Data Engineer & AI Strategist

Description:
On-site in Richardson, TX

Our client seeks a Data Engineer & AI Strategist to own the enterprise data model, lead the future-state data environment, govern the BI reporting layer, and drive the AI integration roadmap. The role will partner with an external consulting firm during a modernization program and serve as the internal authority on data architecture and technology selection. The position will collaborate with business leaders and the Controller of Process Improvement to address data accessibility, accuracy, and reporting needs. The selected professional will treat the data platform as a long-term product and provide clear guidance, challenging recommendations when warranted.

This is a full-time, permanent opportunity, offering a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Qualified applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis.

Salary: $150,000 - $170,000/ yr. w2

JN -71

Responsibilities:

• Own and evolve the enterprise data model from initial design through production deployment.
• Architect and manage the Azure cloud environment across development, staging, and production pipelines.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on Microsoft Fabric or Snowflake, including provisioning, configuration, dataflows, and governance.
• Design and maintain integration pipelines between legacy systems such as Atlas, Bar Apps, and Risk Master and the new data platform.
• Ensure an AI-ready architecture with sound schema design, metadata management, and data quality standards.
• Build and maintain the Power BI reporting layer including data models, DAX measures, datasets, dashboards, and deployment pipelines.
• Partner with department heads to gather reporting requirements and translate them into scalable solutions.
• Establish self-service BI standards that enable business users to create reports without engineering bottlenecks.
• Lead development of domain-specific Copilot agents using Microsoft Copilot Studio.
• Guide key AI decisions on model selection, security models, and best practices.
• Develop and maintain AI governance, including responsible use policies, access controls for AI workloads, and quality assurance processes.
• Evaluate AI tools and make recommendations aligned with strategy.
• Translate workflow problems into viable AI solutions as a bridge between the business and the AI roadmap.
• Define and enforce data governance standards covering ownership, lineage, quality rules, access controls, and documentation.
• Maintain the enterprise data catalog through all modernization phases.
• Establish change management processes for schema evolution to protect downstream systems and reports.
• Collaborate with stakeholders on new data solutions and AI capabilities.
• Serve as an internal resource on data architecture, BI design, and AI tooling.
• Communicate status and milestones to IT leadership and business stakeholders.
• Work with IT staff to resolve data-related issues and support end users.

Experience Requirements:

• 8-12 years of experience in data engineering, data architecture, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Production-level experience with Microsoft Azure data services, Microsoft Fabric and/or Snowflake.
• Advanced Power BI skills including data modeling, DAX, dataflows, row-level security, and deployment pipelines.
• Professional proficiency in SQL, including complex query optimization and stored procedure development.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise data models.
• Experience integrating data from heterogeneous source systems, including legacy environments.
• Familiarity with REST API design and consumption for data integration.
• Working knowledge of AI/ML concepts, responsible AI principles, and introductory experience with Microsoft Copilot Studio, Claude, or equivalent agent tooling.
• Background with BI tools, Python, R scripting, and building tools to realize value from data.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently and in teams.
• Effective communication with IT staff and non-technical stakeholders.
• Preferred: Microsoft Fabric or Azure Data Engineer certification.
• Preferred: Experience with Snowflake and Cortex.
• Preferred: Experience with Change Data Capture tools such as Debezium or Azure Data Factory CDC.
• Preferred: Insurance or financial services industry background.
• Preferred: Experience serving as a client-side technical owner during a consulting-led modernization engagement.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field.

Recruitment Transparency Notice

Eliassen Group values transparency in our recruitment practices. Please be advised that Eliassen Group utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of its initial application screening and hiring process. You may receive email and SMS notifications from the Eliassen Virtual Recruiting Team ( , ) inviting you to complete a brief voice screening as part of your application process. These tools assist our hiring teams in different ways, including but not limited to, assistance in reviewing application materials to help identify candidates whose qualifications most closely match the requirements of the position. All AI-assisted evaluations and responses are reviewed by human recruiters before any hiring decisions are made. The use of AI in our process is intended to support fairness, efficiency, and consistency, and Eliassen Group takes measures to prevent bias or discrimination in connection with its hiring practices. By proceeding, you acknowledge, agree, and consent to Eliassen Group's use of these tools, including AI tools, as part of the application and hiring process.

Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.

W2 employees of Eliassen Group who are regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week are eligible for the following benefits: medical (choice of 3 plans), dental, vision, pre-tax accounts, other voluntary benefits including life and disability insurance, 401(k) with match, and sick time if required by law in the worked-in state/locality.
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When you work with Eliassen Group, all email communication will come from an Eliassen.com address, never Gmail, Yahoo, etc.

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About Eliassen Group:

Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients' capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.

Eliassen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and all employment decisions are based on merit, performance, and business needs. Eliassen does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual preference or orientation, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, creed, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, prohibited criminal record inquiries of applicants and employees, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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