Sr. Data Engineer

Our Senior Data Engineer is a hands-on, client-facing technical lead. You'll own data pipelines and integrations for several clients at once. You'll step into established client work, get up to speed quickly, and keep delivery moving while improving what's already there.

You'll be the trusted technical voice with clients. That means translating their business goals into data solutions, setting clear expectations on scope and effort, and bringing a point of view on how their data should work for them.

This is an individual contributor role reporting to the SVP of Tech and Data. You'll lead through expertise and influence rather than direct reports, keeping engineering work on agreed architectural paths.

We're looking for a modern-day ETL/ELT developer who works comfortably in today's analytical environment and understands the marketing landscape, where disparate data is everywhere. You build with AI-assisted coding tools every day and help the team use them well. We do whatever it takes to solve problems, while embracing change each day.
What you will do

Lead client work

• Own data engineering for multiple clients and projects at once, from requirements through delivery and ongoing support
• Work directly with clients to understand their business goals, and give them a clear, specific point of view
• Negotiate scope and level of effort with clients and internal teams so everyone agrees on what gets delivered and when
• Collaborate closely with analysts, engineers and managers across the agency
• Look past day-to-day tasks to the business results the work needs to deliver

Build and own data platforms

• Design, build and maintain data pipelines and integrations with complex source data and API services
• Take ownership of established client pipelines: reverse engineer existing SQL and pipeline code to understand its business logic, and document it as you go
• Move and model data across platforms using established ETL/ELT patterns, orchestrated with Apache Airflow
• Recommend and design database solutions, and handle performance tuning, troubleshooting and capacity estimation
• Keep engineering work on agreed architectural paths and follow our data warehouse development standards
• Maintain documentation for data movement and transformation processes, including process flows and data mapping

Manage priorities, access and quality

• Set priorities for your projects and tasks, and push back when needed to protect the right priorities and workflow
• Set the criteria for who is added to or removed from client data services and systems
• Create and manage audit reporting and quality checks so data is delivered accurately and consistently

Solve problems

• Identify challenges and limitations in the tools we use, and propose fixes
• Spot roadblocks early that could affect deadlines
• Break complex work into clear tasks and coordinate them with the team
• Work with teammates and external partners to troubleshoot quickly and keep delivery on track

Stay ahead

• Use AI coding assistants as a core part of your development work, and contribute to the team's AI best practices
• Identify relevant new technology and share what you learn with the team

What you should have

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred, in computer science or information systems
• 4-5+ years of hands-on data engineering experience
• Experience with RDBMS and cloud data warehouses such as PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Snowflake and Google BigQuery
• ETL/ELT development in SQL and Python, with orchestration in Apache Airflow; familiarity with dbt is helpful
• Experience with AWS and GCP, with strong hands-on experience in at least one
• Advanced SQL, including stored procedures, indexing and database IO performance tuning
• Solid understanding of data warehouse design principles and relational and non-relational data models
• Regular use of AI-assisted coding tools in your development work, with sound judgment about reviewing and testing what they produce
• Experience working directly with clients or business stakeholders on requirements, scope and timelines
• Proven ability to own several projects at once through delivery
• Ability to proactively identify, troubleshoot and resolve complex data integrity issues
• The ability to leverage cut and paste proficiently
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to explain technical details to non-technical audiences
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in an agile environment and pivot quickly as analytical needs change

A big plus if you have any of the following

• Agency and marketing data experience
• API development
• DBA duties and responsibilities
• Experience taking over and documenting systems someone else built

Here is a little bit about us

Tandem Theory is an agency with a winning culture. We believe that when the agency wins, Theorists win too. Winning happens through collaboration, personal growth, industry recognition, and operational excellence that makes our work stronger and more efficient. Most importantly, a winning culture thrives on feedback - helping each other improve so we can all achieve more together.

We've built our culture around three core behaviors: Teamwork, Transparency, and Trust. They're not just words on a poster. We apply them every day to guide our internal and client relationships, and our clients tell us they feel the difference.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Tandem partners with several leading brands. These brands value working with an agency led by a proven team that provides simple but impactful solutions, transparent pricing, and performance-based compensation.
Other than waking up and being excited to get to work each day, here are some additional benefits

The salary for this exempt-level position will be based on experience and qualifications within an established pay range. Benefits include 85% employer paid medical, eligibility to participate in vision and dental insurance as well company paid STD, LTD coverage plus a flat amount company paid toward Basic Life and AD&D, as well as a generous 401(k) retirement contribution plan eligible after 90-days of employment.
Working Conditions

We operate as a work, not live, from anywhere model and utilize the office space as a co-working space as needed. That said, whether in the office or at a remote location, we try to operate in the traditional office norm model. You will be working with a computer, telephone, copier, or other office equipment as necessary for long stretches of time. There may be some occasional long, irregular hours. You are expected to communicate effectively (verbal and written), and maintain professionalism under stress. Occasionally you will need to bend, pull, push and/or reach to access job-related materials. You will also be expected to work with frequent interruptions such as Slack messages, emails, phone calls, drive-by visits to your desk, whether that is from a co-worker at the office or your dog barking while working remotely. All our calls are held on video, as it is important to see facial expressions and reactions to work in a collaborative environment.
Eligibility

All new employees must provide documented proof of their identity and employment authorization and pass a background screening process. No work Visa sponsorships available at this time. We are currently not accepting applicants that reside in the State of California.
Here is where we are located in case you are curious:

Tandem Theory, LLC

15400 Knoll Trail #503

Dallas, TX 75248

#LI-JOB