Lead Data Engineer (Ref: 197038)

Lead Data Engineer

Location: Arkansas (5 days onsite)

Employment Type: Contract-to-Hire (C2H) / Contract

Contact: helen.bewick@forsythbarnes.com

No Sponsorship (and we are not looking to work with other agencies at this time)

Lead Data Engineer – Build the Data Platform Powering Enterprise AI

We're partnering with a global enterprise to hire a Lead Data Engineer who will play a critical role in designing and delivering the next generation of their enterprise Data & Analytics platform.

This is an opportunity to work on large-scale, business-critical data initiatives, building modern data pipelines and transformation frameworks within Google Cloud Platform (GCP). You'll enable advanced analytics, AI-driven insights, and enterprise reporting by creating scalable, high performance data solutions used across the organisation.

If you're passionate about cloud data engineering, enjoy solving complex data challenges, and want to influence enterprise architecture, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design, build and optimise scalable data pipelines within Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Develop robust ELT/data transformation frameworks to support enterprise analytics.
• Build high-performance solutions using Google BigQuery and complex SQL.
• Design and implement Medallion Data Architecture and semantic data models.
• Develop dimensional models using Kimball methodology.
• Integrate data from multiple enterprise systems to support reporting and analytics.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Data Engineers and business stakeholders to deliver high-quality data products.
• Drive data engineering best practices across architecture, performance and scalability.
• Support enterprise AI and advanced analytics initiatives.

Required Experience

• 7+ years' experience as a Senior or Lead Data Engineer.
• Strong expertise with Google BigQuery.
• Excellent SQL skills, including writing and optimising large-scale, complex queries.
• Strong experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Experience designing and implementing Medallion Data Architecture.
• Experience building semantic data models.
• Strong understanding of Kimball methodology and dimensional modelling.
• Experience working with large enterprise datasets.
• Strong understanding of modern ETL/ELT frameworks and data engineering best practices.
• Experience integrating data for enterprise reporting and analytics.
• Strong analytical mindset with an understanding of financial and business performance metrics.
• Excellent stakeholder management and collaboration skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience with dbt for data transformation and modelling.
• Experience with Fivetran and HVR for data ingestion and replication.
• Experience supporting Power BI reporting solutions.
• Exposure to AI-assisted development tools including GitHub Copilot, Claude, and VS Code with Claude.
• Experience supporting AI and advanced analytics platforms.

What's on Offer

• Contract-to-Hire (C2H) option available
• Competitive hourly contract rates
• Opportunity to work on enterprise-scale cloud and AI initiatives
• Exposure to cutting-edge data engineering technologies
• High-impact role with excellent long-term career progression