Lead Data Engineer

GATX Corporation, a leader in transportation asset leasing founded in 1898 and headquartered in Chicago, is seeking a Lead Data Engineer for a contract position to help shape the next evolution of its data, analytics, and AI ecosystem. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role where you will lead the design and implementation of a modern AWS + Databricks Lakehouse platform, partner across IT, analytics, and business teams, and drive scalable, governed, high-performance data solutions. The position is based in Chicago, Illinois, with mostly remote work and the ability to access the Downtown office as needed. Duration: 3-6 months, contract to hire. Responsibilities Design and lead enterprise-grade pipelines supporting both batch and streaming data processing. Own the full ETL/ELT lifecycle, from design through production support. Drive data engineering standards, best practices, and architecture across the data ecosystem. Translate business requirements into scalable, high-performance data solutions. Mentor a small team while remaining hands-on. Ensure data reliability, performance, governance, and cost optimization. Qualifications Required 10+ years of IT experience, including deep expertise in data engineering and ETL. 4-6+ years of recent hands-on experience designing, building, and scaling data pipelines. Strong hands-on experience with Databricks (Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog) and AWS (S3, IAM, networking). Highly proficient in Databricks' core architectural pattern, which combines the best elements of data lakes and data warehouses. Familiarity with advanced Databricks features including Unity Catalog (for governance), Delta Live Tables (DLT for pipelines), Databricks SQL, and workflow orchestration. Expertise in SQL, Python, data modeling, and distributed processing. Experience with CI/CD, DevOps, and modern data architecture (lakehouse, medallion, etc.). Experience working in an Agile analytics environment with close collaboration with key stakeholders to address evolving requirements. Strong communication skills and the ability to translate complex technical concepts into solutions that deliver business outcomes. A passion for continued learning and an interest in staying current with the rapidly evolving data and analytics space. Preferred Analytical, curious, and solutions-oriented mindset. Ability to balance priorities and drive outcomes in dynamic environments. Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to quickly learn the business domain. Track record of building strong partnerships and a "get things done" approach. #J-18808-Ljbffr Intone Inc