Data Platform Engineer

Carolina for social mobility by The Wall Street Journal — helping first-generation and lower-income students find paths to prosperity. Designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, UNCG is a community-engaged research institution with a portfolio of more than $67M in research and creative activity. The University's 2,600 staff help create an annual economic impact for the Piedmont Triad region in excess of $1B.

Primary Purpose of the Organizational Unit:

The Data Engineering and Architecture team is responsible for building and supporting UNCG's enterprise data platform. The team develops reliable data pipelines, administers cloud-based services, and maintains the infrastructure that powers analytics and reporting across the University. In addition to day-to-day engineering, the team ensures the stability, security, and operational continuity of the University's data environments.

Position Summary:

This position serves as a Data Engineer within the Data Engineering and Architecture (DEA) team in Institutional Research and Enterprise Data Management (IREDM), a division of Information Technology Services (ITS). The individual will play a key role in designing, developing, and maintaining data pipelines; supporting Azure-based data services; and ensuring data quality, usability, accessibility, and performance.

The position will leverage tools such as Azure Data Factory, Databricks, and Azure Data Lake Storage to deliver trusted data assets that support decision-making across all areas of the University, including student success, academic planning, finance, and research. This position is eligible for teleworking; however, some in-person assignments may be necessary at the supervisor's discretion.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline or 4+ years of professional experience in data engineering or related field or equivalent combination of education/experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong SQL proficiency (T-SQL, Spark SQL) for analytics and troubleshooting.
• Experience with Azure SQL databases / RDBMS development and performance tuning skills.
• Hands on experience developing ETL/ELT data pipelines, administering and supporting the data warehousing and analytics infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience in Databricks and Azure Data Factory or similar technologies (examples, Microsoft Fabric, Informatica, Snowflake, Qlik).
• Proficiency in Python for data engineering.
• Experience with Git and CI/CD practices for data pipeline deployment.
• Ability to document and communicate technical solutions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with Azure Data Lake Storage.
• Exposure to Infrastructure-as-Code concepts (Databricks Asset Bundles preferred; Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates a plus).
• Experience with data modeling (dimensional/star schema).
• Familiarity with governance and metadata management tools.
• Knowledge of higher education data systems (student, HR, finance, etc.).
• Familiarity with data architecture concepts.

Recruitment Range:

Salary commensurate with experience

Org #-Department: Info Technology Services - 23101

Job Open Date: 09/10/2026

Open Until Filled: Yes

FTE: 1.000

Type of Appointment: Permanent

Number of Months per Year: 12

FLSA: Exempt

Percentage Of Time: 65%

Key Responsibility: Build and Maintain Data Pipelines

Essential Tasks:

• Design, develop, and manage ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory and Databricks.
• Ingest and integrate structured and semi-structured data from enterprise systems into the data platform.
• Ensure reliability, reusability, cost efficiency, and performance of data movement and transformation processes.
• Translate institutional requirements into scalable data models and transformations in collaboration with data architecture and stakeholders.

Percentage Of Time: 15%

Key Responsibility: Administer and Support the Enterprise Data Platform

Essential Tasks:

• Assist with configuration, monitoring, and maintenance of Azure Data Lake and Databricks services.
• Implement data quality, security, and governance standards and controls.
• Monitor workloads and optimize for performance and cost.
• Produce technical documentation and operational runbooks.
• Support internal and external data integrations by assisting with secure connectivity between enterprise applications and the data platform, in collaboration with data architecture, infrastructure and information security teams.
• Help troubleshoot data access, authentication, and connectivity issues impacting pipelines and data consumers.

Percentage Of Time: 10%

Key Responsibility: Automation and DevOps Practices

Essential Tasks:

• Contribute to automation efforts using CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code.
• Develop and maintain reusable deployment templates and standards.
• Improve operational efficiency and reduce manual interventions through scripting and tooling

Percentage Of Time: 10%

Key Responsibility: Other departmental duties as needed

Essential Tasks:

• Supporting the administration of Databricks.
• Helping to ensure the overall health and security of the enterprise data environment.
• Working with data architecture to develop advanced platform administration skills while contributing directly to the University's data-driven initiatives.

Physical Effort: Hand Movement-Repetitive Motions - f, Hearing - f, Talking - f, Sitting - f

Work Environment: Inside - c

Organization

UNCG at a Glance

Founded in 1891, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is the largest and most diverse state university in the Piedmont Triad. Standing apart from other universities, the UNCG community is joined together by a shared value: We define excellence not only by the people we attract, but by the meaningful contributions they make.

With more than 19,400 students and 2,500 faculty and staff, UNCG is the largest state university in the Piedmont Triad and has an annual economic impact of more than $1 billion. The campus has grown to include 30 residence halls and 30 academic buildings on 210 acres.

UNCG takes pride in being a learner-centered public research university. The College of Arts & Sciences and seven professional schools offer 79 undergraduate majors, 65 master's programs and 30 doctoral programs.

The university holds two classifications from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, as a "research university with high research activity" and for "community engagement" in curriculum, outreach and partnerships. More than $35 million in grants and contracts for research and creative activity are awarded to faculty members annually. Among the most prominent of UNCG's research initiatives are the Gateway University Research Park and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. Both are partnerships with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Globalization of the curriculum has expanded opportunities for international education, through new programs such as the UNC Exchange Program and the Lloyd International Honors College. In addition, innovative signature programs such as Building Entrepreneurial Learning for Life (BELL), Communication Across the Curriculum, Undergraduate Research and Freshman Seminars enhance the student experience.

As a cultural leader, UNCG offers concerts, lectures, dance and theater performances, exhibitions at the internationally known Weatherspoon Art Museum and readings by nationally known authors. In athletics, Spartan teams compete in nine women's and nine men's sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. With ethnic minority students making up 26 percent of the student body, UNCG is the most diverse of the UNC system's historically white campuses.

Although much has changed, some things remain the same. The university motto — "Service" — continues to be a guiding principle put into practice through all aspects of university life.

UNCG Schools and College of Arts & Sciences

The University's Academic Affairs Division consists of seven academic schools, the College of Arts & Sciences, the Graduate School and the Lloyd International Honors College. In some cases, the names have changed since the academic units were founded. The schools and their dates of establishment are: Graduate School 1921-22; College of Arts & Sciences 1969, Lloyd International Honors College 2005, Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering 2007, Joseph M. Bryan School of Business & Economics 1969, School of Education 1921, School of Health and Human Sciences 2011, School of Music, Theatre and Dance 2010, and School of Nursing 1966.

Careers at UNCG

UNCG is committed to the creation of an inclusive, collaborative and responsive university by attracting, retaining and developing a diverse community of talented individuals in support of the university's mission.