Alation Automation Engineer

Alation Automation Engineer

NJ | Hybrid 3 days a week

Duration: 12+ Months

Key Responsibilities

•         Define target-state Alation architecture: deployment model (Alation Cloud Service vs. customer-managed), sizing, HA/DR, upgrade strategy, and environment topology

•         Design and govern metadata ingestion — MDE, query log ingestion (QLI), profiling schedules — across warehouses, lakes, BI tools, and ETL platforms

•         Build and maintain connectivity using OCF connectors and the Alation Agent; develop custom connectors and API-based ingestion where native support is absent

•         Architect end-to-end lineage, including automated lineage plus custom lineage via the Lineage API for gaps in the pipeline chain

•         Design the catalog information model: custom fields, templates, object hierarchies, business glossary, and Data Governance App / Policy Center configuration

•         Implement security architecture: SSO/SAML, SCIM/LDAP provisioning, RBAC, service accounts, credential management, and data source authentication

•         Establish integration patterns with Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, dbt, Tableau/Power BI, and downstream consumers via REST APIs and Alation Analytics

•         Define standards, reference patterns, and guardrails; review and approve platform changes

•         Monitor platform health, performance, and adoption; troubleshoot escalated issues with Alation support

•         Advise governance leadership on stewardship workflows, curation strategy, and adoption roadmaps

Required Qualifications

•         8+ years in data platform/architecture roles, with 3+ years hands-on Alation implementation and administration

•         Deep knowledge of Alation architecture, OCF, MDE/QLI, lineage, and the REST API/SDK

•         Strong SQL and experience with at least one major cloud data platform (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift)

•         Python or equivalent scripting for automation, bulk metadata loads, and custom connectors

•         Working knowledge of data governance frameworks (DAMA/DMBOK), data quality, and privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA as applicable)

•         Proven ability to translate governance requirements into platform design and drive cross-functional adoption

Preferred

•         Alation certifications (Admin, Architect, or Connector Development)

•         Experience migrating from on-premises Alation to Alation Cloud Service

•         Exposure to Collibra, Purview, or other catalogs for comparative architecture

•         Infrastructure-as-code (Terraform), Kubernetes, and CI/CD for platform automation