Job Description

General Information:

Information Technology (IT) at James Madison University, in collaboration with Student Success Analytics (SSA), is accepting applications for a Data Engineer as part of its work toward leveraging data and technology for improving student success and retention. This position reports to the Infrastructure and Database Services Manager in IT and will primarily be working with SSA supporting their strategic vision to achieve the highest level of data maturity that maximizes success outcomes for all students.

The Data Engineer designs, builds, and maintains secure, reliable, and scalable data infrastructure that enables high-quality analytics, reporting, and decision-making across the university. This position serves as a technical bridge between operational systems, enterprise databases, and the future data warehouse, supporting SSA, IT, and campus stakeholders.

This position is telework eligible.



Duties and Responsibilities:

Data Collection, Integration, and ETL
• Design, develop, test, and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines to extract, transform, and load data from enterprise systems, CRM platforms, and external data sources.
• Build and support infrastructure for efficient data ingestion using SQL Server and cloud-based technologies.
• Develop repeatable and automated processes to support mandated federal, state, and institutional reporting.

Data Processing, Quality, and Governance
• Clean, validate, reconcile, and transform data to ensure accuracy, consistency, security, and integrity.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve data discrepancies, anomalies, and performance issues.
• Apply and promote best practices related to data governance, documentation, privacy, security, and ethics.

Analytics, Reporting, and Visualization Enablement
• Collaborate with SSA analysts, data scientists, and functional partners to support complex analyses and reporting needs.
• Develop and maintain data tables, views, and semantic layers that support dashboards and analytics tools.
• Support the effective use of visualization platforms (e.g., Tableau) to improve data access and decision-making.

Data Management and Infrastructure Support
• Manage, optimize, and support the SSA SQL Server database, related data storage solutions, and the future data warehouse.
• Assist with performance tuning, query optimization, database upgrades, patches, backups, and recovery in collaboration with IT colleagues.
• Contribute to the design, implementation, and ongoing improvement of the university’s data warehouse or data lake environment.

Collaboration, Consultation, and Service to the University
• Partner with Student Success Analytics, IT, and campus stakeholders to understand data needs and recommend appropriate technical solutions.
• Participate in cross-functional projects and working groups related to data, analytics, and reporting.
• Communicate technical concepts and data limitations clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Documentation and Continuous Improvement
• Create and maintain technical documentation, data dictionaries, data maps, and process documentation.
• Identify opportunities to improve data workflows, automation, and system performance.
• Stay informed on emerging data engineering tools, technologies, and best practices.



Qualifications:

Required Qualifications
• A background in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Statistics, or a related field.
• Relevant professional experience in data engineering, data management, or data analytics.
• Strong proficiency in SQL, including complex queries, views, and stored procedures.
• Experience with Microsoft SQL Server technologies, including SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS).
• Understanding of relational databases, data modeling, and data warehousing concepts.
• Demonstrated experience supporting data pipelines, ETL processes, or analytics platforms.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Knowledge of and commitment to data privacy, security, and ethical data practices.

Additional Considerations
• Experience working in a higher education environment.
• Experience building or supporting a data warehouse or data lake.
• Experience automating and optimizing ETL processes.
• Working knowledge of data governance and data literacy practices.
• Experience designing or supporting dashboards and visualizations using Tableau.
• Exposure to cloud-based data platforms or big data technologies.