Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer (Python / AWS / EKS / PostgreSQL) **About the company** Polaris I/O provides the world’s only integrated go\-to\-customer platform that combines transformation services, industry insights, and powerful technology to enable B2B companies to protect, retain, and grow large accounts. Our platforms take an outside\-in approach to improving commercial health, utilizing executive buyer insights to inform the orchestration of commercial activities that improve relationships, maximize growth, and scale beyond our engagement. **Role Summary** Polaris I/O is hiring a **Lead Data Engineer** to provide technical leadership and delivery support for our growing Data Engineering team. Reporting directly to the **Director of Data Engineering**, this role will help transform business and technical priorities into well\-defined, actionable engineering work. The Lead Data Engineer will partner with the Director to identify upcoming work, perform technical analysis and decomposition, create and refine JIRA tickets, identify dependencies and risks, and help maintain a healthy backlog of development\-ready work for the team. This is a technical leadership position without formal direct reports. The Lead Data Engineer will mentor engineers, review technical designs and code, establish development standards, support hiring, and provide input during performance reviews. Prioritization and formal people\-management responsibilities will remain with the Director of Data Engineering. Approximately **70% of this role will focus on technical leadership, planning, architecture, mentorship, and delivery support**, with approximately **30% focused on hands\-on development**. The allocation may vary based on team and project needs. **Our stack includes:** * Python microservices using FastAPI * Async Python * AWS SQS and EventBridge * Kubernetes and Amazon EKS * Aurora PostgreSQL * SQLAlchemy, Alembic, and Pydantic * Configuration\-driven workflows using YAML * Event\-driven data pipelines The ideal candidate combines deep hands\-on engineering experience with the ability to clarify complex technical work, guide other engineers, and improve the consistency and predictability of team delivery. **What You’ll Do** **Technical Planning and Delivery** · Partner with the Director of Data Engineering to identify, analyze, and prepare upcoming engineering work. · Translate technical initiatives and business requirements into clearly defined JIRA epics, stories, tasks, and technical acceptance criteria. · Break large or ambiguous initiatives into appropriately scoped units of work for Data Engineers and Senior Data Engineers. · Identify technical dependencies, risks, assumptions, sequencing requirements, and potential delivery constraints. · Help maintain a healthy backlog of technically refined and development\-ready work. · Facilitate or support backlog refinement, technical planning, estimation, and sprint\-planning activities. · Assist engineers w