Senior Data Engineer (Snowflake & DBT)

Title: Senior Data Engineer


Location: Pleasanton, California (hybrid work)
Rate : $80/Hr on W2
Client : Critical River | Meeru AI


Role Overview:


As a Senior/Lead Data Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and ownership of core data infrastructure-from pipelines to storage to data products. You'll be a strategic partner across teams, ensuring that our data systems are robust, scalable, and optimized for performance. With executive visibility and deep cross-functional collaboration, the solutions you build will directly influence product strategy and operational excellence.


This is a unique opportunity to build from the ground up while working with cutting-edge technologies such as Postgres SQL, dbt, Snowflake, and modern orchestration frameworks.

Key Responsibilities:

• Architect, design, and implement scalable ELT pipelines using Snowflake, dbt, and Postgres.
• Optimize data models in both Snowflake (cloud DW) and Postgres (transactional/operational data).
• Implement advanced Snowflake features (Snowpipe, Streams, Tasks, Dynamic Tables, RBAC, Security).
• Design and maintain hybrid pipelines (Postgres → Snowflake) for seamless data integration.
• Establish data quality and testing frameworks using dbt tests and metadata-driven validation.
• Implement CI/CD workflows (Git, GitHub Actions, or similar) for dbt/Snowflake/Postgres projects.
• Drive observability, monitoring, and performance tuning of pipelines (logs, lineage, metrics).
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and analysts.
• Collaborate with Finance, Product, Marketing, and GTM teams to deliver trusted, business-critical data models.
• Support financial data processes (consolidation, reconciliation, close automation).
• Evaluate and experiment with emerging AI and data technologies, providing feedback to influence product direction.

Requirements:

• Experience: 8+ years in Data Engineering, including 3+ years in Snowflake & dbt.
• Database Expertise:
  • Deep hands-on experience with dbt (Core/Cloud) - macros, testing, documentation, and packages.
  • Strong expertise in Postgres (schema design, optimization, stored procedures, large-scale workloads).
  • Advanced knowledge of Snowflake (data modeling, performance tuning, governance).
• Programming: Proficient in SQL and Python, including API integrations and automation.
• Orchestration & ETL: Hands-on with Airflow, Dagster, Prefect (or similar), and ETL/ELT tools like Fivetran, Nifi.
• Data Architecture: Strong understanding of data warehousing, dimensional modeling, medallion architecture, and system design principles.
• Cloud: Experience with AWS (mandatory); GCP or Azure is a plus.
• DevOps: Experience with Git/GitOps CI/CD pipelines for data workflows.
• Leadership: Proven ability to mentor teams, collaborate cross-functionally, and deliver impact in fast-paced environments.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills.