Freelance Microsoft Data Engineer Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Location: North Liberty, IA with occasional travel as needed
Department: Information Technology
Reports To: Principal Software Engineer

Position Summary

Centro is seeking a Data Engineer to design, develop, and maintain the data infrastructure that supports reporting, analytics, and business decision-making across the organization. This role will be responsible for building scalable data pipelines, improving data quality, and delivering reliable datasets that enable operational and strategic insights. Working within Centro's Harbor data platform, the Data Engineer will collaborate with technical and business teams to transform complex data into actionable information.

The ideal candidate is a problem-solver who enjoys working with large datasets, designing efficient data workflows, and continuously improving data reliability and performance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Design, develop, and maintain ETL pipelines supporting enterprise reporting and analytics.
• Build and manage data workflows across extraction, change data capture (CDC), transformation, and loading processes.
• Orchestrate scheduled and on-demand workflows using Prefect.
• Integrate data from ERP, manufacturing, and business systems into centralized data platforms.
• Stage and transform source data within MongoDB environments and load curated datasets into Microsoft SQL Server.
• Implement incremental processing strategies utilizing Redis-backed CDC methodologies.
• Convert complex, nested, and multi-value data structures into relational data models optimized for reporting and analytics.
• Develop and maintain dbt models, data tests, and supporting documentation.
• Monitor pipeline performance and troubleshoot data quality issues, schema changes, and workflow failures.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to understand data requirements and develop scalable solutions.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, and support resources.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and improve data delivery efficiency.
• Ensure data accuracy, consistency, security, and reliability across systems.
• Stay current with emerging data engineering technologies, tools, and best practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong experience designing, building, and supporting production data pipelines.
• Proficiency in SQL and Python for enterprise data processing and integration.
• Experience working with structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and optimize data workflows and performance.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within manufacturing, ERP, or operational data environments.
• Experience with workflow orchestration platforms such as Prefect or Apache Airflow.
• Experience implementing change data capture (CDC) or incremental loading strategies.
• Experience with dbt for data modeling, testing, and documentation.
• Familiarity with MongoDB, Redis, and Microsoft SQL Server.
• Experience working with containerized development environments, including Docker.
• Knowledge of cloud-based analytics and modern data architecture concepts.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Primarily office-based work performed in a professional business environment.
• Occasional exposure to manufacturing environments, including production floor areas.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, and use computer equipment for extended periods of time.
• Occasional travel may be required.
• Typical schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with flexibility as business needs require.

Why Join Centro?

Centro is the leading company in rotational molding with a long-standing commitment to innovation, quality, and employee development. We offer a collaborative environment where team members play a direct role in improving business processes and supporting strategic growth through technology and data-driven decision making.

Centro is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

A pre-employment drug-test is required.