Systems Specialist GCP Platform Engineer, Enterprise Data & Analytics

OverviewThe Systems Specialist, GCP Platform Engineer, Enterprise Data & Analytics serves as the subject matter expert for the Google Cloud Platform stack for AI and Analytics. In this role, youll partner with development and solution engineering teams to ensure solutions are built in line with platform standards and governance requirements, acting as the final approver for all code changes before theyre deployed. Youll maintain a healthy platform backlog driven by user engagement and feedback, coordinate the platform feature roadmap, and manage prioritization and scheduling for feature enablement and implementation aligned towards delivering value for our business partners and stakeholders.Beyond day-to-day platform stewardship, youll design and implement processes for tracking usage metrics and cost trend reports for the financial operations team to support cost accountability and transparency, and monitor and report on platform data quality and governance, surfacing issues and recommendations to the right teams. Youll contribute to overall platform data architecture decisions in collaboration with the platform data architect, with scope shaped by the GCP stack, and step into hands-on development work when needed.This position does not provide employment pursuant to the terms of a STEM OPT Training Plan.ResponsibilitiesCore ResponsibilitiesOwn technical authority for the GCP platform stack, advising development and solution engineering teams on design patterns, service selection, and implementation approaches that fit the platform's capabilities and constraints through review of solution architecture / design documents for AI / ML / Analytics use casesReview and approve all code changes targeting the GCP platform prior to deployment, validating alignment with security, performance, and architectural standards across environmentsTranslate platform governance requirements into practical guardrails, including IAM policies, resource configurations, and deployment controls that teams can adopt without slowing deliveryRun continuous discovery with platform users (business and developers) through office hours, intake channels, and direct engagement to keep the backlog grounded in real needs rather than assumptionsShape and publish the GCP platform roadmap, balancing user-requested features, technical debt, and strategic initiatives into a sequenced delivery planGenerate consumption and cost trend reporting for the FinOps team, identifying spend anomalies, optimization opportunities, and chargeback inputs that drive accountability across consuming teamsTrack data quality and governance posture on the platform, including lineage gaps, access patterns, and policy violations, and escalate findings to the teams positioned to act on themCollaborate with the platform data architect on architectural decisions affecting the GCP stack, contributing depth on services like BigQuery, Dataflow, Dataproc, Pub/Sub, Dataplex / Knowledge Catalog and Vertex AI / Agent PlatformBuild and maintain reference implementations, infrastructure-as-code modules, and documentation that help teams onboard to the platform quickly and consistentlyStep into hands-on engineering work on the GCP stack as needed, whether unblocking a delivery team, prototyping a new capability, or remediating a production issueQualificationsRequired Education/ExperienceMaster's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Business, or technology-centric field and a minimum of 2 years relevant full-time work experience orBachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Business, or technology-centric field and a minimum of 3 years relevant full-time work experienceRelevant Work Experience Hands-on experience designing and operating data and analytics workloads on Google Cloud Platform, including core services such as BigQuery, Dataflow, Dataform, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage, and IAM, required Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform preferred) and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps preferred) for deploying and managing GCP resources at scale, required Experience reviewing code and architectural designs against platform standards, with the ability to provide clear, actionable feedback to engineering teams, required Strong scripting or development skills in Python, SQL, or a comparable language used in data engineering workflows, required Familiarity with FinOps practices, including cloud cost monitoring, chargeback or showback models, and optimization techniques specific to GCP, preferred Exposure to adjacent platforms or tools in a modern data stack such as Looker, dbt, Airflow/Composer, or event streaming technologies like Kafka, preferred Working knowledge of data governance concepts including access controls, data classification, lineage, and quality monitoring within a cloud data platform, preferredSkills and AbilitiesStrong written and verbal communication skillsPossesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environmentAbility to work within tight timeframes and meet strict deadlinesDemonstrated problem solving skillsEffective interpersonal skillsAbility to drive multiple projects to successful completionDemonstrated time management and priority setting skillsAbility to simultaneously handle multiple prioritiesWell organized, detail oriented and flexible to handle multiple assignmentsLicenses and CertificationsDriver's License RequiredOther: Technical certification(s) in IT PreferredOther: Google Professional Cloud Architect PreferredOther: Google Professional Data Engineer PreferredOther: Google Associate Cloud Engineer PreferredPhysical Demands Sit or stand to use a keyboard, mouse, and computer for the duration of the workdayAdditional Physical DemandsThe selected candidate will be assigned a System Emergency Assignment (i.e., an emergency response role) and will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies, which may include nights, weekends, and holidays.Available to work off hours as operationally required