Data Engineer

Principal Microsoft Data & AI Engineer

Location: Minneapolis, MN (Preferred) | Chandler, AZ | Irving, TX | Charlotte, NC

Work Model: Hybrid (3 Days Onsite / 2 Days Remote)

Duration: 18-Month Contract

Pay- $90/hr on W2

Must-Have Skills (Required)

Data Engineering & Database Technologies

This is fundamentally a Senior/Principal Data Engineering role with the highest emphasis on Microsoft SQL Server (40%) + Microsoft Fabric (30%) + Data Modeling (15%) + AI-assisted Analytics (10%) + Power BI/Excel (5%).

• Microsoft SQL Server
• Advanced SQL Development
• Stored Procedures, Views, Functions, Query Optimization
• ETL / ELT Development
• Data Integration
• Data Warehousing
• Data Quality Management
• Data Profiling, Validation & Reconciliation

Microsoft Fabric

• Microsoft Fabric
• Fabric Data Factory
• Fabric Dataflows Gen2
• Fabric Warehouse
• Fabric Lakehouse
• Fabric Semantic Models
• Fabric Notebooks

Data Modeling

• Relational Data Modeling
• Dimensional Modeling
• Analytical Data Modeling
• Semantic Modeling
• Enterprise Data Modeling
• Repository-Driven Data Standards
• Medallion Architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold)

Business Intelligence & Reporting

• Power BI
• Semantic Models
• DAX
• Power Query
• Executive Reporting
• Dashboard Development

Advanced Excel

• Power Query
• Power Pivot
• Data Models
• Pivot Tables
• Advanced Formulas
• External Data Connections
• Analytical Reporting

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AI-Assisted Data Analysis
• Prompt Engineering
• Generative AI Tools
• AI-Assisted SQL Development
• AI-Assisted Documentation & Testing
• Validation of AI-Generated Outputs
• Responsible AI Usage

Strongly Preferred Skills

Microsoft Azure

• Azure SQL
• Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS)
• Azure Data Factory (ADF)
• Azure Data Services

Databricks & Lakehouse Technologies

• Azure Databricks
• Delta Lake
• Apache Spark
• PySpark
• Lakehouse Architecture

Automation & Low-Code Platforms

• Power Apps
• Power Automate

Programming & Scripting

• Python
• PySpark
• PowerShell

DevOps & SDLC

• GitHub
• Azure DevOps
• CI/CD Pipelines
• Code Review
• Release Management
• Automated Testing
• Production Support

Required Experience

• 7+ years of Data Engineering, Analytics Engineering, Database Engineering, or Data Integration experience.
• Expert-level Microsoft SQL Server and SQL development.
• Experience building enterprise ETL/ELT pipelines.
• Hands-on Microsoft Fabric implementation experience.
• Experience designing governed enterprise data assets.
• Experience integrating data from:
• Enterprise databases
• Excel files
• CSV files
• APIs
• Email-delivered files
• Exported reports
• Web-based approved sources
• Strong data governance and compliance experience.
• Experience preparing curated datasets for:
• Power BI
• Excel
• Executive Reporting
• AI-Assisted Analytics

AI Experience Required

Candidates should demonstrate practical experience with:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• GitHub Copilot
• Claude
• VS Code AI Extensions
• Enterprise LLM Platforms

Including:

• Prompt Engineering
• AI-Assisted SQL Generation
• AI-Assisted Data Analysis
• AI-Assisted Documentation
• Prompt Template Development
• AI Output Validation
• Hallucination Detection
• Data Leakage Risk Management

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable data pipelines using Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Fabric.
• Build reusable ETL/ELT solutions and governed data products.
• Create analytical, dimensional, relational, and semantic data models.
• Develop Power BI semantic models and reporting datasets.
• Integrate structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data sources.
• Optimize SQL performance and data processing workflows.
• Perform data quality assessments and root cause analysis.
• Implement Medallion architecture standards.
• Support executive reporting and workforce analytics initiatives.
• Leverage AI tools to accelerate data discovery, engineering, testing, and documentation.
• Ensure compliance with data governance, privacy, security, and regulatory requirements.