Principal Data Engineer

Motion Recruitment is hiring a Principal Data Analytics Engineer to help evolve a cloud-native data platform supporting a financial technology analytics ecosystem. This hybrid role in Boston’s Back Bay blends hands-on engineering with ownership of platform architecture, data modeling, and cross-functional technical direction.

In this position, you will shape the technical roadmap while also contributing directly to scalable pipelines, analytics engineering practices, and production-grade performance. The role includes a split across platform engineering, analytics and business logic work, and technical leadership across teams and stakeholders.

Role Focus

• 40% Data platform architecture and engineering
• 30% Data modeling, analytics engineering, and business logic
• 20% Technical leadership and cross-functional strategy
• 10% Platform innovation and performance optimization
• 60% Hands-on engineering
• 25% Technical leadership and architecture
• 15% Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement

Responsibilities

• Design and engineer a scalable cloud-native data platform architecture for analytics workloads
• Develop data modeling and analytics logic, including implementation of business logic
• Provide technical direction through leadership, architecture decisions, and cross-functional planning
• Drive platform innovation, reliability improvements, and performance optimization
• Collaborate with stakeholders to influence technical and business outcomes

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, or data platform development
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and SQL
• Experience designing scalable ETL/ELT pipelines and cloud-native data architectures
• Strong experience with dbt, Apache Airflow, Apache Spark, or equivalent modern data frameworks
• Experience with Google Cloud Platform and related services such as BigQuery, Dataproc, Cloud Run, or similar cloud technologies
• Deep understanding of data modeling, business logic implementation, and relational database design
• Experience building highly reliable, production-scale data platforms
• Strong software engineering fundamentals with emphasis on performance, scalability, and maintainability
• Excellent communication skills, including experience influencing technical and business stakeholders
• Experience mentoring engineers and driving engineering best practices across teams

Technologies

• Python
• SQL
• dbt
• Apache Airflow
• Apache Spark
• Google Cloud Platform
• BigQuery
• Dataproc
• Cloud Run

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Benefits
• Vision Benefits
• 401(k)
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Monthly Fitness Stipend & Annual Wellness Fund
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development & Conference Opportunities

Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience architecting enterprise-scale analytics platforms
• Background in financial services such as lending, capital markets, or structured finance
• Experience working with AI-assisted development tools and modern data automation frameworks
• Experience partnering directly with customers and executive stakeholders
• Familiarity with distributed computing, data governance, and large-scale data quality initiatives
• Experience leading technical strategy across cross-functional engineering organizations

The Offer

Competitive base salary with bonus and equity potential.