Data Engineer

The Data Engineer will play a critical role by ensuring efficient and effective data access and management. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining data systems and infrastructure to enable data-driven decision-making across the department. They will collaborate directly with the Analytics Teams of Montgomery Parks and Prince George’s Parks & Recreation (PGPR). The most frequent and necessary work would be developing data pipelines to extract data from new source systems, executing improvements to the existing Azure cloud resources such as Azure Synapse or Azure Function Apps, and managing DevOps for the Analytics Teams., * Design and develop data systems: Collaborate with stakeholders to understand data requirements. Design and implement scalable, efficient data systems to support the department’s data needs.

• Data integration and transformation: Develop and maintain data pipelines to extract, transform, and load data from various sources into centralized data lakehouse, ensuring data quality and integrity.
• DevOps responsibilities: Maintain Azure DevOps releases and pipelines, manage DEV/PROD environments, and ensure smooth deployment processes.
• Performance tuning and optimization: Monitor and optimize data systems’ performance, including data lakehouse queries, ETL processes, and data pipelines, to ensure efficient and timely data processing.
• Cost Optimization and Resource Management: Design and implement cost optimization strategies for Synapse and related Azure resources, ensuring the orchestration layer runs efficiently while balancing compute and storage expenses.
• Data security and privacy: Implement and maintain data security and privacy measures, including access controls, encryption, and anonymization techniques, to safeguard sensitive information.
• Collaboration and knowledge sharing: Work closely with Analytics Teams to understand data needs and provide technical guidance and support. Share knowledge and best practices with team members.
• Documentation and maintenance: Document data engineering processes, procedures, and system configurations. Maintain documentation and provide technical support and troubleshooting assistance as needed.
• Monitoring and Alerting Automation: Design and implement automated monitoring, logging, and alerting pipelines within Azure Synapse and related Azure Data Services to proactively detect failures, performance degradation, or pipeline bottlenecks.
• Stay updated with industry trends: Stay informed about emerging technologies, tools, and best practices in data engineering and recommend their adoption where appropriate.

• Proficiency with SQL: Demonstrated ability to write complex queries and optimize performance.
• Proficiency with Python: Strong programming skills for data manipulation, automation, and integration tasks.
• Experience with Azure Function Apps: Proven experience in building and maintaining Azure Function Apps.
• Excellent communication skills: Ability to present complex concepts in a clear and concise manner.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively: Experience using project management best practices.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric or Synapse Analytics: Familiarity with modern data technologies that enable data lakehouse architectures.
• Experience with data processing frameworks: Knowledge of frameworks like Apache Spark.
• Ability to automate data pipelines: Experience with orchestration tools like Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: Ability to understand complex data requirements and translate them into effective technical solutions.
• Knowledge of data management and data governance best practices: Understanding best practices in data management and governance.
• Experience with data security and privacy best practices: Knowledge of best practices in data security and privacy.

Preferred Qualifications

History working in the parks and recreation industry or other local government agencies.

CI/CD automation for data Pipeline - Implement end-to-end CI/CD pipelines for Azure Synapse artifacts (pipelines, notebooks, SQL scripts, linked services, triggers) using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions, ensuring consistent and automated deployment across DEV, QA, and PROD.

Monitoring and Alerting Automation – Design and implement automated monitoring, logging, and alerting pipelines within Azure Synapse and related Azure Data Services to proactively detect failures, performance degradation, or pipeline bottlenecks.

Cost Optimization and Resource Management – Design and implement cost optimization strategies for Synapse and related Azure resources, ensuring the orchestration layer runs efficiently while managing compute and storage expenses.

Experience designing and implementing CI/CD pipelines for Synapse pipelines, notebooks, SQL scripts, and linked services using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.

Proficiency in configuring monitoring and automated alerting for Synapse pipelines and Azure resources using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights.

Expertise in managing and optimizing compute and storage costs within Synapse Analytics and associated Azure resources.

This program requires US Citizenship or Green Card (Lawful Permanent Residents)

Benefits (Full-Time, W2 Employees - at least 30 hours per week):

• Medical, Dental, and Vision offerings
• Weekly Direct Deposit
• Paid Holidays and Personal Time Off
• 401(k) with match
• Voluntary Life and AD&D, Short / Long Term Disability, plus other voluntary coverages
• Pre-Paid Legal and Employee Assistance Programs
• Northwest Federal Credit Union Membership
• BB&T @ Work Program