Principal Data Engineer (Java/Spark)

Principal Java Data Engineer
Enterprise Data Platforms and Engineering
 

Role Summary
The Enterprise Data Platforms and Engineering team is seeking a Principal level Java focused software engineer who designs and builds large scale, distributed data processing systems using Java, Spark, and Kafka. This role is intentionally designed for senior backend engineers with deep core Java expertise who apply traditional software engineering practices to high volume, data intensive platforms.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience building production grade Java applications using modern frameworks, IntelliJ based development workflows, and strong object oriented design principles, paired with hands on experience delivering Spark based data processing and Kafka driven event streaming solutions. You will operate as a senior technical leader, owning architecture and implementation of enterprise data platforms while remaining close to the code.
 

This role requires strong Java design, debugging, performance tuning, and production support experience, along with the ability to engineer scalable, resilient data pipelines in regulated, high reliability environments.

Key Responsibilities
• Architect, design, and implement enterprise grade Java based data frameworks and distributed processing platforms
• Build and maintain production ready Spark applications written primarily in Java
• Design and evolve Kafka based event streaming and data ingestion solutions
• Lead technical architecture decisions for enterprise data platforms, ensuring scalability, reliability, and regulatory alignment
• Apply strong object oriented design and software engineering practices to data processing systems
• Mentor and guide engineers on Java development standards, performance optimization, and production readiness
• Design and implement master data management solutions, including match, merge, and survivorship logic using modern MDM platforms
• Partner with product, business, and engineering stakeholders to translate requirements into robust technical solutions
• Ensure data quality, system reliability, and operational stability through testing, monitoring, and observability practices
• Support production deployments, change management, and operational handoffs for critical data platforms

Required Skills and Experience
• 8+ years of experience as a Java software engineer building backend or distributed systems
• Deep hands on expertise in core Java, object oriented design, concurrency, and performance tuning
• Strong experience developing production applications using Java frameworks and modern IDE based workflows such as IntelliJ
• Hands on experience building Spark applications in Java for batch and streaming data processing
• Strong experience with Apache Kafka and event driven architectures
• Experience designing and building distributed systems in cloud based environments
• Proficiency in SQL and data modeling concepts used within data processing platforms
• Experience with AWS based data platforms and services such as S3, Glue, Redshift, and Lake Formation
• Solid understanding of data platform architecture, data lakes, and master data management principles
• Experience operating in regulated environments with strong data governance and compliance requirements

Preferred Experience
• Experience with additional JVM or scripting languages such as Scala or Python in a data context
• Experience with ETL or data integration tools such as Talend or DataStage
• Experience designing microservices and APIs that support data platforms
• Experience supporting and operating large scale production systems

Education
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technology field

Work Details
Hours per Week 40
Work Schedule Monday through Friday
 

Pay Transparency

The salary range for this position is $150,000-180,000 per year, plus an opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. Actual pay is based on various factors including but not limited to the work location, and relevant skills and experience.  

We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, maternity/paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs and more. Note, Citizens’ paid time off policy exceeds the mandatory, paid sick or paid time-away policy of very local and state jurisdiction in the United States. For an overview of our benefits, visit https://jobs.citizensbank.com/benefits.

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Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.

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Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the candidate successfully passing a background check, which may include initial credit, motor vehicle record, public record, prior employment verification, and criminal background checks. Results of the background check are individually reviewed based upon legal requirements imposed by our regulators and with consideration of the nature and gravity of the background history and the job offered. Any offer of employment will include further information.