American Public Media

Data Engineer

American Public Media$105K — $112K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience
  • 3-5 years of hands-on experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, or a similar role
  • Proficiency in SQL for complex queries and performance tuning
  • Proficiency in Python for data-related tasks and APIs
  • Experience with Azure cloud services, particularly Data Factory and Azure SQL
  • Ability to translate business requirements into effective data solutions

Responsibilities

  • Design, build, and maintain ETL/ELT workflows using Azure services
  • Develop and manage data models in the Azure SQL-based Enterprise Data Warehouse
  • Write clean, well-tested Python and SQL code for data processing tasks
  • Build and maintain API integrations with third-party systems
  • Monitor data pipeline health and respond to quality issues
  • Document pipeline logic and integration specifications for maintainability
  • Collaborate with the Data Architect on data standards and governance

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical plans with HSA and FSA options
  • Paid parental and caregiver leave after one year
  • Three weeks of vacation, pro-rated based on hours worked
  • Twelve days of sick time, pro-rated based on hours worked
  • Ten holidays plus two floating holidays per year
  • Volunteer time off of 8 hours per year
  • 403(b) retirement plan and options for long-term care and critical illness insurance
Full Job Description
Position Summary:

The Data Engineer is a core member of the APMG Technology team, responsible for building and maintaining data pipelines, integrations, and models that power the organization's reporting and operational systems. Working within a small, high-impact team, this role contributes directly to APMG's data ecosystem - spanning Azure cloud infrastructure, Salesforce NPSP, and a range of integrated SaaS platforms. The Data Engineer partners closely with the Data Architect to translate business requirements into durable, well-tested data solutions, and brings a pragmatic, curious mindset to solving complex integration and modeling challenges.

This role operates with meaningful autonomy and is expected to take ownership of assigned pipelines and domains end-to-end - from design through deployment and monitoring. As a member of a lean team, the Data Engineer also contributes to peer learning, documentation, and the ongoing improvement of team practices, including the use of AI-assisted development tooling to increase velocity and code quality.

Expected Compensation Range: $105,000 -$112,000 per year. The exact salary rate is determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure, and internal equity.

Location: Hybrid, St. Paul, MN

Application Process: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.Application Deadline: Open until filled.

Position Responsibilities:

  • Design, build, and maintain data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows using Azure Data Factory and related Azure services
  • Develop and maintain data models in the Azure SQL-based Enterprise Data Warehouse, ensuring performance, integrity, and alignment with organizational standards
  • Write clean, well-tested Python and SQL code to support ingestion, transformation, and integration tasks
  • Build and maintain API integrations between internal systems and third-party SaaS platforms (e.g., Salesforce NPSP, donation gateways, media systems)
  • Implement automated testing for data pipelines and transformations to ensure reliability and catch regressions early
  • Monitor pipeline health, respond to data quality issues, and maintain alerting and logging practices
  • Collaborate with the Data Architect to implement and adhere to organizational data standards, naming conventions, and governance practices
  • Contribute to Power BI reporting by maintaining underlying data models and ensuring accurate, performant dataset availability
  • Document pipeline logic, data models, and integration specifications to support knowledge sharing and maintainability
  • Participate in code reviews and contribute to a culture of technical rigor and continuous improvement
  • Leverage AI-assisted development tools to accelerate implementation, improve code quality, and explore new solutions
  • Provide secondary support for business application systems as needed within a collaborative team environment
  • Other duties, as assigned


Required Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
  • 3-5 years of hands-on experience in a data engineering, analytics engineering, or similar role


Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

  • Proficiency in SQL, including complex query writing, stored procedures, and performance tuning in a relational database environment (SQL Server preferred)
  • Proficiency in Python for data engineering tasks, including scripting, API consumption, transformation logic, and testing
  • Experience designing and maintaining data models for analytical or operational use cases
  • Experience building and consuming REST APIs and integrating data across disparate platforms
  • Hands-on experience with Azure cloud services, including Azure Data Factory or equivalent pipeline tooling and Azure SQL
  • Demonstrated experience writing and maintaining automated tests for data pipelines and transformation logic
  • Experience delivering within an agile development process, including writing user stories, acceptance criteria, test plans for general data engineering and analytics requirements
  • Ability to understand business requirements and translate them into sound data solutions
  • Strong attention to detail and a commitment to data quality and accuracy
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a small, cross-functional team environment
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
  • Self-directed learner with a genuine interest in evolving tooling, practices, and technologies
  • Comfort operating with some ambiguity and finding effective solutions within resource and time constraints
  • Embraces APMG organizational values, including EIDA (Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility)


Preferred Skills and Experience:

  • Experience with AWS services (e.g., S3, RDS, DynamoDB, Lambda) and cross-cloud pipeline patterns
  • Familiarity with the use cases and trade-offs of different data storage paradigms, including relational databases, document stores, data warehouses, and lakehouse architectures
  • Familiarity with Salesforce data structures, particularly NPSP (Nonprofit Success Pack)
  • Experience with Power BI, including dataset development and DAX
  • Familiarity with other cloud-based data platforms and tools, including Databricks, DBT, data catalogs, etc.
  • Working experience with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude, Cursor) to accelerate and improve engineering work
  • Experience with identity resolution patterns or working with systems that use multiple identifiers across platforms
  • Familiarity with nonprofit, public media, or fundraising data domains
  • Exposure to data governance practices, data cataloging, or metadata management
  • Experience with version control (Git) and CI/CD workflows for data pipelines


Reporting to this Position:

  • None


Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation
  • Ability to manage some work outside of standard office hours as needed
  • Physical Demands:
    • Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time
    • Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping
  • Working Conditions:
    • Moderate noise level


APMG offers a comprehensive benefits package including Medical plans with HSA and FSA options, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Paid Parental Leave and Paid Caregiver Leave after 1 year, Vacation (3 wks./per year, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Sick time (12 days, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Holiday Pay (10 holidays + 2 floating holidays each year), Volunteer Time (8 hours per year), Long-Term Care and Critical Illness insurance options, Employee Assistance Program, 403(b) Retirement Plan, and more.

About American Public Media

American Public Media (APM) is a non-profit media organization that produces and distributes a wide range of programming for radio, podcast, and digital audiences. The organization's portfolio includes some of the most popular and critically acclaimed programs in public media, including Marketplace, The Splendid Table, and The Daily. APM is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations and a premier producer and distributor of public radio programming in the United States. The organization is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Learn more about American Public Media
Size
500 employees
Industry
Founded
1967

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at American Public Media

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar Data Engineer jobs: