Data Engineer II - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey (Critical Industries)

McKinsey & Company • Atlanta, Georgia, United States • $98.32k - $174.85k / year • 2d ago

Job ID: 102727

AtlantaBostonChicagoDallasNew JerseyNew York City

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Do you want to work on complex and pressing challenges—the kind that bring together curious, ambitious, and determined leaders who strive to become better every day? If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.

YOUR IMPACT

As a Data Engineer II, you will design, build, and optimize modern data platforms that power advanced analytics and AI solutions.

You’ll collaborate with clients and interdisciplinary teams to architect scalable pipelines, manage secure and compliant data environments, and unlock the value of complex datasets across industries. You’ll sharpen your expertise by working on innovative projects, contributing to R&D, and learning from top-tier talent in a dynamic, global environment.

Your work will drive lasting impact. By ensuring data is accurate, accessible, and production-ready, you’ll enable clients to accelerate digital transformations, adopt AI responsibly, and achieve measurable business outcomes. Here’s how you might contribute in a given year:

Develop a streaming data platform to integrate telemetry for predictive maintenance in aerospace systems
Implement secure data pipelines that reduce time-to-insight for a Fortune 500 utility company
Optimize large-scale batch and streaming workflows for a global financial services client, cutting infrastructure costs while improving performance.
Develop pipelines for embeddings and vector databases to enable retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) for a global defense client.

You’ll work in cross-functional Agile teams with Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Designers, and domain experts to deliver high-quality analytics solutions. Partnering closely with clients—from data owners to C-level executives—you’ll shape data ecosystems that drive innovation and long-term resilience.

You should expect this role to include at least some work in critical industries (Government, Defense, Aerospace, Utilities, Oil and Gas), but you will have the ability to serve other industries as well.

This role offers an exceptional environment to grow as a technologist and collaborator. You’ll develop expertise at the intersection of technology and business by tackling diverse challenges while collaborating with some of the best technical and business talent in the world.

YOUR GROWTH

Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

When you join us, you will have:

Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
World-class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

U.S. Citizenship is required for this role (you must be able to be staffed on Critical Industries work which includes Government, Defense, Aerospace, Utilities, etc.)
Degree in Computer Science, Business Analytics, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field
2+ years of professional experience in data engineering, software engineering, or adjacent technical roles
Proficiency in Python, Scala, or Java for production-grade pipelines, with strong skills in SQL and PySpark
Hands-on experience with cloud platforms such as (AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle) and modern data storage/warehouse solutions such as Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, and Delta Lake
Practical experience with Databricks, AWS Glue, and transformation frameworks like dbt, Dataform, or Databricks Asset Bundles
Knowledge of distributed systems such as (Spark, Dask, Flink) and streaming platforms (Kafka, Kinesis, Pulsar) for real-time and batch processing
Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools such as (Airflow, Dagster, Prefect), CI/CD for data workflows, and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
Understanding of DataOps principles including pipeline monitoring, testing, and automation, with exposure to observability tools such as Datadog, Prometheus, and Great Expectations
Exposure to ML platforms such as (Databricks, SageMaker, Vertex AI), MLOps best practices, and GenAI toolkits (LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face)
Willingness to travel as required
Strong communication, time management, and resilience, with the ability to align technical solutions to business value