Principal Data Engineer (AI)

TL;DR

Principal Data Engineer (AI): Leading enterprise-grade information architecture and data platform design for global clients with an accent on semantic modelling, agentic AI integration, and scalable data product development. Focus on acting as a design authority, driving architectural rigour, and mentoring engineering teams to deliver AI-ready data solutions.

Location: Must be based in Lisbon, Portugal (Hybrid role).

Company

hirify.global AI is a global AI-native consultancy helping leading enterprises across various sectors deliver AI into production at scale.

What you will do

• Lead conceptual, logical, and physical data model design aligned with client business requirements.
• Define and maintain semantic models to support agentic AI capabilities and enterprise metadata.
• Design data product schemas across Azure, Snowflake, and Databricks platforms.
• Act as a design authority, partnering with enterprise and security teams to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Leverage AI-assisted development tools like GitHub Copilot and Snowflake Cortex to accelerate delivery.
• Mentor junior architects and engineers within the Information Architecture community.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or information management.
• Proven enterprise data modelling experience at conceptual, logical, and physical levels.
• Practical experience with Snowflake and Databricks, including Cortex AI and Genie.
• Proven experience with dbt Labs in production environments.
• Strong proficiency in Python.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or related field.

Nice to have

• Experience with Data Vault 2.1 or Kimball/Star-schema modelling.
• Knowledge of data mesh, data product ownership, and federated governance.
• Familiarity with knowledge graph platforms like Neo4j, Neptune, or Stardog.
• Published thought leadership or community contributions in data or AI.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive salary package with quarterly discretionary bonuses.
• 25 days of holiday plus bank holidays.
• Personal learning budget of 1,500€ plus 5 dedicated training days per year.
• Pension scheme and choice of hardware (Macbook/PC).
• Collaborative environment with regular social events and squad activities.