Principal Data Engineer

Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them.

Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time, including CPT/OPT.

The Principal Data Engineer is a senior hands-on engineering role responsible for designing, building, and optimizing scalable data services, streaming data solutions, data pipelines, and cloud-based data platforms. This role is not a Data Architect position; it requires deep technical execution, active engineering delivery, and the ability to solve complex data engineering challenges through hands-on development.

Operating with a high level of technical autonomy, this role will serve as a top-level authority in data engineering while directly contributing to the implementation of modern data platforms and services. The Principal Data Engineer will lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and drive innovation across scalable data pipelines, data products, streaming services, and data systems that support analytics, AI/ML, reporting, and operational workloads.

What you will do:

• Design, build, and optimize scalable data engineering solutions, including streaming data services, data pipelines, data platforms, and operational data systems.
• Serve as a hands-on technical leader, actively developing and implementing data engineering solutions rather than functioning solely as an architect.
• Define and drive data engineering standards, patterns, best practices, and reusable frameworks.
• Architect and implement highly complex, scalable data platforms and advanced data engineering solutions.
• Lead complex, high-impact, cross-functional data initiatives across the organization.
• Build and support streaming and data services for enterprise use, with experience beyond consuming or using existing platforms.
• Establish and enforce data governance, security, data quality, and data management standards.
• Ensure enterprise data platforms are reliable, well-modeled, accessible, secure, and optimized for broad consumption.
• Drive innovation and modernization initiatives across data platforms, engineering practices, and cloud-based data services.
• Partner with senior leadership, architects, product teams, and engineering teams on long-term data strategy and roadmap planning.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leaders across the organization.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to advance enterprise data capabilities.
• Ensure scalability, performance, resilience, and long-term sustainability of data platforms.
• Champion continuous improvement and elevate engineering practices across teams.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

What you will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, such as Information Systems, Mathematics, or Software Engineering, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• 10+ years of data engineering experience.
• Certified AWS Engineer or equivalent AWS certification required.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python, Spark, SQL, and modern data architectures.
• Extensive hands-on experience with AWS and distributed data systems.
• Proven experience building streaming data solutions, data services, and scalable data platforms, not just using existing platforms as a consumer.
• Deep expertise in data modeling, ETL/ELT, data platform design, and operational data stores.
• Proven experience with batch and streaming data integration at enterprise scale.
• Strong experience with data governance, data quality, security standards, and data management practices.
• Hands-on experience with Terraform or similar infrastructure-as-code tooling.
• Expertise across modern data platforms and cloud ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to define, influence, and implement enterprise-wide technical direction and engineering standards.
• Proven track record of leading enterprise-scale data transformations and initiatives.
• Exceptional leadership, mentoring, and organizational influence.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to advise executive stakeholders, partner with architects, and drive technical decisions.

What will set you apart:

• Experience with Snowflake.
• Data engineering, cloud data, or data platform certifications.
• Advanced AWS data services certifications.
• Experience building reusable data services, frameworks, or platform capabilities used by multiple engineering teams.
• Experience modernizing legacy data platforms into cloud-native, governed, scalable data ecosystems.

This job operates in a professional office environment.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications of the job. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. You will be evaluated in part based on your performance of the responsibilities and/or tasks listed in this job description. You may be required to perform other duties that are not included on this job description. The job description is not a contract for employment, and either you or the employer may terminate employment at any time, for any reason, as per terms and conditions of your employment contract.

What we offer you

We offer an array of diverse and inclusive benefits regardless of where you are in your career. We believe that providing our employees with the means to lead healthy balanced lives results in the best possible work performance.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Retirement savings – 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%), financial advisory services, potential company discretionary contribution, and a broad investment lineup
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Business-casual environment that includes the option to wear jeans
• Generous paid time off upon hire – including a paid time off program plus ten paid company holidays and three floating holidays each calendar year
• Paid volunteer time — 16 hours per calendar year
• Leave of absence programs – including paid parental leave, paid short- and long-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
• Business Resource Groups (BRGs) –  BRGs facilitate inclusion and collaboration across our business internally and throughout the communities where we live, work and play. BRGs are open to all.

Base Salary Range

The salary range above shows the typical minimum to maximum base salary range for this position in the location listed. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation offered may vary from posted hiring range based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Equal opportunity employer •  Drug-free workplace

We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity.  All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age (40 and over), race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, religion, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable state or local law. 

***For remote and hybrid positions you will be required to provide reliable high-speed internet with a wired connection as well as a place in your home to work with limited disruption. You must have reliable connectivity from an internet service provider that is fiber, cable or DSL internet. Other necessary computer equipment, will be provided. You may be required to work in the office if you do not have an adequate home work environment and the required internet connection.***

Job Posting End Date at 12:01 am on:

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