BlackRock, Inc

Associate, Forward Deploy Data Engineer

BlackRock, Inc$120K — $148K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years of data engineering or software engineering experience delivering production-grade solutions
  • Understanding of data product concepts like schema design and data ownership
  • Experience handling both structured and unstructured data
  • Strong proficiency in Python; familiarity with Java or Go is an advantage
  • Knowledge of orchestration and pipeline tools such as Apache Airflow
  • Familiarity with the Azure data ecosystem and services
  • Experience with Snowflake and basic query optimization

Responsibilities

  • Embed with partner teams to facilitate data product onboarding onto DPaaS
  • Define data product structures including schema and quality expectations
  • Support onboarding of diverse data types, customizing workflows as needed
  • Troubleshoot real-time onboarding failures across multiple layers
  • Conduct onboarding sessions and workshops tailored to team needs
  • Develop reusable data product accelerators and utilities
  • Translate partner data requirements into platform-compatible configurations

Benefits

  • Comprehensive healthcare coverage
  • Strong retirement plan
  • Tuition reimbursement assistance
  • Flexible Time Off (FTO) policy for better work-life balance
  • Support for working parents
  • Hybrid work model promoting collaboration and flexibility
Full Job Description
About this role

About the Role

BlackRock's Enterprise Data Platform (EDP) is the firm's strategic foundation for how data products are built, governed, and consumed at scale, powering investment decisions, risk analytics, and operational workflows across the firm and its global client base.

Data Platform as a Service (DPaaS) is a core capability within EDP, purpose-built to make data product creation fast, reliable, and repeatable. Whether a team is onboarding a new market data feed, publishing a risk dataset, or operationalizing a model output, DPaaS provides the infrastructure, tooling, and guided experience to take a raw data source and turn it into a trusted, production-grade data product. Teams get acquisition, ingestion, transformation, quality validation, and governance without having to build any of it themselves.

Why This Role is Exciting

Most engineers either build platforms or use them. As a Forward Deploy Engineer on the DPaaS team, you do both. You will deploy by embedding directly with teams across the firm, bringing their data products to life and solving real problems that only surface when a platform meets production data. You will build by developing solutions that fill gaps and make it easier for teams to create and publish data products on EDP. You will be at the frontier of how BlackRock thinks about data products, working with real users, influencing what gets built next, and seeing your work in production quickly across a wide range of data domains.

What You Will Do:

Forward Deployment & Data Product Onboarding
  • Embed directly with partner engineering and data teams to drive end-to-end data product onboarding onto DPaaS, from source configuration through to production
  • Work hands-on with teams to define data product structure including schema, ownership, SLAs, quality expectations, and governance attributes
  • Support onboarding of both structured and unstructured data products, adapting approaches to fit the nature of the data
  • Troubleshoot onboarding failures across infrastructure, pipeline, and data layers in real time
  • Run technical onboarding sessions and workshops tailored to each team's data product needs
  • Enable partner teams to self-serve on data product creation over time, reducing dependency on FDE support


Solution Development & Platform Contribution
  • Develop reusable data product accelerators including pipeline templates, configuration generators, and schema mapping utilities
  • Build custom acquisition connectors, ingestion templates, and transformation scaffolding for both structured and unstructured data
  • Contribute to core DPaaS platform engineering efforts including new feature development and framework improvements
  • Build and maintain data product accelerators and onboarding utilities that become reusable assets across the platform


Client Enablement
  • Act as a trusted technical advisor on data product design and onboarding best practices for partner engineering and data teams
  • Run office hours, enablement sessions, and targeted training to help teams build platform confidence independently
  • Translate partner-specific data requirements into platform-compatible data product configurations
  • Document onboarding patterns, common failure modes, and solutions into reusable playbooks
  • Capture and channel structured feedback from onboarding engagements into the DPaaS product and engineering roadmap


AI Assisted Development & Intelligent Data Product Onboarding
  • Use AI assisted coding tools as a core part of daily workflow, accelerating configuration authoring, pipeline generation, and onboarding automation
  • Build and contribute to AI assisted onboarding workflows leveraging schema inference, automated attribute mapping, and AI driven data profiling to reduce manual effort
  • Implement emerging AI tooling including Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI agents, and Copilot extensions to automate repetitive onboarding tasks
  • Define what AI native data product creation looks like on EDP, contributing patterns that shape the platform roadmap


Feedback Loop & Platform Evolution
  • Translate real onboarding experiences into structured product feedback that drives platform improvements
  • Work closely with DPaaS product, engineering, and infrastructure teams to close the loop between partner needs and platform capabilities
  • Navigate and operate across the full DPaaS technology stack including structured and unstructured data pipelines, Azure Data Lake Storage, Snowflake, Kubernetes, and Vault
  • Validate data product correctness and pipeline integrity across raw, staging, and curated data layers
  • Support testing and validation of new platform capabilities before broader rollout


