Principal Data Engineer

NBC News Digital is creating the digital future for one of the world’s best-known and most-trusted news organizations. Our Digital Technology organization is at the center of building and improving a suite of digital products including user experiences across web, mobile apps, OTT devices, storytelling tools including CMS and curation systems, and a platform to distribute that content to hundreds of millions of users. Our brands include NBC News, Today, MSNBC, CNBC, E! News, and Telemundo Noticias.  As a Principal Data Engineer, you will take on a leadership role, shaping the technical direction of our data infrastructure. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including machine learning, data science, and DevOps, to architect and deliver innovative solutions that drive business value. You will mentor and guide more junior engineers while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.This position reports to the Senior Director, Data Science, Engineering Responsibilities:Lead Data Architecture & Strategy: Architect, design, and oversee the development of scalable and reliable data pipelines that serve as the backbone for NBC News’ digital platforms. You will set the technical vision and drive the evolution of our data systems, ensuring they are extensible and aligned with business objectives.Build & Maintain Advanced Data Frameworks: Design and build advanced analytics pipelines, data applications, and business intelligence solutions that support key decision-making across NBC News Digital.Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with data scientists, machine learning engineers, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure data systems are aligned with organizational goals. Facilitate the integration of data-driven insights into product development and business strategy.Mentor & Lead Engineers: Provide leadership and mentorship to the data engineering team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and adaptability. Help junior engineers grow through code reviews, training, and guidance.Data Governance & Quality: Ensure that data systems and pipelines comply with best practices in terms of security, governance, and quality. Build frameworks for data validation, testing, and monitoring to ensure the integrity of the data ecosystem.Problem-Solving & Innovation: Demonstrate advanced problem-solving abilities by identifying challenges in the data pipeline and creating efficient, scalable solutions. Take a proactive approach to solving issues and improving system performance.Drive Data Scalability & Performance: Ensure the data systems scale efficiently with growing volumes of data, driving performance optimization and cost-efficiency in cloud platforms like AWS.Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with product teams, senior business leaders, and technical teams to identify data-driven opportunities that improve business operations, enhance user experiences, and streamline workflows.