AWS Lead Data Engineer

Location: Newark, NJ (Hybrid – 3 days onsite)

Engagement: Contract

Pay Rate: Up to $85/hr (C2C) or $80/hr (W2)

We are seeking an experienced AWS Lead Data Engineer to join a high-performing Data Engineering team. This role requires a strong technical leader who can architect, build, and scale modern data solutions on AWS while guiding a team of engineers and partnering with business stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in AWS data services, strong leadership capabilities, and a hands‑on approach to building scalable and secure data platforms.

• Lead the design, development, and optimization of scalable, secure, and high-performance data pipelines and data lake architectures on AWS
• Architect and implement end-to-end data solutions including ingestion, storage, transformation, and analytics using AWS services such as Glue, Redshift, S3, Lambda, EMR, Kinesis, Athena, and RDS
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to a team of data engineers, including conducting code reviews and enforcing best practices
• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable and maintainable data solutions
• Drive migration efforts from legacy systems to AWS-based data platforms, including data lakes and data warehouses
• Establish and enforce standards for data quality, governance, and security
• Promote and implement Dev Ops practices, including CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code
• Ensure solutions are cost-effective, performant, and aligned with enterprise data strategy
• Stay current with AWS advancements and emerging data engineering technologies, evaluating tools and frameworks for adoption
• Troubleshoot complex data issues and lead resolution efforts across the data platform

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• 7+ years of experience in data engineering, including at least 3 years in a lead or technical leadership role
• Strong hands‑on experience with AWS data services including Glue, Redshift, S3, Lambda, EMR/Spark, Kinesis, Athena, RDS, and API Gateway
• Proficiency in Python and SQL; experience with Shell scripting and Scala is a plus
• Proven experience designing and building data lakes, data warehouses, and large‑scale data pipelines on AWS
• Strong background in ETL/ELT processes, data modeling, and big data frameworks
• Experience leading and mentoring engineering teams in a collaborative environment
• Hands‑on experience with Dev Ops practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Cloud Formation or Terraform
• Excellent problem‑solving, communication, and organizational skills

• AWS certification (Solutions Architect or Data Engineer)
• Experience with real‑time data streaming technologies
• Knowledge of data governance, compliance, and security best practices
• Familiarity with Lakehouse architecture and modern data platforms