POSITION OVERVIEW

We are seeking an experienced GCP Data Engineer to join our team on a contract basis in Denver, Colorado. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Google Cloud Platform services, Java-based pipeline development, and enterprise ETL frameworks. You will design and implement scalable data pipelines, work with large distributed datasets, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality data solutions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Design, develop, and maintain robust ETL/ELT pipelines on Google Cloud Platform using Java and cloud-native services

Build and optimize data workflows using GCP tools such as Dataflow (Apache Beam), Dataproc, BigQuery, Cloud Composer (Airflow), and Pub/Sub

Develop Java-based data ingestion and transformation applications to move data across structured and unstructured sources

Collaborate with data architects and analysts to translate business requirements into scalable technical data solutions

Monitor, troubleshoot, and tune pipeline performance, data quality, and reliability in production environments

Implement data governance and security best practices including IAM policies, encryption, and access controls

Work with Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Spanner, and Bigtable to manage and persist data assets

Participate in code reviews, technical design discussions, and agile ceremonies

Write technical documentation for pipelines, schemas, and data flows

Support data migration efforts and legacy system integration with modern cloud infrastructure

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Core GCP Skills

5+ years of experience in data engineering with at least 3 years on Google Cloud Platform

Hands-on expertise with BigQuery (table design, partitioning, clustering, cost optimization)

Proficiency with Cloud Dataflow (Apache Beam pipelines — batch and streaming)

Experience with Cloud Composer / Apache Airflow for workflow orchestration

Familiarity with Pub/Sub for real-time event streaming and messaging

Working knowledge of Cloud Storage, Dataproc (Spark/Hadoop), and GCP networking basics

Java & ETL

Strong proficiency in Java (8+) for building data pipelines and backend services

Experience designing and building ETL/ELT pipelines at scale (batch and streaming)

Knowledge of SQL and experience writing complex queries for BigQuery or similar warehouses

Familiarity with data transformation patterns: slowly changing dimensions, CDC, data normalization

Experience integrating APIs, JDBC/ODBC connectors, and file-based data sources

General

Solid understanding of distributed systems, data warehousing concepts, and data lake architecture

Proficiency with version control (Git) and CI/CD practices

Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently in a contract environment

Strong communication skills for collaborating with remote and on-site stakeholders

PREFERRED / NICE-TO-HAVE

Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification

Experience with dbt (data build tool) for data transformation

Familiarity with Terraform or Deployment Manager for infrastructure-as-code on GCP

Experience with Kafka or other streaming platforms alongside Pub/Sub

Knowledge of Python for scripting and data manipulation tasks

Exposure to data quality frameworks (Great Expectations, Deequ)

Experience with Looker, Data Studio, or other BI tools connected to BigQuery

TECHNICAL SKILLS SUMMARY

ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT

This is a contract role embedded within an established data engineering team. You will have direct impact on mission-critical data pipelines that serve business intelligence, analytics, and operational systems. The team follows agile practices with two-week sprints, daily standups, and collaborative design sessions. The role is hybrid with approximately three days on-site in Denver, CO.