Lead Data Engineer - Data Migration & Lakehouse

You thrive on turning decades of legacy complexity into clean, modern data architecture. You feel at home navigating undocumented mainframes, tangled schemas, and ambiguous specs — and you know how to translate that chaos into a clear technical path forward. If you love owning complex migrations end-to-end, building trust with stakeholders through clarity and honesty, and shaping how data moves from legacy into the lakehouse era — this is for you. Your tasks • Migration Ownership: Lead large-scale migration projects from legacy systems (ranging from SQL over ERP to mainframes) into modern cloud/lakehouse targets, taking full technical responsibility. • Databricks Architecture: Design and implement robust pipelines using Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Lakeflow Declarative Pipelines, and Databricks Asset Bundles for CI/CD-style deployment. • Data Modeling & Reconciliation: Own data modeling, schema mapping, and reconciliation across heterogeneous systems, resolving structural mismatches independently. • Discovery & Assessment Leadership: Reviewing source documentation, interviewing SMEs, producing gap analyses, and translating ambiguous or outdated specs into concrete technical requirements. • Data Quality & Validation: Establish data quality frameworks and automated validation as team standards. • Stakeholder Communication: Proactively surface risks — documentation gaps, structural mismatches — clearly and early to non-technical stakeholders, representing SQUER with confidence. Your qualifications Must-Haves • Migration Track Record: 5+ years in data engineering, with several large-scale legacy-to-cloud/lakehouse migrations led independently. • Databricks Depth: Hands-on mastery of the Databricks ecosystem — Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Lakeflow Declarative Pipelines, and Asset Bundles for CI/CD-style deployment. • Data Modeling & Reconciliation: Strong command of data modeling and schema mapping across heterogeneous systems, from mainframes to legacy ERPs. • Discovery Experience: Experience in discovery/assessment phases end-to-end — interviewing SMEs, identifying gaps between legacy systems and target architecture, turning ambiguity into concrete requirements. • Data Quality Rigor: Practical experience with data quality frameworks and automated validation (e.g., Great Expectations, dbt tests, custom reconciliation tooling). • Communication & Risk Ownership: Ability to break down complex topics and surface risks early and clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. • AI-Assisted Workflows: Comfort using AI/LLM-assisted tooling in a data pipeline context. Nice-to-Haves • Experience with legacy system archaeology (undocumented COBOL/mainframe systems, EDI, proprietary ERPs) • Exposure to agentic AI • Metadata management or data catalog tooling beyond Unity Catalog • Experience building or evaluating LLM-based mapping/matching tools (schema matching, entity resolution) Your Benefits Why You'll Love Working at SQUER: • Ownership & Responsibility: at SQUER, we believe in empowering our team. In our flat hierarchies, your ideas and actions matter more than titles. Take the reins, make an impact and grow with us. • Learn & Grow: Tap into a € 5.000 annual training budget to sharpen your skills and take advantage of our in-house Leadership Academy. Join and be part of our active tech community through meetups, hackathons and training sessions. Get up to 40h/year additional time off for your personal education. • Exciting Challenges & Real Impact: Dive into diverse projects where your work truly makes a difference – for our clients and for SQUER. • Flexibility for Performance: Benefit from hybrid work options, flexible hours, workations within the EU, and additional vacation days – giving you the freedom to perform at your best. • Tailored Tools for Success: Choose your preferred hardware configuration and leverage our suite of AI tools and licenses (Anthropic, OpenAI, and more) to suit your working style. • We Value You: Beyond perks and benefits, we offer a competitive annual salary to recognize your exceptional contributions. • Be Part of a Thriving Team Culture: At SQUER, collaboration and connection are at the heart of what we do. Through open communication, shared successes, and meaningful team events – including our annual SQUER offsite – we cultivate a culture where everyone feels valued and inspired to grow together. • A Perks-Packed Workplace: Work in a central office near Ostbahnhof and enjoy meal vouchers, EGYM Wellpass membership, a free Deutschland-Ticket, JobRad, referral bonuses, Corporate Benefits, and Pluxee employee gifts for special occasions. We believe in transparent and fair compensation. For this role, the annual gross salary ranges between € 81.000 and € 103.000 – the exact placement depends on the seniority level we assess together during the process.