Principal Consultant - Data Engineering & Analytics

ABOUT 3CI

3Ci, an MAU company, is an IT professional services and technology consulting firm specializing in full-stack software development, data engineering, process intelligence, and digital transformation. We partner with leading enterprises to accelerate transformation and deliver measurable business outcomes.
As enterprise AI programs accelerate across every industry, 3Ci's Data Engineering practice has become one of our most strategically critical capabilities — building the modern data platforms, analytics infrastructure, and AI-ready data architecture that power clients' most important technology investments.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As a Principal – Data Engineering, you will be a senior individual contributor who leads 3Ci's most strategically significant data platform and AI data infrastructure programs, advises VP and C-suite client stakeholders on data strategy and architecture, and drives meaningful revenue through account advisory and business development.
Principals are 3Ci's senior data engineering voice on their accounts — shaping how clients think about data as a strategic enterprise asset and AI enabler. AI data architecture is a core consulting offering at this level: you'll design AI-native data platforms, advise on data governance for AI programs, and serve as one of 3Ci's internal thought leaders at the intersection of modern data engineering, LLMs, and enterprise AI.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Enterprise Data Platform Leadership

• Own end-to-end delivery of large, complex data platform programs spanning multiple source domains, business units, and technology layers
• Establish enterprise data platform governance: delivery cadences, architecture review processes, data quality SLAs, and executive reporting frameworks
• Design enterprise data architectures: data mesh, data lakehouse, federated query, and multi-cloud data platform patterns
• Lead data platform migrations and modernization programs at enterprise scale
• Serve as the escalation authority for technical risk, quality issues, and delivery performance on managed programs

Client Executive Advisory

• Own and grow trusted advisory relationships with client VPs, Data Directors, CDOs, and CIOs
• Advise clients on data strategy: cloud platform selection, build vs. buy decisions, data governance operating models, and data product strategy
• Lead executive architecture reviews, data strategy workshops, and platform roadmap presentations
• Develop strategic account expansion plans and own multi-year data advisory relationships

AI Data Architecture & Strategy

• Design AI-native data platforms: unified architectures serving both traditional analytics and AI/ML/GenAI workloads
• Lead the design and delivery of enterprise AI data infrastructure: vector databases, embedding pipelines, RAG data layers, feature stores, and model serving infrastructure
• Advise clients on data governance for AI programs: data lineage for model training, PII handling, model auditability, and AI-ready data quality standards
• Define agentic DataOps use cases: autonomous pipeline monitoring agents, self-healing data quality systems, and AI-driven metadata management
• Contribute to 3Ci's Data Engineering AI service portfolio and thought leadership positioning

Practice & Business Development

• Drive $1.5M–$3M in annual revenue through account ownership, expansion identification, and pursuit contribution
• Lead data platform solution design, effort estimation, and SOW development for new and expanding engagements
• Develop reusable data engineering accelerators: architecture blueprints, dbt packages, DataOps toolkits, and AI data platform reference architectures
• Mentor and develop Senior Consultants through co-delivery, structured feedback, and career guidance

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or Engineering preferred
• 8–12 years of progressive data engineering, data architecture, and consulting experience
• Demonstrated leadership of multi-million-dollar, enterprise-scale data platform programs
• Deep expertise in modern data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, BigQuery) and data engineering tooling
• Proven ability to design AI-native data architectures: vector stores, RAG pipelines, feature stores, and enterprise AI data infrastructure
• Executive-level client advisory presence with CDO, VP of Data, and CIO relationship management experience
• Strong engagement-level financial acumen

Preferred Certifications & Credentials

• Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional — required
• dbt Certified Analytics Engineer — required
• Snowflake SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer or Architect
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate and Fabric Analytics Engineer
• AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty or Google Professional Data Engineer
• AI/ML data platform certification: Azure AI Engineer, AWS ML Specialty, or equivalent
• PMP or PgMP

WHY 3CI

At the Principal level, you'll shape how 3Ci approaches the most complex data challenges our clients face — with a direct line to C-suite stakeholders and the autonomy to set the technical direction on our most important programs. You'll also be a significant force in building the next generation of data engineers through mentorship and co-delivery. If you're energized by the intersection of enterprise data architecture and the rapidly evolving AI landscape, this is where you'll do your best work.
3Ci is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.