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Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

American Tower

Principal, Data Engineer

Woburn, MA · On-site

$170K - $213K/yr

A minimum of 8 years of data engineering or data platform development experience with at least 5 years as a senior or principal-level technical leader required. * Expert-level proficiency in ...

Hearst

Principal Data Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

The Enterprise Corporate Data Team is looking for a Principal Data Engineer, a senior technical leader responsible for architecting the core data infrastructure and platforms that power enterprise ...

CG Infinity

Principal Data Engineer

Houston, TX · On-site

$160 - $220/hr

Mentor senior, mid‑level, and junior data engineers; provide technical coaching, career guidance ... engineer, principal engineer, or consulting leadership capacity. * Demonstrated experience ...

Amgen, Inc.

Principal Data Engineer

Thousand Oaks, CA · On-site

Principal Data Engineer What you will do Let's do this. Let's change the world. In this vital role you will lead the design, development, and implementation of our data strategy. The ideal candidate ...

CG Infinity

Principal Data Engineer

Dallas, TX · On-site

$160 - $220/hr

Mentor senior, mid‑level, and junior data engineers; provide technical coaching, career guidance ... engineer, principal engineer, or consulting leadership capacity. * Demonstrated experience ...

New

Hearst Newspapers

Principal Data Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

The Enterprise Corporate Data Team is looking for a Principal Data Engineer, a senior technical leader responsible for architecting the core data infrastructure and platforms that power enterprise ...

Hearst Newspapers

Principal Data Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

The Enterprise Corporate Data Team is looking for a Principal Data Engineer, a senior technical leader responsible for architecting the core data infrastructure and platforms that power enterprise ...

Hearst

Principal Data Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

The Enterprise Corporate Data Team is looking for a Principal Data Engineer, a senior technical leader responsible for architecting the core data infrastructure and platforms that power enterprise ...

Waters Corporation

Principal Data Engineer

Milford, MA · On-site

As a Principal Data Engineer , you will be a senior technical contributor who partners closely with data, analytics, and product teams. You will bring deep technical expertise, operate with a high ...

CG Infinity

Principal Data Engineer

Houston, TX · On-site

Mentor senior, mid-level, and junior data engineers; provide technical coaching, career guidance ... engineer, principal engineer, or consulting leadership capacity. * Demonstrated experience ...

CG Infinity

Principal Data Engineer

Dallas, TX · On-site

Mentor senior, mid-level, and junior data engineers; provide technical coaching, career guidance ... engineer, principal engineer, or consulting leadership capacity. * Demonstrated experience ...

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Senior Principal Data Engineer information

See salary details

$82K

$155.4K

$214.5K

How much do senior principal data engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior principal data engineer in the United States is $155,430.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior principal data engineer?

Senior Principal Data Engineers are experienced professionals who design, develop, and oversee large-scale data systems and architectures for organizations. They lead teams in building robust data pipelines, ensure data quality, and implement best practices for data storage, processing, and security. Their role often involves collaborating with data scientists, analysts, and other stakeholders to support data-driven decision-making. They also mentor junior engineers and help set the technical vision for data engineering projects.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior principal data engineer?

To thrive as a Senior Principal Data Engineer, you need deep expertise in data architecture, data modeling, distributed systems, and strong proficiency in programming languages like Python, Java, or Scala, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, Kafka), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Data Analytics or Google Professional Data Engineer is highly valuable. Leadership, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills help you guide teams and align data solutions with business goals. These capabilities are crucial for designing scalable, robust data infrastructure and driving data-driven decision-making at an organizational level.

How does a senior principal data engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams on large-scale projects?

Senior Principal Data Engineers often serve as technical leaders, working closely with data scientists, software engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders to design and implement robust data architectures. They facilitate communication across teams to ensure data solutions align with both technical requirements and business goals. Collaboration may involve leading design discussions, reviewing code, mentoring junior engineers, and establishing best practices for data quality and scalability. Their role is crucial in bridging gaps between technical and non-technical teams, ensuring successful project delivery.

What is the difference between Senior Principal Data Engineer vs Lead Data Engineer?

AspectSenior Principal Data EngineerLead Data Engineer
CredentialsAdvanced degrees (MSc/PhD), extensive experienceBachelor's or Master's, significant data engineering experience
Work EnvironmentStrategic, architecture design, cross-team collaborationProject execution, team coordination, technical leadership
Industry UsageUsed in large organizations for high-level technical rolesCommon in tech companies and data-driven industries

The Senior Principal Data Engineer focuses on strategic architecture and high-level technical decisions, often working across teams. In contrast, the Lead Data Engineer manages project execution and team coordination. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the Senior Principal typically has more experience and a broader scope of responsibilities.

How much does a senior principal data engineer make?

