AWS Lead Data Engineer

AWS Lead Data Engineer Location: Newark, NJ (Hybrid – 3 days onsite) Engagement: Contract Pay Rate: Up to $85/hr (C2C) or $80/hr (W2) Client: Leading Investment Firm We are seeking an experienced AWS Lead Data Engineer to join a high-performing Data Engineering team. This role requires a strong technical leader who can architect, build, and scale modern data solutions on AWS while guiding a team of engineers and partnering with business stakeholders. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in AWS data services, strong leadership capabilities, and a hands-on approach to building scalable and secure data platforms. Key Responsibilities • Lead the design, development, and optimization of scalable, secure, and high-performance data pipelines and data lake architectures on AWS • Architect and implement end-to-end data solutions including ingestion, storage, transformation, and analytics using AWS services such as Glue, Redshift, S3, Lambda, EMR, Kinesis, Athena, and RDS • Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to a team of data engineers, including conducting code reviews and enforcing best practices • Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable and maintainable data solutions • Drive migration efforts from legacy systems to AWS-based data platforms, including data lakes and data warehouses • Establish and enforce standards for data quality, governance, and security • Promote and implement DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code • Ensure solutions are cost-effective, performant, and aligned with enterprise data strategy • Stay current with AWS advancements and emerging data engineering technologies, evaluating tools and frameworks for adoption • Troubleshoot complex data issues and lead resolution efforts across the data platform Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field • 7+ years of experience in data engineering, including at least 3 years in a lead or technical leadership role • Strong hands-on experience with AWS data services including Glue, Redshift, S3, Lambda, EMR/Spark, Kinesis, Athena, RDS, and API Gateway • Proficiency in Python and SQL; experience with Shell scripting and Scala is a plus • Proven experience designing and building data lakes, data warehouses, and large-scale data pipelines on AWS • Strong background in ETL/ELT processes, data modeling, and big data frameworks • Experience leading and mentoring engineering teams in a collaborative environment • Hands-on experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code tools such as CloudFormation or Terraform • Excellent problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills Preferred Qualifications • AWS certification (Solutions Architect or Data Engineer) • Experience with real-time data streaming technologies • Knowledge of data governance, compliance, and security best practices • Familiarity with Lakehouse architecture and modern data platforms