Principal Data Engineer (People Data)

TL;DR

Principal Data Engineer (People Data): Architecting and building scalable data platforms for HR and candidate lifecycle management with an accent on data integrity, governance, and modern lakehouse architectures. Focus on leading cross-functional initiatives, implementing data contracts, and integrating AI tools to optimize workforce analytics and employee experience.

Location: Hybrid role requiring presence in Bellevue, WA; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; or Washington, DC.

Salary: $176,000 – $270,600 USD (based on location and experience).

Company

Okta is a leading independent identity provider securing digital identities for organizations worldwide.

What you will do

• Design and evolve high-scale data solutions serving as reference architecture for the organization.
• Develop data quality frameworks, monitoring, and anomaly detection with rigorous governance.
• Drive adoption of consistent data modeling patterns, metric governance, and documentation standards.
• Lead cross-functional technical initiatives to accelerate delivery and harden enterprise data systems.
• Implement data contracts and schema evolution practices to ensure reliability across global teams.
• Mentor senior engineers and foster a culture of engineering excellence and data-driven decision-making.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in a data engineering role with a proven track record in a senior or lead capacity.
• Expert-level proficiency in SQL, ETL/ELT tools (Airflow, dbt), and MPP databases (Snowflake, Redshift).
• Extensive hands-on experience with AWS services (S3, Lambda, EMR, EKS).
• Deep expertise in HR data structures, including candidate lifecycle, compensation, and workforce planning.
• Experience building batch and real-time pipelines using Spark and Kafka.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize workflows and drive measurable impact.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with Workday data structures.
• Experience with modern lakehouse architectures (Databricks, Iceberg, Delta).
• Experience with Federal government compliance and security requirements.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contributions.
• Flexible spending accounts (FSA).
• Paid leave including PTO and parental leave.
• Global community with over 20 offices and a focus on social impact and talent development.