Sr Azure Databricks Engineer-Remote

[David Miller]

Position: Sr Azure Databricks Engineer 

Location: 100% remote

Contract

 

Requirements:

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in a data engineering, platform engineering, or DevOps role with a significant focus on cloud data platforms. WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A DEVELOPER.
• Expert in Azure Databricks Environment: core features like Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, and Apache Spark
• Azure expert: Azure ecosystem, including Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS), Azure Active Directory (AAD), and cloud networking concepts
• Infrastructure as Code tools (Terraform) and building automated CI/CD pipelines
• Strong proficiency in Terraform, Python, Apache Spark/PySpark, SQL, and Shell scripting

 

Day to Day:

A Senior Platform Engineer will be a core member of our team responsible for the health, stability, and growth of our Azure Databricks data engineering platform.

 

They will also support the current data Platforms on-prem (MS SQL server) and Cloud (Palantir Foundry) until we have migrated off those platforms and completely on Azure Databricks.

 

You will be a hands-on expert who actively contributes to the platforms’ operational excellence, security, and performance. You will be a crucial resource for our data engineering teams, providing technical guidance and implementing key enhancements that empower them to build scalable and reliable data solutions.

 

Responsibilities

• Platform Maintenance & Operations: Maintain the day-to-day operational health of the platforms, including monitoring system performance, managing upgrades, and ensuring platform stability.
• Performance and Cost Optimization: Actively monitor and analyze platform usage to identify and implement optimizations. This includes fine-tuning jobs, optimizing cluster configurations, and identifying opportunities for cost savings.
• Platform KPIs Reporting: Develop and maintain KPI dashboards for Platform KPI reporting in terms of Reliability & Stability, Performance & Scalability, Innovation & Enablement, Cost & Utilization Monitoring, Data Quality & Governance for reporting to leadership and other stakeholders.
• Security and Governance: Maintain and enhance security and governance policies within the Databricks environment, with a strong focus on using Unity Catalog to manage data access, lineage, and compliance.
• Advanced Troubleshooting: Provide advanced technical support for complex issues escalated by data teams. Diagnose and resolve platform-level problems, and perform root cause analysis (RCA) to prevent future incidents.
• Tooling and Automation: Maintain and enhance automated scripts and CI/CD pipelines to streamline administrative tasks and improve the efficiency of platform deployment and management.
• Platform Enhancement: Collaborate with internal teams to understand their needs and contribute to the platform's roadmap. Help design and implement new features, services, and best practices to improve the user experience.

 

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience in a data engineering, platform engineering, or DevOps role with a significant focus on cloud data platforms.
• Azure Databricks Expertise: Strong practical experience in managing and operating an Azure Databricks environment. Proven ability to work with core features like Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, and Apache Spark. Relevant certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert,  Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional, and Databricks Certified Platform Administrator.
• Azure Proficiency: Solid working knowledge of the Azure ecosystem, including Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS), Azure Active Directory (AAD), and cloud networking concepts.
• Distributed Systems: A solid understanding of distributed computing principles and experience troubleshooting issues in a distributed environment.
• Programming & Scripting: Strong proficiency in Terraform, Python, Apache Spark/PySpark, SQL, and Shell scripting.
• Infrastructure as Code & CI/CD: Proven experience with Infrastructure as Code tools (e.g., Terraform) and building automated CI/CD pipelines for platform and data application deployments.
• Operational Mindset: Demonstrated experience in contributing to the operational stability and performance of a production platform.
• Communication: Excellent communication, documentation, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence technical and business stakeholders.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with healthcare data and healthcare insurance feeds
• Familiarity with Data Analytics and reporting
• Familiarity with ML/AI

 

Education

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field.