Senior Data Engineer

Senior Data Engineer Normal, IL (Hybrid) Duration: initial 4-month contract Pay: $74-79/hr We are seeking a Sr. Data Engineer to join a growing data organization focused on building scalable data platforms and analytics solutions that support enterprise operations. This role will design, develop, and maintain modern data pipelines while enabling reliable reporting, operational insights, and future AI-driven analytics. You'll work closely with engineering, analytics, and business teams to transform operational data into trusted, governed datasets that power critical business decisions. Responsibilities • Design, build, and maintain scalable ELT data pipelines using Databricks, cloud technologies, and modern data engineering best practices. • Develop and support dbt models for operational, quality, and performance reporting. • Implement data quality validation, monitoring, auditing, and pipeline observability to ensure reliable data delivery. • Optimize data pipelines, ingestion processes, and job performance for scalability, cost efficiency, and reliability. • Collaborate with analytics engineers and cross-functional teams to develop high-value data products and reporting solutions. • Support metadata management, semantic modeling, and data catalog initiatives to improve data accessibility and governance. • Partner with upstream application teams to improve data quality, schemas, and overall platform reliability. • Create documentation, operational runbooks, and deployment standards for production data pipelines. Required Qualifications • 5+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics Engineering, or Software Engineering supporting production data environments. • Strong SQL and Python programming skills. • Hands-on experience building ELT pipelines using modern cloud data platforms (Databricks preferred). • Experience developing and maintaining dbt models, including testing, documentation, and CI/CD integration. • Experience with managed data ingestion tools such as Fivetran, Airbyte, or similar platforms. • Experience designing, deploying, and supporting production-grade data pipelines with monitoring and observability. • Strong communication and collaboration skills with engineering, analytics, and business stakeholders. • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience). Preferred Qualifications • Experience working with manufacturing, operational, quality, or MES data. • Familiarity with Fivetran connector management and ingestion architecture. • Experience with data governance, schema management, and data contracts. • Experience building semantic models or governed analytical datasets. • Experience with BI and analytics tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Hex. • Exposure to AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics initiatives. • Experience working with streaming or near real-time data pipelines.