Saatchi & Saatchi

Freelance Manager Data Engineering - Azure Databricks

Saatchi & Saatchi$100K — $130K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of hands-on experience with Azure Databricks and Delta Lake.
  • Deep knowledge of Unity Catalog and data access management.
  • Experience in DevOps with CI/CD automation, particularly in Azure DevOps.
  • Proficiency in building data pipelines with PySpark, SQL, or Scala.
  • Active Professional Certifications in Databricks or Microsoft Azure Data Engineer are strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Design and optimize end-to-end data pipelines in Azure Databricks.
  • Build and maintain complex production workflows using Databricks Workflows.
  • Migrate legacy data architectures into Databricks solutions.
  • Convert legacy business logic from Alteryx workflows into Databricks notebooks.
  • Manage data governance aspects, including access and schema using Unity Catalog.
  • Automate Databricks workspace deployments with CI/CD pipelines.

Benefits

  • Onsite work 3 days a week in Houston.
  • Full-time contract position at 40 hours per week.
Full Job Description
Overview

Freelance Manager Data Engineering

Note this is a contract role that is FT 40 hours a day, onsite in Houstion 3 days a week.

We are seeking a skilled Data Engineer with extensive, hands-on expertise in Azure Databricks to design, develop, and manage our enterprise data platform. In this architecture, all core transformations will be built directly within Databricks using Databricks Workflows and Jobs. The ideal candidate must have deep experience with Unity Catalog, DevOps (CI/CD), and the ability to drive Synapse migrations into code-driven Databricks environments.

Key Responsibilities
• Core Databricks Engineering: Design, build, and optimize end-to-end data pipelines entirely within Azure Databricks and Delta Lake using PySpark, SQL, or Scala.
• Orchestration & Automation: Build, schedule, and maintain complex production pipelines utilizing Databricks Workflows and Jobs as the primary orchestration engine.
• Data Legacy Migration: Lead and execute the migration of legacy data architectures into optimized Databricks solutions.
• Pipeline Conversion: Translate and refactor legacy business logic (such as converting historical Alteryx workflows) into clean, scalable Databricks notebook code.
• Data Governance: Implement and manage data access, security, schemas, and lineage across the platform using Databricks Unity Catalog.
• CI/CD & DevOps Automation: Develop, maintain, and automate Databricks workspace deployments and jobs using YAML and Classic CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps.

Certifications (Highly Prioritized)
• Active Professional Certifications are strongly preferred, such as:
o Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate / Professional
o Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203)
o Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or equivalent foundational Azure knowledge is required at a minimum.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Skills (Optional)
• Alteryx Conversion: Familiarity with Alteryx workflows is a major plus, specifically to assist in reverse-engineering and converting legacy visual workflows into PySpark/SQL code. (Note: Candidates do not need to be Alteryx developers, but must be comfortable reading/migrating the ETL logic).

About Saatchi & Saatchi

Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency headquartered in New York City. The company was founded in London in 1970 by brothers Maurice and Charles Saatchi and is now part of the Publicis Groupe, a French multinational advertising and public relations company. Saatchi & Saatchi has over 6,000 employees in 114 countries and provides a range of advertising and marketing services to clients in various industries, including automotive, consumer goods, financial services, and telecommunications. The company is known for its creative and innovative advertising campaigns, including the iconic 'Nothing is Impossible' campaign for Toyota. Saatchi & Saatchi has won numerous awards for its work, including Cannes Lions, Clios, and Effies.
Learn more about Saatchi & Saatchi
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