GCP DATA ENGINEER

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are seeking an experienced GCP Data Engineer to join our team on a contract basis in Denver, Colorado. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Google Cloud Platform services, Java-based pipeline development, and enterprise ETL frameworks. You will design and implement scalable data pipelines, work with large distributed datasets, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality data solutions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, and maintain robust ETL/ELT pipelines on Google Cloud Platform using Java and cloud-native services

• Build and optimize data workflows using GCP tools such as Dataflow (Apache Beam), Dataproc, BigQuery, Cloud Composer (Airflow), and Pub/Sub

• Develop Java-based data ingestion and transformation applications to move data across structured and unstructured sources

• Collaborate with data architects and analysts to translate business requirements into scalable technical data solutions

• Monitor, troubleshoot, and tune pipeline performance, data quality, and reliability in production environments

• Implement data governance and security best practices including IAM policies, encryption, and access controls

• Work with Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Spanner, and Bigtable to manage and persist data assets

• Participate in code reviews, technical design discussions, and agile ceremonies

• Write technical documentation for pipelines, schemas, and data flows

• Support data migration efforts and legacy system integration with modern cloud infrastructure

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Core GCP Skills

• 5+ years of experience in data engineering with at least 3 years on Google Cloud Platform

• Hands-on expertise with BigQuery (table design, partitioning, clustering, cost optimization)

• Proficiency with Cloud Dataflow (Apache Beam pipelines — batch and streaming)

• Experience with Cloud Composer / Apache Airflow for workflow orchestration

• Familiarity with Pub/Sub for real-time event streaming and messaging

• Working knowledge of Cloud Storage, Dataproc (Spark/Hadoop), and GCP networking basics

Java & ETL

• Strong proficiency in Java (8+) for building data pipelines and backend services

• Experience designing and building ETL/ELT pipelines at scale (batch and streaming)

• Knowledge of SQL and experience writing complex queries for BigQuery or similar warehouses

• Familiarity with data transformation patterns: slowly changing dimensions, CDC, data normalization

• Experience integrating APIs, JDBC/ODBC connectors, and file-based data sources

General

• Solid understanding of distributed systems, data warehousing concepts, and data lake architecture

• Proficiency with version control (Git) and CI/CD practices

• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently in a contract environment

• Strong communication skills for collaborating with remote and on-site stakeholders

PREFERRED / NICE-TO-HAVE

• Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification

• Experience with dbt (data build tool) for data transformation

• Familiarity with Terraform or Deployment Manager for infrastructure-as-code on GCP

• Experience with Kafka or other streaming platforms alongside Pub/Sub

• Knowledge of Python for scripting and data manipulation tasks

• Exposure to data quality frameworks (Great Expectations, Deequ)

• Experience with Looker, Data Studio, or other BI tools connected to BigQuery

TECHNICAL SKILLS SUMMARY

ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT

This is a contract role embedded within an established data engineering team. You will have direct impact on mission-critical data pipelines that serve business intelligence, analytics, and operational systems. The team follows agile practices with two-week sprints, daily standups, and collaborative design sessions. The role is hybrid with approximately three days on-site in Denver, CO.