Databricks Migration Engineer

### Overview * [Tier One Technologies](https://himalayas.app/companies/tier-one-technologies) is seeking a Databricks Migration Engineer to support our US Government client. * This remote Contract-to-Hire position will be originated in Rosslyn, VA. Washington DC area and East Coast time zone candidates preferred. * Must be a US Citizen. * SELECTED CANDIDATES WITHOUT REQUIRED CLEARANCE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION TO RECEIVE IT. ### Responsibilities * Lead the technical migration from legacy SQL Server stored procedures and ADF pipelines to Databricks Lakehouse (Delta Lake), ensuring best practice Lakehouse design. * Translate traditional relational data warehousing paradigms into scalable, distributed Lakehouse frameworks (Bronze, Silver, Gold). * Design robust, reusable ETL/ELT frameworks using PySpark, Delta Live Tables (DLT), and Databricks Workflows. * Architect and refine the Gold Layer (dimensional models, star schemas) specifically to maximize Power BI performance. * Optimize Databricks SQL Warehouses to support high-concurrency, low-latency Power BI queries (DirectQuery and Import modes). * Implement advanced optimization techniques, including Z-Ordering, data skipping, liquid clustering, and materialized views. * Define and enforce governance standards for cluster sizing, auto-scaling policies, and serverless SQL compute to balance performance with cost. * Implement proactive monitoring dashboards to track Databricks Unit (DBU) consumption and identify cost-saving opportunities. * Establish best practices for partition strategies and file size management within Delta Lake. * Design and implement a robust data security model using Unity Catalog for centralized governance. * Enforce row-level and column-level security policies to ensure compliant data access for Power BI consumers and internal analysts. * Align the Lakehouse security architecture with existing enterprise Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID) and RBAC standards. * Act as the primary technical lead, conducting dedicated pair-programming sessions, workshops, and code reviews to transition the team from SQL-centric to Spark-centric thinking. * Create comprehensive technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, design patterns, and optimization playbooks. * Build a foundational knowledge transfer framework to ensure the internal team is fully self-sufficient post-migration. * Communicate effectively verbally and in written form to both technical and non-technical audience * Work in an organized fashion, completing tasks timely while paying close attention to details ### Qualifications * Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field. * 5+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Data System Development or related roles. * 5+ years of experience with Cloud platforms (e.g. Azure, AWS, GCP). * 1+ year leading complex, cross-functional data projects and technical teams. * Experience with Databricks Lakehouse, Apache Spark, Delta Lake, cloud-native databases, storage solutions, and distributed compute platforms. * Experience with data warehousing, dimensional modeling, enterprise data lakes, incremental data loads, and metadata-driven ingestion and data quality frameworks using PySpark. * Excellent communication skills. * Must be a US Citizen and be able to obtain a Position of Public Trust Clearance. * Must have resided in the US for the last 5 years and not have traveled outside the US for a combined total of 6 months or more in last 5 years. Originally posted on [Himalayas](https://himalayas.app)