AWS Lead Data Engineer

AWS Lead Data Engineer Location: Newark, NJ (Hybrid – 3 days onsite) Engagement: Contract Pay Rate: Up to $85/hr (C2C) or $80/hr (W2) Client: Leading Investment FirmWe are seeking an experienced AWS Lead Data Engineer to join a high-performing Data Engineering team. This role requires a strong technical leader who can architect, build, and scale modern data solutions on AWS while guiding a team of engineers and partnering with business stakeholders.The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in AWS data services, strong leadership capabilities, and a hands-on approach to building scalable and secure data platforms.Key ResponsibilitiesLead the design, development, and optimization of scalable, secure, and high-performance data pipelines and data lake architectures on AWSArchitect and implement end-to-end data solutions including ingestion, storage, transformation, and analytics using AWS services such as Glue, Redshift, S3, Lambda, EMR, Kinesis, Athena, and RDSProvide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to a team of data engineers, including conducting code reviews and enforcing best practicesCollaborate with data scientists, analysts, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable and maintainable data solutionsDrive migration efforts from legacy systems to AWS-based data platforms, including data lakes and data warehousesEstablish and enforce standards for data quality, governance, and securityPromote and implement DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-codeEnsure solutions are cost-effective, performant, and aligned with enterprise data strategyStay current with AWS advancements and emerging data engineering technologies, evaluating tools and frameworks for adoptionTroubleshoot complex data issues and lead resolution efforts across the data platformRequired QualificationsBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field7+ years of experience in data engineering, including at least 3 years in a lead or technical leadership roleStrong hands-on experience with AWS data services including Glue, Redshift, S3, Lambda, EMR/Spark, Kinesis, Athena, RDS, and API GatewayProficiency in Python and SQL; experience with Shell scripting and Scala is a plusProven experience designing and building data lakes, data warehouses, and large-scale data pipelines on AWSStrong background in ETL/ELT processes, data modeling, and big data frameworksExperience leading and mentoring engineering teams in a collaborative environmentHands-on experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code tools such as CloudFormation or TerraformExcellent problem-solving, communication, and organizational skillsPreferred QualificationsAWS certification (Solutions Architect or Data Engineer)Experience with real-time data streaming technologiesKnowledge of data governance, compliance, and security best practicesFamiliarity with Lakehouse architecture and modern data platforms