Big Data Engineer

Job Description: Big Data Engineer Summary

We are looking for an experienced Big Data Engineer with 7–10 years of hands-on experience to design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and processing systems in an on-premises Big Data environment. Beyond strong individual contribution, the ideal candidate will own architecture and design decisions, set technical direction, and mentor and support other developers on the team. The role works closely with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable, high-quality data solutions that support business and analytics needs.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of robust, scalable data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, and processing of large datasets in an on-premises environment.

• Own architectural and design decisions for data solutions, evaluating trade-offs and defining technical standards for the team.

• Mentor, guide, and support other data engineers through code reviews, design reviews, technical coaching, and hands-on problem-solving.

• Build and optimize data workflows using Python, Spark, and the Hadoop ecosystem.

• Work extensively with Hadoop ecosystem components (Hive, HDFS, Impala) to manage and query large-scale data.

• Manage and optimize batch scheduling and job orchestration using enterprise schedulers such as CA7 or Control-M.

• Ensure data quality, integrity, and performance across data platforms.

• Collaborate with data analysts, data scientists, and business stakeholders to translate data requirements into sound technical designs.

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues in data pipelines and production environments, acting as an escalation point for the team.

• Champion best practices for coding standards, version control, testing, and documentation.

• Stay current with emerging technologies, particularly AI/ML capabilities, and identify opportunities to apply them to data engineering workflows.

Technical Skills Must Have

• 7–10 years of overall experience in data engineering, with a proven track record in technical leadership (design ownership, mentoring, guiding development teams).

• Python – strong hands-on development experience building production-grade data solutions.

• Big Data / Hadoop ecosystem (Hadoop, Hive, Impala, HDFS) – deep, hands-on experience in on-premises environments.

• Apache Spark – solid experience developing and tuning large-scale distributed data processing jobs.

• Job scheduling / orchestration – hands-on experience with CA7 or Control-M (or comparable enterprise schedulers).

• Strong understanding of data structures, ETL processes, and SQL.

• Extensive experience with large-scale data processing and distributed systems.

• Demonstrated ability to make sound architecture/design decisions and to mentor and support other developers.

• Exposure to AI/ML concepts or tools, with a strong willingness to learn and grow in this space.

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company. We partner with clients using a data and AI-led approach to reinvent business models, drive better business outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, analytics, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform operations for the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and financial services, media and retail, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have more than 54,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.

EXL never requires or asks for fees/payments or credit card or bank details during any phase of the recruitment or hiring process and has not authorized any agencies or partners to collect any fee or payment from prospective candidates. EXL will only extend a job offer after a candidate has gone through a formal interview process with members of EXL’s Human Resources team, as well as our hiring managers.

EXL is the indispensable partner for leading businesses in data-led industries such as insurance, banking and financial services, healthcare, retail and logistics. We bring a unique combination of data, advanced analytics, digital technology and industry expertise to help our clients turn data into insights, streamline operations, improve customer experience, and transform their business. Our partnerships with clients are built on a foundation of collaboration – and we’ve been chosen as a partner by nine of the top ten leading US insurance companies, nine of the top 20 global banks, and six of the top ten US health care payers. We function as one team to make your goals our goals, whether that’s unlocking the value of generative AI or embedding analytics into workflows that reduce risk or power your growth. Clients choose EXL as their transformation partner for many reasons. Our geographic diversity make talent all over the world instantly accessible. Digital accelerators enable unmatched speed-to-value, letting you realize results fast. It’s our people that truly set us apart, though, including the 1,500 data scientists we have dedicated to our generative AI practice. And our more than twenty years of experience in delivering business services, garnering stellar client references, and maintaining a solid balance sheet are reassuring to our C-suite clients. Find out for yourself why clients, employees, and analysts think we’re some of the best in the business. Contact us to see how we can help you achieve your goals.