Activate Data Engineer

As a Senior Consultant Data Engineer
, you will be a key contributor within Kearney Activate’s Solutions Architecture and Data Engineering practice. You will design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and infrastructure that support client data driven initiatives and enterprise transformations.

You will lead technical work streams, mentor junior team members, and collaborate closely with client stakeholders and cross functional teams to deliver high impact data solutions that enable advanced analytics, AI, and intelligent automation.

This position requires an active Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain one. A Secret clearance is a U.S. government security clearance that allows access to classified national security information that could cause "serious damage" to national security if disclosed without authorization.

Key Points:

• Issued by the federal government after a background investigation
• Involves investigation into criminal history, financial records, and personal conduct
• Must be sponsored by a government agency or cleared defense contractor
• Requires periodic reinvestigation (typically every 10 years)
• Clearance processing typically takes 3-6 months but can vary

Candidates must be able to meet the eligibility requirements established by the U.S. government for access to classified information at the Secret level.

• Design, implement, and optimize end to end data pipelines for ingesting, processing, and transforming large volumes of structured and unstructured data across client environments
• Develop robust ETL and ELT processes to integrate data from diverse sources into modern data ecosystems, including data lakes, data warehouses, and cloud native platforms
• Implement data validation and quality checks to ensure accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data feeds
• Evaluate and implement streaming and real time data processing solutions where applicable

• Design and maintain data models, schemas, and database structures to support analytical, operational, and AI or ML use cases
• Optimize data storage and retrieval mechanisms for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Evaluate and implement data storage solutions including relational databases, No
  
  SQL databases, data lakes, data warehouses, and cloud storage services such as AWS S3, Azure Data Lake, Snowflake, and Data bricks
• Contribute to the development of modern data architectures aligned with client business objectives and technical requirements

• Build and maintain integrations with internal and external data sources, APIs, and enterprise systems
• Implement RESTful APIs and web services for data access and consumption
• Ensure compatibility and interoperability across systems and platforms
• Design secure data exchange mechanisms that adhere to information security and compliance requirements

• Configure and manage data infrastructure components, including databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and distributed computing frameworks such as Spark and Data bricks
• Monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement optimizations to enhance reliability and efficiency
• Implement data security controls and access management policies to protect sensitive client information
• Leverage cloud platforms and services including AWS, Azure, and GCP to deploy and manage scalable data solutions

• Act as technical lead on project work streams, providing guidance and oversight to junior data engineers and analysts
• Review code, data models, and technical designs to ensure adherence to best practices and standards
• Remove technical blockers and enable continuous progress across delivery teams
• Stay current with emerging technologies, including Gen AI capabilities, agentic architectures such as Lang Graph and Agent Development Kit, Model Context Protocol, and automation frameworks
• Evaluate and implement intelligent automation and AI driven solutions where logically and practically applicable
• Contribute to internal knowledge repositories, reusable frameworks, and delivery accelerators

• Collaborate directly with client technical and functional stakeholders to understand data requirements and deliver tailored solutions
• Partner with data scientists, analysts, architects, and business leaders to bridge technical execution and business outcomes
• Participate in client presentations and technical discussions, communicating complex concepts clearly and professionally
• Document technical designs, workflows, and best practices to support knowledge sharing and system maintenance
• Provide technical guidance and support to team members, clients, and stakeholders as needed.

After nearly 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections between data, technology, strategy, and people. We look for curious,…