Data Engineer

Who We Are 

Our mission is simple but critical: to build pathways for adult learners to earn high-quality, workforce-aligned degrees and credentials from North Carolina’s public universities. 

At Project Kitty Hawk, our work reflects our company values:  

Collaboration – We prioritize our partners’ success and reputation, aligning every initiative with their goals, reflecting their values, and enhancing their impact.  

Innovation – We innovate, not replicate. As creative problem solvers, we use data-driven insights to push boundaries, continuously improve our services, develop solutions, and redefine what it means to serve nontraditional learners.  

Empathy – We understand the unique challenges of nontraditional learners, and are committed to supporting them with empathy, respect, and solutions that fit their needs.  

Integrity – We operate with transparency and accountability in everything we do. We uphold honesty, take ownership of our work, and maintain the highest standards.  

Teamwork – We embody the collaboration we seek. We always strive to be dependable, supportive, and solutions-oriented teammates.  

Together, we partner with universities in the University of North Carolina (UNC) System to produce innovative, flexible degree and credential programs in high-demand fields. Each PKH team member plays a vital role in advancing this mission and shaping the future of education for adult learners.  

These values will enable us to realize PKH’s vision: to make North Carolina’s public universities the top choice for adult learners and to amplify the UNC System’s role as a national leader in higher education innovation, access, and student success. By joining our team, you have an opportunity to contribute to our achievement of that vision, in the process helping to create opportunities for thousands of learners to earn their success and move up the economic ladder. 

At Project Kitty Hawk we hire talented people who are not only dedicated to our mission but share our belief that working together makes us stronger and more effective. In this organization you’ll find individuals with a range of interesting backgrounds and life stories; the true magic happens when those individuals come together to solve problems in service of a common goal.  We encourage you to bring your unique perspective, talents, and ideas to the table as we strive to make a meaningful impact.   

The Role

The Cloud Data Engineer is responsible for optimizing data architecture and pipelines, ensuring optimal data flow and collection for cross-functional teams. This role involves engaging throughout the entire project lifecycle, from data mapping and modeling to consumption.

The Data Engineer must be self-directed, capable of supporting the data needs of PKH, the AWS Data Lake by working on both small and moderate-scope projects. This position reports to the VP of Information Technology. The position is considered exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll processes.

• Play a pivotal role in implementing, and managing infrastructure as code through AWS CDK, ensuring scalable and robust Data Lake solutions.
• Experience with AWS Lake Formation, AWS Glue Catalog, and S3 for data lake implementation.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines using SaaS services like GitHub, GitHub Actions, and AWS CodeDeploy.
• Design, implement, and manage pipelines to load data into the Data Lake from multiple sources.
• Identify and implement improvements to data engineering practices to ensure data pipelines are efficient, scalable, optimized, and cost-effective.
• Manage and optimize Data Lake storage on AWS (e.g., S3) for efficient data access and performance.
• Collaborate with architects to maintain compliance with enterprise security and access controls.
• Automate testing and deployment processes for data jobs, ensuring they meet quality standards and business requirements.
• Develops BI datasets, reports, and dashboards to support decision-making within the organization
• Ensures change control and change management procedures are followed within the program/project as they relate to requirements
• Ensures all data and infrastructure deployments comply with enterprise security, data governance, data encryption access controls, best practices, and standards.
• Collaborates with business analysts to adopt best practices in reporting and analysis
• Documents all phases of work, including requirement gathering, data mapping, and technical specifications including data pipeline processes, configurations, and dependencies.
• Works with stakeholders to improve reporting and analysis processes, automating self-service support where possible

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related technical field; equivalent experience may be considered
• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, with a focus on data modeling, Data Lakes, and dashboard development utilizing tools such as QuickSight, PowerBI, or Tableau
• 2-5 years of previous analytics and/or quantitative work experience in a higher education setting
• 3-5 years of experience as a data engineer within an AWS cloud environment.
• 3-5 years of experience implementing and using CI/CD pipelines with GitHub, GitHub Actions, and AWS CodeDeploy.
• 3-5 years of experience working with infrastructure-as-code (IaC) using AWS CloudFormation with AWS CDK.
• Creative problem solver with common sense and practical solutions orientation; must be passionate about technology and software development in improving business performance.
• Must have experience developing custom scripts, complex SQL queries, and dataframes with PySpark and Python with Pandas.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including ability to present complex information effectively with a wide range audience.
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects and assignments; work independently as well as in a team environment; and deal effectively with complex assignments and projects essential.
• Proficiency in Python and Typescript.
• Experience in Agile environments and familiarity with business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, QuickSight).
• Proven ability to innovate and implement solutions to complex data challenges.

What We Offer 

Project Kitty Hawk offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes full medical/dental/vision coverage, a 401K with match, and a generous time-off policy with paid volunteer time. In addition, we are committed to providing competitive salaries with the potential for performance bonus and remote working flexibility. 

Project Kitty Hawk is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.     

Project Kitty Hawk is dedicated to this policy concerning recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please contact Kelly Snow at [email protected].