Lead Data Engineer - Cloud, GCS, Data Lake (Banking - Irving, TX, Hybrid)

Architect and implement enterprise-scale cloud data lakes to streamline and secure data for analytics and regulatory reporting

Design layered/lakehouse data models (e.g., Bronze/Silver/Gold), cloud bucket structures, retention/access policies, and scalable standards in alignment with financial industry governance

Lead data governance initiatives: support data lineage, documentation, compliance logs, and retention best practices in a regulated environment

Build and optimize secure ETL pipelines to ingest, organize, and curate raw and structured data for downstream use

Define naming conventions, access controls, and lifecycle management for Google Cloud Storage (or AWS S3/Azure Data Lake), with focus on privacy, security, and audit-readiness

Oversee data formats, file partitioning, compression, and backfill processes using Parquet, Avro, ORC, and similar standards

Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, risk, business, and compliance teams to develop practical data solutions and ensure requirements are met

Document frameworks and mentor team members to ensure scalable, repeatable, and compliant data engineering practices

7+ years of professional data engineering experience, including 3+ years as a Lead Data Engineer or Data Architect (within banking/financial services preferred but not required)

Proven experience architecting data lake solutions on cloud platforms (preferably Google Cloud Storage, AWS S3, or Azure Data Lake)

Hands-on expertise with:

Layered data/lakehouse models (Bronze/Silver/Gold)

Bucket/storage structure design, naming conventions, lifecycle and retention policies, hierarchical access controls

File and storage formats such as Parquet, Avro, and ORC

Strong command of data partitioning, compression, backfills, and organization for large-scale regulated data environments

Experience designing curated data models for analytics, BI, regulatory, and executive reporting

Preferred/Bonus Skills

Financial industry or regulated data environment experience

Familiarity with Google BigQuery, Databricks, Snowflake, or similar analytics platforms

DevOps, CI/CD, or infrastructure automation in data engineering

Experience supporting data compliance (GDPR, CCPA, SOX, etc.) and secure data management initiatives

Leadership or mentoring of data engineering teams

Ready to help transform data in banking? Apply now and reach out directly for a confidential discussion!

Duration: 12+ months contract with possibility of longer term extensions

Compensation: $70-$75/hr W2