Database Administrator / Data Engineer

The Role

Designs, builds, and maintains scalable data pipelines and infrastructure to support corporate and community endeavours. Ensures datasets are readily available for consumption by groups internal and external to the organization, as required. Adheres and promotes adherence to governance frameworks around data acquisition, modeling, and dissemination. Creates, maintains and administers databases, datamarts, data models and interactive data visualization for projects/programs. Provides analytical and technical support in data ingestion (ETL, ELT) and data mapping to internal teams and cross-departmental working groups. Develops insights and provides data-driven decision making methodologies and best practices. Works with structured, semi-structure and unstructured data and provides methods and best practices in storing, querying, modelling, and interpretation. Provides methods and support for predictive analysis and modelling.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Designing, building, and maintaining scalable data pipelines to ensure a robust flow of information for corporate and community use. 
• Executing ETL/ELT processes and providing technical support for data mapping to assist internal teams and cross-departmental groups.
• Creating and managing databases, datamarts, and complex data models to support specific projects and programs.
• Promoting and adhering to strict data governance frameworks regarding how data is acquired, modeled, and shared.
• Developing interactive data visualizations and providing methodologies for data-driven decision-making and best practices.
• Managing diverse data types (structured, semi-structured, and unstructured) and establishing standards for their storage, querying, and interpretation.
• Providing the necessary technical methods and support for predictive analysis and advanced statistical modeling.
• Provide support and expertise on development lifecycle for Data across raw, cleansed and reportable levels, including the use of Development, Test and Production environments.
• Build and prototype analysis pipelines iteratively to provide insights at scale. Develop comprehensive knowledge of Regional data structures and metrics.
• Work closely with GIS team in development of new data sets where the tool offers enhanced capabilities. Leverage and promote the use of GIS within the corporation for data sets where required.
• Develop and enhance existing reports, dashboards, and other visualizations to leverage new features, improvements, and methodologies.
• Interact cross-functionally, making business recommendations (e.g., cost-benefit, forecasting, experiment analysis) with effective presentations of findings at multiple levels of stakeholders through visual displays of quantitative information.
• Facilitate engagement in the corporate reporting community by, answering questions, hosting office hours, and overseeing training.
• Participate in continuous development and innovation by looking for opportunities to apply new features, functionality, and technologies.
• Identify and assess data analysis, data management, and project-related issues (e.g., data quality, software issues) and recommend solutions to management.
• Evaluate, recommend, and implement quality improvements to increase automation and efficiency of piplenes, databases and related processes.
• Represents the Division and team and maintains relationships on inter-departmental, provincial, and national working groups and associations as it relates to data interests, as assigned.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expertise in information engineering, database management system design, and specialized knowledge of ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) and ELT processes.
  Normally acquired through a university degree or college diploma in Computer Science or Computer Engineering with a specialization in Data Analytics or Business Intelligence and 3 years of related experience.
• In-depth understanding of relational and dimensional modeling, data warehousing concepts (e.g., Kimball), and semantic modeling. 
• Knowledge of frameworks for data acquisition, data lineage, privacy (de-identification), and government/ministry security standards.
• Ability to design and maintain scalable data pipelines using industry tools.
• Understanding of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data storage and retrieval techniques.
• Familiarity with predictive modeling methodologies and the lifecycle of machine learning.
• Proficiency in SQL (complex scripts, triggers, stored procedures) and programming languages such as Python.
• Skill in creating interactive dashboards and visualizations using Power BI.
• Hands-on experience in administering databases, datamarts, and data lakes.
• Strong ability to develop data-driven decision-making methodologies and debug complex data flows.
• Experience in database administration is a definite asset but is not required.
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with corporate policies and procedures, database policies and procedures, privacy legislation (e.g., Personal Health Information Protection Act, Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act), and principles and methodology specific to statistical analysis and data management.
• Knowledge of GIS technologies and applications within data framework.
• Ability to extract, collate, analyze, and interpret data from multiple sources per established principles and methodology, and use reasoning and problem solving skills to identify data quality and software issues, and develop and recommend solutions.
• Ability to keep knowledge and skills current as it relates to data engineering, data management, technology/software, and statistical analysis.
• Communications skills to understand and determine current operations and procedures, and clients’ desired outputs; train clients; interpret technical concepts; express complex technical concepts effectively; provide technical support; and participate as an effective team member.
• Ability to write/prepare reports and display statistical data in easy to understand formats, and draft technical documents involving analytical or interpretive descriptions to professional and lay audiences.
• Ability to compile and write data design outlines/specifications, report and dataset/data flow instructions, system specifications, and memos. Ability to read and understand policies, procedures, user/technical manuals, forms, contracts, and technical resources.
• Ability to travel within and outside Waterloo Region.
• Ability to support and demonstrate the Region’s values.