Principal 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 Principal Data Engineer to lead the design, development, and governance of enterprise-scale data solutions across our Cloud Data Platform (GCP). This role serves as a key technical authority, driving architecture standards, scalable data pipeline frameworks, and modern data warehouse design across multiple domains. The ideal candidate is a cloud-native engineer who thrives on solving complex data integration challenges, mentoring peers, and shaping the future of our data platform strategy.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
• Architect & Lead Data Solutions
o Design end-to-end data architectures leveraging GCP services including Composer, Data Fusion, Dataform, DataProc, BigQuery, GCS, and GitHub.
o Define and enforce engineering standards, coding practices, and reusability frameworks for data pipelines and transformations.
o Drive design patterns for Fact and Dimension modeling, data mesh, and change data capture (CDC) and cloud-native ELT frameworks.
• Strategic Data Engineering
o Partner with Data Architects, Platform Engineers, Product Owners, and Analytics leaders to create a unified GCP-first cloud data strategy.
o Evaluate emerging technologies and introduce best-fit solutions to optimize data performance, cost, and maintainability.
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o Lead modernization efforts, reauthoring or refactoring legacy ETL into cloud-optimized ELT pipelines aligned to modern data architecture patterns.
• Technical Leadership
o Act as the technical mentor and reviewer for Senior and Mid-level Data Engineers.
o Lead large, cross-functional data initiatives and serve as the technical point of escalation for complex production challenges.
o Set coding, testing, and deployment standards; ensure adherence to CI/CD best practices using GitHub and GitHub Actions.
• Operational Excellence
o Ensure data reliability, scalability, and governance across environments.
o Partner with Product Owners, Architects, and Analysts to align data models with business outcomes.
o Create technical documentation, reusable frameworks, and metadata standards to support enterprise data maturity.
Qualifications
• Experience
o 10+ years of experience in data engineering and data warehousing, including deep expertise in cloud-native architectures.
o Proven leadership in designing and implementing large-scale real-time and batch data pipelines and warehouses on GCP.
o Hands-on experience with Python, SQL, Spark, and distributed data processing frameworks.
• Technical Proficiency (
o Azure: GCP: Composer, Data Fusion, Dataform, DataProc, BigQuery, GCS
o Strong expertise in BigQuery-centric data modeling and performance optimization
o Solid understanding of Dimensional Modeling, Data Mesh, ELT, and modern data lakehouse patterns
• Leadership & Collaboration
o Demonstrated success influencing architecture direction across multiple teams.
o Strong mentoring skills with a track record of developing talent.
o Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.
• Preferred
o Experience integrating data from SaaS platforms (Salesforce, D365, Qualtrics, Pendo, etc.).
o Hands on experience in Data Factory, Databricks, Synapse, ADLS Gen 2, Azure DevOps
o Familiarity with DataOps, MLOps, or advanced orchestration and monitoring tools.
o Experience driving data governance and quality initiatives at scale.
o Google certified data engineer or architect
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.
UKG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including the recruitment process.
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
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