Required Qualifications:
  • 3+ years of data engineering or software engineering experience with a track record of shipping production-grade solutions
  • Understanding of data product concepts including schema design, data ownership, SLAs, quality frameworks, and governance
  • Experience working with both structured and unstructured data
  • Strong proficiency in Python; working knowledge of Java or Go is a plus
  • Experience with orchestration and pipeline tooling for structured data (e.g., Apache Airflow) and unstructured data processing frameworks
  • Familiarity with the Azure ecosystem including Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Factory, and Azure-native data services
  • Working knowledge of Snowflake including ingestion patterns, database setup, roles, and basic query optimization
  • Familiarity with Kubernetes, Helm, and cloud-native infrastructure on Azure
  • Some experience working directly with client or partner engineering teams in a collaborative or client-facing capacity
  • Active user of AI assisted development tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or equivalent)
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Prior exposure to a forward deploy, solutions engineering, or client-embedded engineering role
  • Familiarity with financial data platforms or enterprise data ecosystems
  • Experience with data governance, data cataloging, or metadata management platforms
  • Exposure to dbt or data quality validation frameworks
  • Hands-on experience with unstructured data processing including document parsing, embeddings, vector stores, or blob-based data pipelines
  • Familiarity with LLM based tooling or AI agent frameworks (e.g., LangChain, MCP)
  • Working knowledge of other cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) and their equivalent data services such as S3, Redshift, BigQuery, and Dataflow
  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices (Azure DevOps, ArgoCD)
For Atlanta, GA Only the salary range for this position is USD$120,000.00 - USD$148,000.00 . Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, and benefits including healthcare, leave benefits, and retirement benefits. BlackRock operates a pay-for-performance compensation philosophy and your total compensation may vary based on role, location, and firm, department and individual performance.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock's hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person - aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock, Inc

BlackRock is an investment management company that provides its services to a diverse range of clients, including institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors. The firm operates as a global asset manager, overseeing and advising on a wide array of investment portfolios. In addition to its role as an investment manager, BlackRock is also known for its technological innovations and solutions that support various aspects of the financial industry. The company's multifaceted approach encompasses investment management, financial technology, and serving a broad spectrum of clients in the financial ecosystem.

BlackRock, Inc Careers

Join the dynamic team at BlackRock, Inc, a premier global investment management firm, where innovation meets professional excellence. BlackRock offers unparalleled job opportunities in the finance sector, making it an ideal place for ambitious professionals to grow and excel. Work You’ll Do At BlackRock, Inc, you will be part of a culture that values diversity, leadership, and continuous growth. Engage in work that makes a real impact on the global economy, helping clients meet their investment goals while contributing to sustainable economic growth. Our team at BlackRock is composed of highly skilled professionals who lead the industry not just in assets under management but in ideas and innovation. Here, your skills will be honed through rigorous training and your career path will be as dynamic as the markets we navigate. BlackRock, Inc’s Leadership and Development Step into a role that challenges and excites with every project. BlackRock, Inc is not just hiring; we are building a future where every team member is equipped to lead. We believe in nurturing leadership through hands-on roles and comprehensive diversity training programs. Internship and Employment Opportunities Start your career with a BlackRock internship, where you will gain not just valuable work experience but also insights into our unique approach to investment management. Our internships are the first step to full-time employment, offering a deep dive into financial services with real responsibilities and learning opportunities. Benefits and Growth At BlackRock, Inc, we understand that our company’s success depends on the growth and satisfaction of our team. That’s why we offer competitive benefits designed to support your life, both at work and outside of it. From health and wellness to financial planning, we ensure our team is well taken care of. Innovation at Every Level Innovation is at the core of BlackRock, Inc. We invest in technology and ideas that redefine the boundaries of financial services. Our commitment to innovation is reflected in how we solve the industry’s biggest challenges and how we serve our clients. Networking and Professional Development Enhance your career with BlackRock’s expansive networking opportunities. Connect with industry leaders, participate in global forums, and collaborate with teams that champion creativity and forward-thinking. Our networking events are designed to foster connections that lead to groundbreaking solutions. Join Our Team Explore the job opportunities at BlackRock, Inc and find the position that matches your skills and ambitions. We are looking for curious, driven, and innovative individuals to join our team. Check out our open positions and prepare your resume for an exciting journey in the world of finance. Stay Connected Keep up to date with the latest from BlackRock, Inc Careers through our dedicated careers blog. Gain insider perspectives that can help you before, during, and after the interview process. Learn from the best and become a part of a company that’s shaping the future of finance. Job Alert Emails Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts and the latest news tailored to your preferences. Discover the rewarding career opportunities waiting for you at BlackRock, Inc. Join BlackRock, Inc and be part of a team that’s dedicated to creating a better financial future for our clients worldwide. Your path to professional excellence starts here.
Learn more about BlackRock, Inc
Market Cap
$105.5 billion
Industry
Net Income
$4.9 billion
Founded
1988
5 Year Trend
+9.6%
Revenue
$16.2 billion
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at BlackRock, Inc

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar Associate, Forward Deploy Data Engineer jobs: