azure (ADF, Databricks, ADLS Gen2, Synapse) and GCP (Composer, Data Fusion, Dataform, DataProc, BigQuery, GCS).
Implement Fact and Dimension models, CDC patterns, and cloud-native ELT pipelines following established architectural standards.
Optimize data pipelines for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.
Technical Leadership & Delivery
Serve as the technical lead for one or more data domains or initiatives.
Lead design discussions, perform code reviews, and ensure adherence to engineering standards and best practices.
Mentor and guide Senior and Mid-level Data Engineers through hands-on coaching and technical feedback.
Act as the first point of escalation for complex technical issues within owned initiatives.
Collaboration & Alignment
Partner with Data Architects, Product Owners, Analysts, and Platform teams to translate business requirements into effective data solutions.
Contribute to data modeling decisions to ensure alignment with analytics and reporting use cases.
Support cross-team initiatives by implementing shared frameworks and reusable components defined at the platform level.
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Operational Excellence
Ensure reliability and maintainability of data pipelines through monitoring, alerting, and automated testing.
Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions.
Create and maintain technical documentation for pipelines, models, and processes.
Support data quality, governance, and metadata standards within owned solutions.
Qualifications
Experience
7-9+ years of experience in data engineering and data warehousing, including cloud-based solutions.
Proven experience delivering complex data pipelines and warehouse solutions in Azure and/or GCP.
Strong hands-on experience with Python, SQL, Spark, and distributed data processing.
Technical Proficiency
Azure: Data Factory, Databricks, Synapse, ADLS Gen2, Azure DevOps
GCP: Composer, Data Fusion, Dataform, DataProc, BigQuery, GCS, GitHub
Solid understanding of Dimensional Modeling, ELT, CDC, and modern data lakehouse concepts.
Leadership & Collaboration
Demonstrated ability to lead technical delivery and influence design decisions within a team.
Experience mentoring engineers through code reviews, pairing, and design guidance.
Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Preferred
Experience integrating data from SaaS platforms (Salesforce, D365, Qualtrics, Pendo, etc.).
Familiarity with DataOps practices, orchestration, and monitoring tools.
Exposure to data quality and governance concepts.
Cloud certification (Azure or GCP) is a plus.
Company Overview:
UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry - because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.
Equal Opportunity Employer
UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories. View The EEO Know Your Rights poster UKG participates in E-Verify. View the E-Verify posters here.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process
For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email UKGCareers@ukg.com.
The pay range for this position is $129,500.00 to $186,100.00. The actual base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and work location. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible to participate in a performance-based bonus plan and to receive restricted stock unit awards as part of total compensation. Learn more about UKG's benefits and rewards at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers/benefits
Perks and Benefits
Health and Wellness
- Health Insurance
- Health Reimbursement Account
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Short-Term Disability
- Long-Term Disability
- FSA
- FSA With Employer Contribution
- HSA
- HSA With Employer Contribution
- Fitness Subsidies
- On-Site Gym
- Virtual Fitness Classes
Parental Benefits
- Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
- Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
- Adoption Assistance Program
- Family Support Resources
- Adoption Leave
Work Flexibility
- Flexible Work Hours
- Remote Work Opportunities
- Hybrid Work Opportunities
Office Life and Perks
- Casual Dress
- Happy Hours
- Company Outings
- Holiday Events
Vacation and Time Off
- Paid Vacation
- Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Paid Holidays
- Personal/Sick Days
- Volunteer Time Off
Financial and Retirement
- 401(K) With Company Matching
- Company Equity
- Performance Bonus
- Profit Sharing
Professional Development
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Mentor Program
- Shadowing Opportunities
- Access to Online Courses
- Internship Program
Diversity and Inclusion