Lead Data Engineer

Perficient

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Description

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer (open to Principal level) to lead the modernization and ownership of a critical data pipeline within a large-scale healthcare analytics environment. This role will focus on transitioning legacy SAS-based pipelines to modern Python/PySpark on Databricks, while driving engineering best practices and scalable data solutions.

This is a hands-on engineering role with a strong emphasis on development capabilities. Candidates with application development experience and exposure to AI/automation technologies will stand out.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead the modernization of data pipelines from SAS to Python/PySpark on Databricks
  • Own and evolve a mission-critical HEDIS data pipeline used for performance measurement and reporting
  • Design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines in a distributed environment
  • Collaborate with SMEs during an initial knowledge transfer period, with eventual full pipeline ownership
  • Develop, schedule, and automate end-to-end data workflows
  • Ensure data quality, reliability, and performance across large datasets
  • Partner with cross-functional teams and analytics vendors to deliver high-quality data outputs
  • Contribute to best practices in version control, CI/CD, and agile development workflows

Required Qualifications

  • Strong development/engineering background (core requirement)
  • Hands-on experience with Python (scripting and application development)
  • Expertise in building and managing data pipelines and ETL workflows
  • Experience processing large-scale datasets in distributed environments
  • Proficiency with Databricks (notebooks, workflows, cluster management)
  • Solid experience with AWS services including S3, Lambda, Glue, and EC2
  • Strong SQL skills for complex transformations and data extraction
  • Experience with pipeline orchestration and automation
  • Familiarity with version control systems (Git) in a collaborative environment
  • Experience managing work via issues, epics, and agile tooling

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

  • Experience with AI, machine learning, or automation frameworks
  • Exposure to healthcare data (e.g., HEDIS)
  • Background in transitioning legacy systems to modern data platforms

What are we Looking For (Priority Order)

  • Strong development engineering capabilities (must-have)
  • Application development experience, especially Python scripting
  • Expertise in AI or automation (highly desirable bonus)