Title: Principal Data Engineer
Employment Type: 12-month W-2 contract
Compensation: $90–$100 per hour
Location: Remote; applicants must currently reside in California
Industry: Government / Public Sector
About The Company
DirectedLINK LLC is recruiting for an opportunity with a public-sector organization that delivers essential infrastructure and community services. The organization relies on dependable data systems to organize information, support reliable analysis, and help teams make informed decisions. In this role, you will contribute to the analytical data environment that supports these important services and collaborate with stakeholders who depend on accessible, well-managed data.
About The Role The Principal Data Engineer will provide technical leadership and hands-on expertise in designing, implementing, and managing analytical data infrastructure. You will help build a scalable, dependable data environment, with ownership spanning data integration, quality, platform architecture, operations, and governance. This position is suited to an experienced engineer who can balance delivery with sound technical judgment, communicate effectively with customers and colleagues, and help develop the capabilities of junior data engineers and database administrators.
This is a remote, 12-month contract position on a W-2 basis. Candidates must currently reside in California and be authorized to work in the United States for any employer. Employer sponsorship is not available. The position requires 40 hours per week across four 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, within the operating window of 7:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The program manager will determine the specific work schedule.
Qualifications A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field is required. Additional qualifying professional experience may substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis. Candidates should have at least five years of professional experience specializing in Databricks, including substantial expertise in data engineering, data integration, data warehousing, and cloud computing.
At least five years of experience developing data pipelines with Python is also required.
Applicants should have three or more years of experience designing and developing Databricks medallion Lakehouse architecture and applying data governance and data quality best practices. The role also requires at least one year of data modeling experience, one year managing Azure resources, and one year automating Azure data resources using DataOps. Strong analytical and business judgment, attention to detail, organization, and time management are important.
Candidates should be comfortable managing multiple concurrent tasks, collaborating with others, and executing projects independently. Clear verbal and written communication and a customer-service orientation are essential.
Responsibilities
Design, implement, and manage analytical data infrastructure that is scalable, dependable, and aligned with organizational needs. Build and maintain data pipelines and integration processes, using Python and Databricks to support reliable data flows. Contribute to Lakehouse architecture, data models, and cloud-based data solutions.
Apply data quality and governance practices to improve the consistency, usability, and trustworthiness of information. Support platform architecture and operational needs, including Azure resource management and DataOps automation. Work with stakeholders to understand requirements, communicate progress, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior data engineers and database administrators.
Benefits
This opportunity offers a remote work model for California residents, a 12-month W-2 contract, and an hourly compensation range of $90–$100. The schedule is structured as four 10-hour workdays, Monday through Thursday, with exact hours set by the program manager. No travel is required. Benefits beyond the stated compensation and contract details have not been specified.
Equal Opportunity
DirectedLINK LLC is committed to fair and respectful consideration of applicants. Employment decisions are made in accordance with applicable laws and based on role-related qualifications. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer; sponsorship is not available. A background check and Live Scan fingerprinting are required for this opportunity.