Lead ETL Developer
Columbus, OH
Must Have:
AWS, Snowflake, and Python-based frameworks
In order to be eligible for this role, consultant must be authorized to work in US without sponsorship now or in the future. Can sit in these locations, 4 days onsite (Columbus, OH or Atlanta, GA or Akron, OH or Detroit, MI or Chicago, IL or Charlotte, NC or Dallas, TX or Minneapolis, MN).
Overview
Apex Systems is seeking a Lead ETL Developer to join our Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) team. This role is responsible for leading the design, development, and optimization of scalable data pipelines and solutions that enable the business to leverage data as a strategic asset.
As a technical leader, you will partner across engineering, architecture, QA, and business teams to deliver high-quality, reliable data solutions. You will drive best practices across the SDLC, mentor team members, and help shape the future-state data ecosystem leveraging modern cloud technologies including AWS, Snowflake, and Python-based frameworks.
Key Responsibilities
- Technical Leadership & Delivery
- Lead the design, development, and maintenance of ETL/ELT pipelines in the EDW ecosystem
- Ensure alignment to enterprise data architecture, standards, and best practices
- Drive solution design from requirements and data mapping documents to scalable technical implementations
- Development & Engineering Excellence
- Build and optimize data pipelines using AWS Glue, Snowflake, Python/PySpark, and IBM DataStage
- Implement reusable, metadata-driven, and performance-optimized data integration patterns
- Enforce coding standards, version control, and CI/CD practices
- Data Quality, Testing & Observability
- Define and implement unit testing, regression testing, and data validation strategies
- Partner with QA to support system and integration testing efforts
- Troubleshoot and resolve data and pipeline issues across development, QA, and production environments
- Collaboration & Communication
- Work closely with Product Owners, BSAs, architects, and upstream/downstream teams to deliver end-to-end solutions
- Communicate progress, risks, and blockers clearly to stakeholders and leadership
- Support production operations, including incident triage and root cause analysis
- Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Identify opportunities to improve performance, reliability, and scalability of data pipelines
- Contribute to modernization efforts (cloud migration, Snowflake optimization, automation)
- Stay current on industry trends and emerging technologies in data engineering
- People Leadership & Mentorship
- Mentor and coach junior and mid-level developers on technical skills and best practices
- Provide technical guidance and code reviews to ensure quality and consistency
- Lead development efforts on key initiatives and serve as a project-level technical lead
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree
- 5+ years of ETL/Data Engineering experience in enterprise data warehouse environments or an additional 4 years of related work experience may be considered in lieu of the Bachelor's Degree
- 5+ years of experience with SQL and Database development.
- 5+ years of hands on-experience with Python/PySpark and ETL tools.
- 3+ Years of experience with cloud-based data platforms
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong understanding of Data Warehousing Concepts, modeling, and SDLC methodologies.
- Proven experience leading development teams or acting as a technical lead on large-scale data initiatives
- Experience with AWS services (Glue, S3, EC2) and Snowflake architecture optimization
- Knowledge of data pipeline observability, monitoring, and automated testing frameworks
- Experience defining future-state data architecture or modernization roadmaps
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and version control systems
- Understanding of data governance, security, and regulatory considerations in financial services
- AWS Certifications (Solutions Architect, DevOps Engineer) preferred
- Prior experience in banking or financial services industry
What Success Looks Like in This Role
- Delivers reliable, scalable, and high-performing data pipelines
- Drives consistency in development standards and SDLC practices across the team
- Acts as a trusted technical partner across engineering and business stakeholders
- Elevates team capability through mentorship and structured guidance
- Actively contributes to modernization
