Job Title: Principal Data Engineer
Job Description – Principal Data Engineer
Job Type: Contract W2
Location: Johnston, RI or Charlotte, NC or Boston,MA
Role Overview:
Principal-level Java engineer to design and build enterprise-grade, real-time and batch data processing systems using Java, Spark, Kafka, and Microservices architecture. Strong focus on event-driven pipelines, API development (build + consume), and high-volume streaming platforms.
Key Responsibilities:
- Architect, design, and implement enterprise-grade Java-based data platforms and distributed processing systems
- Build and maintain production-ready Spark applications (Java) for batch and real-time processing
- Design and evolve Kafka-based event streaming and ingestion pipelines
- Develop and consume REST APIs within microservices architecture
- Lead architecture ensuring scalability, reliability, and regulatory compliance
- Apply strong object-oriented design and engineering practices
- Mentor engineers on performance tuning and production readiness
- Design and implement MDM solutions (match, merge, survivorship logic)
- Ensure data quality, observability, and system stability
- Support production deployments and operational handoffs
Required Skills & Experience:
- 10–12+ years experience in Java/backend or data engineering
- Hands-on experience building real-time data pipelines (Kafka, Spark Streaming/Flink)
- Solid knowledge of relational databases (Redshift, PostgreSQL, Snowflake) and NoSQL databases (MongoDB or similar)
- Strong Kafka and event-driven architecture experience
- Strong Microservices experience (Spring Boot, REST APIs)
- Experience in API development and API consumption
- Hands-on Spark experience (batch and streaming)
- Strong SQL and data modeling skills
- AWS experience (S3, Glue, EMR, Redshift)
- Experience in regulated/data governance environments
- CI/CD, Git, Docker/Kubernetes familiarity
Preferred:
- Scala or Python experience
- Talend/DataStage exposure
- Data lake experience (Iceberg/Parquet)
- Frontend/API integration exposure
- Experience supporting large-scale production systems
Mandatory Screening Criteria:
Candidates must have hands-on experience building real-time/event-driven data pipelines using Kafka and Spark/Flink, along with strong microservices and API development experience.