A senior principal data engineer typically earns between $130,000 and $180,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. They often have advanced skills in data architecture, cloud platforms, and programming languages like Python or Scala, which can influence compensation levels.
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Senior Principal Data Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Principal Data Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $155,430 per year, or $74.7 per hour.

Principal, Data Engineer

American Tower

Woburn, MA • On-site

$170K - $213K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 27 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Design and evolve the enterprise data platform, including ingestion, transformation, storage, orchestration, and serving layers for batch and streaming use cases.

  • Design and implement end-to-end data pipelines, reusable frameworks, and enterprise data models to support analytics, AI, and operational use cases.

  • Define and operationalize the semantic data layer and embed governance enforcement through technical controls.

American Tower rating

7.4

Company rating: 7.4 out of 10

Based on 8 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

54th of 101 rated telecommunications companies

Job description


The Team
We are seeking a Principal Data Engineer to join American Tower's Information Technology organization's Data & Analytics team. The team architects, builds, and optimizes cloud-native data foundations that enable analytics, artificial intelligence ("AI"), and enterprise-scale data products.
Day to day you will design and evolve the enterprise data platform, lead complex solution design, and embed governance enforcement through technical controls. As a Principal Data Engineer, you will set engineering standards, mentor engineers, and collaborate extensively with decentralized analytics teams across the Global Operations, Finance, and Sales departments to accelerate value delivery.
Responsibilities
What You Can Offer Us
  • Architect and evolve the enterprise data platform including ingestion, transformation, storage, orchestration, and serving layers for batch and streaming use cases.
  • Design and implement end-to-end data pipelines, reusable frameworks, and enterprise data models (dimensional, data vault, domain-oriented) to power analytics, AI, and operational use cases.
  • Define and operationalize the semantic data layer and embed governance enforcement through technical controls (data quality, validation, lineage, metadata, access).
  • Establish engineering standards for coding, testing, version control, documentation, and continuous integration/continuous delivery ("CI/CD"); optimize cost, performance, and scalability using FinOps principles.
  • Lead design reviews, root cause analyses, and incident responses; partner with the Data Science team to productionize models and enable real-time/batch inference.
  • Collaborate with Data Products, IT, security, and architecture teams to deliver secure, resilient, and compliant data products with strong service level agreements.
  • Evaluate emerging technologies, guide build-versus-buy decisions, and mentor engineers through code reviews, technical talks, and best practices.
  • Engage decentralized analytics teams to share standards and reusable components while avoiding duplication of efforts.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
What You Need to Succeed
  • Bachelor's degree required, with a concentration in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative field preferred.
  • Master's degree in a related field preferred.
  • A minimum of 8 years of data engineering or data platform development experience with at least 5 years as a senior or principal-level technical leader required.
  • Expert-level proficiency in Structured Query Language, Python programming language, and large-scale processing with Apache Spark or PySpark.
  • Deep experience with major cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform, and with modern data platforms such as Databricks or Snowflake.
  • Strong understanding of streaming technologies such as Apache Kafka or Amazon Kinesis, orchestration tools such as Apache Airflow, and transformation frameworks such as Data Build Tool.
  • Mastery of data modeling, semantic modeling, and performance tuning across data warehouse, lakehouse, and streaming architectures.
  • Ability to implement technical governance (data quality, lineage, metadata, access management, and privacy controls) and establish engineering standards (CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and automated testing).
  • Ability to lead complex technical design, influence without authority, and mentor engineers to raise the technical bar.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present ideas and suggestions clearly and effectively.
  • Ability to work with different functional groups and levels of employees to effectively and professionally achieve results.
  • Strong organizational skills; ability to accomplish multiple tasks within the agreed-upon timeframes through effective prioritization of duties and functions in a fast-paced environment.

About Us
American Tower is a global digital infrastructure company serving customers through tower sites and other real estate solutions that support connectivity and opportunity, focused on achieving our vision of Building a More Connected World. Our success is rooted in the potential of our people and the power of local teams at our offices and sites across 25 countries.
We are one of the largest global Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and a publicly traded (NYSE:AMT), Fortune 500 Company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The next decade will be an exciting time as we evolve our infrastructure to meet tomorrow's needs and position our people to elevate their impact, their potential, and our shared success. Come grow your career with us!
For more information about how American Tower is building a more connected world, visit americantower.com
American Tower is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee based on age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, creed, religion, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, marital status, familial status, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, reproductive decisions, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.
American Tower is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, skills, certifications, job level, and location. For U.S.-based candidates only, please see the base salary range for this position listed below. This position is also eligible for annual bonus, and annual equity award and participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). For candidates outside of the U.S., salary and benefits are based upon local market practice.
American Tower also offers a comprehensive benefits package, which includes healthcare coverage, a 401(k) savings plan, paid time off, company holidays, sick leave, parental leave, and access to an Employee Assistance Program focused on mental and financial wellness, please click here to learn more.

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