Principal Data Engineer

26WD96751

Position Overview

Autodesk is seeking a Principal Data Engineer to lead the design, architecture, and evolution of enterprise-scale data platforms and pipelines. This role is pivotal in shaping Autodesk's data ecosystem, enabling scalable, high-performance data solutions that power analytics, AI/ML, and business decision-making.

You will operate as a technical leader and architect, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders-including Data Science, AI/ML, Product, Finance (FinOps), and Engineering-to deliver robust, scalable, and cost-efficient data solutions. This role demands deep expertise in distributed data systems, cloud data platforms, and modern data architecture patterns, combined with strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.

Roles and Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Lead the end-to-end design and implementation of scalable data architectures and pipelines (batch + real-time)

• Define and drive data engineering strategy and roadmap aligned with Autodesk's enterprise data platform vision

• Architect solutions leveraging AWS, Azure, Snowflake, and modern data stack tools

• Design and optimize data models, lake architectures, and data mesh frameworks for analytics and ML use cases

Data Platform & Pipeline Engineering

• Build and maintain high-performance, resilient, and cost-optimized data pipelines

• Implement real-time and streaming architectures using frameworks such as Spark, Kafka, or Kinesis

• Develop robust ETL/ELT pipelines and data integration workflows using tools like Airflow, Fivetran

• Establish best practices for CI/CD, testing, and deployment of data pipelines

Data Governance & Quality

• Define and enforce standards

• Data quality and validation

• Observability and monitoring

• Data governance and lineage

• Implement automated anomaly detection and pipeline optimization using AI/ML techniques

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with data scientists, analysts, product managers, and engineering teams to translate business requirements into scalable solutions

• Drive data-driven decision-making by delivering reliable and accessible data products

• Collaborate with FinOps teams to ensure cost efficiency of data infrastructure

Leadership & Mentorship

• Lead and mentor a team of data engineers, fostering engineering excellence and innovation

• Influence and guide architecture decisions across multiple teams and domains

• Promote a culture of best practices, scalability, and operational excellence

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Stay current with emerging trends in data engineering, AI, and cloud technologies

• Drive adoption of modern data paradigms (data mesh, lakehouse, hybrid/multi-cloud)

• Continuously evolve tooling, frameworks, and engineering practices

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data engineering or distributed data systems

• 3+ years in a technical leadership or principal-level role

• Proven experience designing and delivering large-scale, enterprise-grade data platforms

• Strong expertise in SQL and Python, Data modelling and architecture design

• Hands-on experience with Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) Data warehousing (Snowflake or equivalent)

• Experience with batch and streaming frameworks (Spark, Kafka, Hadoop, Kinesis)

• Deep understanding of ETL/ELT paradigms and modern data stack

• Experience with orchestration and ingestion tools (Airflow, Fivetran)

• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Data Lakehouse architectures and Data Mesh principles

• Exposure to AI/ML pipelines and production ML systems

• Experience with multi-cloud or hybrid cloud strategies

• Background in FinOps or cost optimization of data platforms

• Strong foundation in Distributed systems, Algorithms and scalability

• Track record of driving innovation and engineering best practices

• Experience mentoring senior engineers or leading distributed teams

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking & System Design

• Scalable Data Architecture

• Engineering Excellence & Best Practices

• Leadership & Mentorship

• Stakeholder Communication

• Innovation & Continuous Learning

Learn More

About Autodesk

Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software - from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made.

We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk - it's at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world.

When you're an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future Join us!

Salary transparency

Salary is one part of Autodesk's competitive compensation package. Offers are based on the candidate's experience and geographic location. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package.

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