Data Engineer

Posting Information

Position Information

In 2022, UNC Chapel Hill launched the School of Data Science and Society ( SDSS), a new school devoted to data science teaching, research, scholarship, service, and creativity. The SDSS vision is to be a leader in shaping the field of data science through an interdisciplinary and rigorous grounding in theory and methods with a human centric approach to the entire data life cycle.
The mission of SDSS is to empower a diverse community of faculty conducting research in the fundamentals and/or the applications of data science. The school is training undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to be the next generation of data science leaders with the knowledge and skills to thrive in this data-driven world. The SDSS will serve the state, the nation, and the world through premier data science educational programs and innovative research directed to advancing the public good with human-centric and ethical applications.
The core elements of the SDSS include porous borders - leveraging our low-walled collaborative Carolina culture to solve major societal problems. Interdisciplinary research clusters that cross disciplines and school boundaries are a vital element of the school. The SDSS is focused on students and education - the emphasis is not just on data science majors but on all students becoming data literate. The school's culture has an open and transparent structure, governance, and business model.

The School of Data Science and Society ( SDSS) invites applications for the role of Data Engineer with a robust background in cloud technologies and a keen interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (AI). This role will develop and manage sophisticated data infrastructure in the cloud to bolster the school's and the University's innovative projects in artificial intelligence. This role will support the university's implementation of generative AI use cases in collaboration with key units at UNC-Chapel Hill and industry partners. The Data Engineer will be instrumental in constructing scalable data management systems, optimizing cloud services, and establishing robust data pipelines to support the school's research, education, and operational initiatives. Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams across UNC-Chapel Hill and continuous innovation in leveraging new technologies for data optimization are central to this position. The ideal candidate will bring relevant experience across various cloud platforms and a general understanding of AI and generative AI technologies.
Key responsibilities include:
* Design, construct, install, test, and maintain highly scalable data management systems, ensuring system consistency and data integrity, in collaboration with Information Technologies Services ( ITS) and other relevant units.
* Leverage cloud services to construct and manage secure, scalable data processing systems and to support AI and generative AI research and applications.
* Support the university and school's implementation of generative AI use cases in collaboration with key units at UNC-Chapel Hill and industry partners.
* Build algorithms, prototypes, predictive models, and proof of concepts.
* Develop data set processes for data modeling, mining, and production.
* Assemble large, complex data sets that meet functional and non-functional business requirements.
* Collaborate with researchers, academic, and operational leaders to assist in data-related technical issues and support their data infrastructure needs.
* Identify, design, and implement internal process improvements
* Explore and evaluate new technologies and solutions to push the capabilities forward.

Masters' and 2-4 years' experience; or Bachelors and 3-5 years' experience; or will accept a combination of related education and experience in substitution.

The successful candidate will have excellent technical, collaboration, and teamwork skills. They should have a customer service orientation that can serve both technical and non-technical customers. They should be able to interact and collaborate with researchers, instructors, and staff in the school and other units across disciplines. They should be able to participate in and support collaborations with different stakeholders both internal to UNC-Chapel Hill and external.

* Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
* 3+ years of experience in a Data Engineer or similar role
* Experience using cloud services in a research or academic environment
* Proficient with relational database design and management ( SQL). Working with unstructured data is a plus.
* Experience using big data tools and building/optimizing big data pipelines, workflow management tools, architectures, and data sets.
* General understanding and deep interest in AI and generative AI systems.

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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.