Data Engineer

Nelnet

Lincoln, NE

Full Time

Mid Level

100k-110k

about 2 months ago

Job Description

About the Role

Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities. The Data Engineer designs and automates data infrastructure to support scalable storage, efficient movement, and reliable access to data for analytics and operational use. This position works alongside Analysts, Product Owners, and Developers to refine the data platform and technical solutions that will put the data at the company's fingertips. The Data Engineer is responsible for designing and optimizing data capture, transformation, and modeling within the data warehouses to ensure efficient and reliable access to structured data.

Key Responsibilities

Build, maintain, and optimize data pipelines to move data into and out of data warehouses efficiently.
Design, structure, and organize Snowflake databases and schemas to support easy access and analytical workloads.
Extract, parse, clean, and validate data from a variety of source systems (databases, APIs, flat files, etc.).
Implement robust, scalable and maintainable automated data ingestion ELT pipelines.
Ensure the ingested data is of high quality and maintains physical and logical integrity.
Participate in design and technical discussions.
Contribute to the implementation and management of data models.
Work closely with Data Analysts and other Data Engineers.
Take ownership of critical data pipelines, including responding promptly when unexpected data gaps or failures occur, even outside normal working hours if needed.

Requirements

Experience with data integration tools, such as Python, Rivery, dbt, PowerBI Dataflows.
Experience with Snowflake.
Proficiency in SQL and Snowflake-specific features (e.g., streams, tasks, file formats, and performance tuning).
Understanding of data modeling principles (e.g., star/snowflake schemas, slowly changing dimensions, normalization).
Experience designing and maintaining reliable, scalable ELT pipelines using both tools and custom code.
Strong Python programming skills for automating data movement, transformation, and API-based ingestion.
Familiarity with PowerBI data architecture and experience managing dataflows and refresh logic.
Ability to troubleshoot and optimize data workflows across systems (e.g., query tuning, job monitoring, and logging).
Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience.

Nice to Have

Experience in the finance sector preferred.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience.

Benefits & Perks

Medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA
Generous earned time off
401K/student loan repayment
Life insurance & AD&D insurance
Employee assistance program
Employee stock purchase program
Tuition reimbursement
Performance-based incentive pay
Short- and long-term disability
Robust wellness program

Working at Nelnet

Nelnet believes in a hybrid work environment that accommodates both in-office and remote work. This model promotes a positive work-life balance and culture, enabling in-person collaboration when possible while also providing benefits associated with remote work. Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, they ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, or other protected statuses. They value the contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.

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