Principal Data Engineer - Parametric

Morgan Stanley • Seattle, WA

12d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Data Engineer will serve as a technical lead on new and ongoing development projects, designing, developing, and maintaining services to support various business needs. In this role you will be responsible for guiding and mentoring a team of data engineers helping them to achieve their highest potential while collectively advancing the goals and projects of the engineering team. The Principal Data Engineer is responsible for the design, structure, and maintenance of data projects ensuring the accuracy and accessibility of data relevant to an organization or a project. In this role the Principal Data Engineer needs to be able to take business requirements and design and architecture end to end that fully supports the business needs. The PrincipLData engineer needs to be an expert in writing and optimizing SQL queries. They need to be able to document ideas and proposals which will include creating ER diagrams and architectural documents that document the transformation of data throughout its lifecycle. A successful Principal Data Engineer must possess superior analytical skills and be detail-oriented. This role requires the ability to communicate effectively as part of a larger team within the information technology department. Additionally, you will need to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical staff. Since development of data models and logical workflows is common, a Principal Data Engineer must also exhibit advanced visualization skills, as well as creative problem-solving.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Mathematics, or Engineering or equivalent work experience
• 10+ years of data engineering, data science, or software engineering experience
• 3+ years of experience with Snowflake
• 4+ years of experience in AWS (or similar cloud technologies) cloud stack including S3, IAM, Athena, SNS, SQS, and EMR.
• 6+ years of SQL Server and experience with tools such as SSIS and SSRS
• Demonstrated success providing both expert technical guidance and team leadership
• Capability of architecting highly scalable distributed systems, using different open-source tools
• Highly skilled in leading teams using Agile development process such as Kanban or Scrum
• Demonstrated experience with object-oriented design, coding and testing patterns as well as experience in engineering (commercial or open source) software platforms and data infrastructures
• Expert knowledge of data modeling and understanding of different data structures and their benefits and limitations under particular use cases
• Ability to collaborate and partner across a diverse team
• Ability to create strong work ethics and committed teams, foster open dialogue, and promote individual and team success

Nice To Haves

• Financial industry data fluency is preferred but not required

Responsibilities

• AI & Automation Integration: Design and implement data pipelines optimized for machine learning, generative AI, and real-time analytics.
• Modern Data Architecture: Build scalable, cloud-native architectures leveraging Data Mesh, Lakehouse, and streaming technologies.
• Data Governance & Ethics: Enforce responsible AI practices, data privacy, and compliance with evolving regulations.
• Performance Optimization: Apply advanced techniques for query optimization, distributed computing, and cost-efficient cloud operations.
• Legacy Modernization: Reimagine legacy systems using containerization, serverless computing, and AI-driven orchestration.
• Collaboration & Leadership: Partner with business and technical stakeholders to align solutions with strategic objectives.
• Documentation & Standards: Maintain technical specifications, runbooks, and architectural diagrams.
• Security & Resilience: Implement zero-trust security models, disaster recovery, and automated failover strategies.
• Continuous Innovation: Evaluate emerging technologies (e.g., AI agents, quantum-ready data frameworks) and integrate where applicable.
• Evaluates and provides feedback on future technologies and new releases/upgrades.
• Contributes to the establishment of business continuity & disaster recovery requirements, methods and procedures for data systems and databases.

Benefits

• Morgan Stanley offers a full spectrum of benefits, including Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Dependent Day Care Savings Account, Life Insurance, Disability and Other Insurance Plans, Paid Time Off (including Sick Leave consistent with state and local law, Parental Leave and 20 Vacation Days annually), 10 Paid Holidays, 401(k), and Short/Long Term Disability, in addition to other special perks reserved for our employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees