Local Candidate--Senior Data Engineer (GCP, BigQuery, Dbt, Lakehouse)--Iselin, New Jersey--Contract on W2

Title: Senior Data Engineer (GCP, BigQuery, dbt, Lakehouse) Location: Iselin, New Jersey Duration: 3-6 months contract to hire Job Description: Technical skills and proficiency requirements • 5+ years of data engineering experience with strong expertise in GCP (BigQuery, GCS) and modern data stack tools • Advanced hands-on experience with dbt Core, including incremental models, snapshots, macros, testing, and semantic layer development • Strong BigQuery SQL expertise, including window functions, complex CTEs, SCD modeling, and query/cost optimization techniques • Experience building and managing data pipelines and orchestration workflows using Python and tools like Prefect or Cloud Composer (Airflow) • Solid understanding of data platform engineering, including BigQuery administration (partitioning, clustering), BigLake, IAM security, and CI/CD for data workflows (GitHub Actions or Cloud Build) Day to Day • Design and develop scalable data models using dbt Core, including incremental models, snapshots, macros, and testing frameworks • Build and optimize BigQuery SQL transformations, leveraging advanced techniques such as window functions, complex CTEs, and SCD patterns • Ensure cost-efficient query performance through partition pruning, clustering strategies, and query optimization • Manage and configure BigQuery datasets, including partitioning, clustering, materialized views, and external tables • Develop and maintain data pipelines and orchestration workflows using tools like Prefect or Cloud Composer • Implement event-driven pipelines (e.g., GCS-triggered workflows) with proper retry logic, monitoring, and alerting • Build and maintain data validation frameworks using Python and tools like Great Expectations • Configure and manage BigLake external tables over GCS (Parquet/Iceberg), including metadata caching and partition management • Implement secure data access controls using GCP IAM, including service accounts and authorized views • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure high-quality, reliable data delivery DETAILS NEEDED Years of experience in the following: • GCP Google Cloud Platform • Dbt (models, snapshots, macros, semantic layer) • Bigquery administration • Bigquery functions/performance/partitioning • Biglake / Lakehouse architecture • Apache • Pipeline orchestration • Python • Basic Cloud security • Data modeling (Bronze, Silver, Gold)