Data Engineer - Information Systems

Data Engineer – Information Systems

Mesa, Arizona

Full-time

$73,403.00 per year

Vacation, sick leave, holidays, retirement matched through the Arizona State Retirement System, health and life insurance

Available annually

1% of the base hourly rate granted for each year of verified experience (within ten years) beyond the requirement, up to a ten‑year maximum

1% of the base hourly rate awarded for an AA or higher degree if not required for the position

Mesa Public Schools is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Data Engineer. You will assume a strategic role in developing and maintaining the data infrastructure for our K‑12 system. Working closely with cross‑functional teams, including a Senior Research Analyst, Business Intelligence Lead, Senior Data Engineer and other research and reporting team members, you will lead the creation and implementation of a cohesive and extensive enterprise‑wide data model.

Collaborating with a diverse team of data experts and educators, you will play a pivotal role in leveraging data insights to enhance educational outcomes.

• Technical Expertise and Cloud Adoption
  • Provide technical knowledge for major data strategies, driving the organization’s success in adopting modern data models and cloud technologies.
  • Guide technical architecture for projects such as data replication, metadata management, DBaaS, data modeling and data security.
  • Develop proof‑of‑concept prototypes and initial implementation models to support the vision and strategy of the district.
  • Leverage deep understanding of SQL and knowledge of development languages (e.g., Python, R) to guide the development and maintenance of data engineering pipelines, supporting modeling and analytics needs.
  • Define and maintain reusable data development patterns, engineering standards, version control and data frameworks.
• Database Technology and Platform Designs
  • Apply expert knowledge of database technology to support legacy DBMSs and design overall data platform solutions.
  • Utilize knowledge of ETL/ELT processes to create and/or expand the current data model.
  • Utilize a variety of technologies, including SQL, R, Python, and other relevant tools, to manage and analyze large amounts of education data.
  • Implement data hygiene practices to ensure statistical efficiency, accuracy, and quality in educational data.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
  • Work closely with global and district‑level stakeholders, including educators, IT professionals, compliance teams, and risk management, to identify, support, and implement data‑driven projects.
  • Establish relationships with IT leaders, systems leaders, data engineers, and technical specialists to advance proposed architectural solutions.
• Team Membership
  • Represent the team in architectural discussions, focusing on data aggregation, data flows, deployment strategies and governance.
  • Have a passion for innovation with a test‑and‑learn mindset, ensuring the team remains adaptable to evolving educational needs.
• Agile Development and Delivery
  • Embrace Agile methodologies in the development process, supporting the effective scaling of digital pilot initiatives from ideation to working pilots and deliverables.
• Other Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with Research and Evaluation team to build consistent, accurate and available data solutions in specialized software (e.g., PowerBI, Tableau, Excel).
  • Independently define problem statements and extract user requirements for data analysis and business intelligence solutions.
  • Develop and present analyses and reports using data visualization and storytelling best practices.
  • Produce documentation to ensure consistency, quality, and transparency across the district.
  • Participate in data quality issue analysis and resolution recommendations.
  • Combine data files from multiple sources efficiently and effectively to create a clean data set for analysis.
  • Write custom SQL queries.
  • Foster a continuous learning, professional development and growth mindset among team members.
  • Maintain department procedures and policies in alignment with district, state and federal statutes and…