Senior Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer | Chicago (Hybrid)

$130,000 – $160,000 base + 15% bonus

Harnham is partnered with a high-growth, well-capitalized financial services company to hire a Principal Data Engineer into a highly visible, business-critical role.

This is an opportunity to step into a senior technical leadership position where you will shape the direction of the data platform while remaining hands‑on. Data sits at the core of the business, directly influencing credit strategy, underwriting, and revenue‑driving decisions.

You will operate as a senior individual contributor within a lean, high‑performing team, owning key architectural decisions and driving best practices across the data environment. This role offers significant exposure to business leadership and the ability to influence how data is leveraged across the organization.

• Architect and evolve a modern cloud data platform (AWS, Snowflake)
• Design, build, and optimize scalable, production‑grade data pipelines
• Lead data modeling strategy and oversee warehouse architecture, including modernization efforts
• Partner closely with credit, analytics, and business teams to deliver high‑impact data solutions
• Drive standards around data quality, performance, governance, and reliability
• Provide technical leadership and guidance across the team

• 5–8+ years of experience in Data Engineering
• Advanced expertise in SQL and strong proficiency in Python
• Hands‑on experience with Snowflake and AWS (or similar cloud platforms)
• Strong background in data modeling, warehousing, and pipeline architecture
• Proven ability to work cross‑functionally and influence stakeholders

• Experience with dbt, Airflow, or similar modern data tools
• Background in financial services, fintech, lending, or payments
• Experience working with credit or transaction‑level data

• Principal‑level ownership with meaningful influence on technical direction
• Direct impact on core business strategy and credit decisioning
• Modern data stack with continued investment
• High visibility across senior stakeholders
• Collaborative, low‑ego, high‑performing team
• Hybrid model based in Chicago

If you’re looking for a role that combines technical ownership with real business impact, this is a strong opportunity to step into a Principal‑level position within a growing organization.

Apply directly or reach out for a confidential conversation.