Data Engineer (Hybrid)

We require a cover letter and resume for consideration, and you must attach it as one file, due to system limitations. In your cover letter, let us know how your experience, career aspirations, and accomplishments directly relate to this position, and share examples of times you’ve collaborated across teams or communicated complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

To ensure a fair and efficient review process, please limit your submission to one application per role.

To be considered, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or at any time in the future.

Exciting News: We Moved! Join our team at our brand-new location, Michigan House! You'll find us at 2301 Commonwealth Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

Mission: The Office of University Development maximizes private support for the University of Michigan.

Reports to: Director of Data Science and Decision Support

Direct reports: N/A

What you will do:
We are a small team of data lovers using data for the common good, helping the University of Michigan improve our world through data-informed philanthropy. We not only transform data into action, we do so mindfully, maintaining a holistic commitment to inclusion in all that we do.

As our new data engineer, you will wrangle messy and complicated data. You will also pull data from APIs, take advantage of AI tools, and build structured data products, used in machine learning and artificial intelligence-based tools for university fundraising. Because we operate in a highly collaborative, mission-driven environment, success in this role requires strong relationship-building skills and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to a variety of audiences - from fellow data practitioners to non-technical partners. You will work closely with stakeholders to understand needs, translate business challenges into scalable technical solutions, and adapt your communication style to meet people where they are.

A typical work week will include a large amount of programming and data pipeline development, along with meaningful collaboration, data management, requirements gathering, documentation, outreach, brainstorming sessions, and data visualization. You will play an active role in strengthening cross-functional partnerships and amplifying the impact of our work across the university community.

For the full job description with a detailed list of responsibilities and requirements, please click here.

• Bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science/engineering or data science field.
• The ability to do serious data munging and data wrangling is important. Demonstrated experience with SQL plus knowledge of Python. Using these tools to merge large datasets, locate and clean messy records, recode missing values, convert between data formats, and construct standardized datasets for wider use.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• 3+ years of experience with "big data" data storage formats and query tools (e.g., Hadoop, Hive, Parquet, Delta Lake, NoSQL databases).
• 2+ years of experience with each of the following:
  • Amazon AWS and Databricks
  • Modern data engineering workflows and frameworks, including gathering requirements and translating business needs into scalable data solutions
  • Software development best practices (e.g., Agile methods and unit testing) and version control tools
  • Integrate AI tools into data engineering workflow
  • Develop interactive, reusable and self-service online analytics tools
  • Machine learning and data mining concepts and techniques
  • Cloud-based analytics tools

Ready to use your data engineering expertise and adaptable communication skills to advance the Office of University Development's mission? Apply today!