| Location | Sussex, WI |
| Industry | Financial Services |
| Salary | $89,360–$134,040 Per Year |
| Company Size | 5,000 to 9,999 employees |
| Year Founded | 1857 |
| Website | https://www.northwesternmutual.com/ |
About the Role
Our dev/ops team builds and supports the data engineering solutions that power analytics, reporting, and operational decision-making across the business and Field. We develop and maintain scalable ELT pipelines using tools like Python, Spark, Databricks, and orchestration frameworks to deliver reliable, high-quality data for downstream consumers, including Power BI and SSRS reporting solutions. We focus on production reliability, data quality, observability, and continuous improvement, and we partner closely with business and technology teams to turn complex data needs into usable data products.
What You'll do
Design, implement, and maintain ELT pipelines and transformations using Python/PySpark/SQL.
Own production reliability: monitor SLAs, respond to incidents, notebooks, and reduce MTTR.
Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines to automate addition and modification of custom stages in ELT workflows.
Orchestrate workflows with Airflow, Control M (or equivalent); handle retries, backfills, and schema changes.
Build and maintain streaming integrations (Kafka/Kinesis or equivalent) for near‑real‑time use cases.
Implement and maintain data quality, observability and auditing (e.g., DQX, data expectations, pydat, custom checks).
Optimize pipelines for cost and performance on cloud platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, or similar).
Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and documentation; mentor junior engineers.
Identify root causes of data issues and implement robust fixes and preventative measures.
Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into reliable data solutions.
What You'll Bring to the Role
2–5 years professional experience in data engineering or software engineering with production systems.
Strong Python programming skills and experience with distributed processing (PySpark or Scala + Spark).
Solid SQL skills and experience with at least one cloud data platform (Snowflake, Databricks, or equivalent).
Working knowledge of Power BI, including building datasets and reports, data modeling, and troubleshooting dataset refreshes and performance issues.
Experience with orchestration tools (Airflow, Control-M, or equivalent) and CI/CD pipelines.
Familiarity with event streaming systems (Kafka, SQS, or similar) and batch/stream integration patterns.
Experience implementing data quality checks, testing data pipelines, and handling schema changes.
Proficient with Git and modern DevOps practices; comfortable reading and troubleshooting logs.
Has or develops understanding of 1-3 subject areas/domains of data.
Good communicator; able to explain technical solutions to peers and stakeholders; self-directed.
Preferred Qualifications
Familiarity with Databricks ELT architecture (Declarative Automation Bundles, Delta Lake, Jobs/Workflows, and Delta Live Tables).
Experience with Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, or other IaC/container tooling.
Familiarity with observability/monitoring tools (Grafana, Dynatrace, etc.) and alerting best practices.
Experience with data quality frameworks (DQX, Deequ) and data governance/catalog tools.
Domain knowledge in one or more business areas outside of the Field domain (e.g., Client, Product, etc).
Skills You'll Have
Consulting (NM): Partners with stakeholders to gather requirements, solve problems, and develop effective technical solutions.
Data Architecture (NM): Designs and maintains scalable data structures, integration frameworks, and data management solutions.
Data ETL (NM): Develops and supports data extraction, transformation, and loading processes across multiple systems and platforms.
Data Security (NM): Protects sensitive data and ensures compliance with governance, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
Databases & Data Platforms (NM): Utilizes databases and modern data platforms to store, manage, and access enterprise data.
DevOps (NM): Applies CI/CD practices and automation to improve delivery speed, reliability, and quality.
Engineering Expertise & Practices (NM): Applies engineering principles and technical best practices to deliver reliable and scalable data solutions.
Compensation Range:
Pay Range - Start:
$89,360.00Pay Range - End:
$134,040.00Geographic Specific Pay Structure:
Structure 110:
$98,320.00 USD - $147,480.00 USDStructure 115:
$102,800.00 USD - $154,200.00 USDWe believe in fairness and transparency. It’s why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. The standard pay structure is listed but if you’re living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable, click here to learn more.
Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our clients' interests at the center of all we do. Get started now!
Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.
Strategic Thinking, Data Auditing, Engineering Practices, Data Integrity, Technical Communication, DevOps, Written Communication, Software Documentation, Programming Languages, Agile Methodology, Root Cause Analysis, Software Engineering, Application Platforms
We’re excited about the potential people bring to Northwestern Mutual. You can grow your career here while enjoying first-class perks, benefits, and our commitment to a culture of belonging.
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We believe relationships are built on trust. That our lives and our work matter. And that doing what’s right is good for everyone — our clients, our employees, our financial representatives and our communities.
These beliefs launched our company nearly 160 years ago. Today, they’re just a few of the reasons why people choose to build careers at Northwestern Mutual.
That means we’ll be here for the millions of people who are counting on us—our clients, our employees, our financial representatives and our communities.
We care.We make a positive difference in our communities. Nationally, thousands have benefited from our support of research and programs to fight childhood cancer. Each year, our Foundation, employees and financial representatives donate time, talent and financial support to causes they’re passionate about.
In a company with such a long and storied history, this may be the most exciting and important time to be a part of Northwestern Mutual. We’re strong, innovative and growing. And we want you to grow with us.
We invest in our people.We provide opportunities for employees to grow themselves, their careers, and, in turn, our business. Movement around the company is encouraged and we help our people build meaningful, long-term careers.
Be part of building our future.We’re expanding our campus in downtown Milwaukee overlooking Lake Michigan. The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons will include a state-of-the-art employee Learning Institute, and will feature a natural light-filled, 21st century work environment. This signature development reinforces our commitment to job growth, attracting top talent and drawing new business to Milwaukee.
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At Northwestern Mutual, our employees, and our business, are always evolving. We are agile and continuously learning and improving. We have a work environment that empowers problem solving and encourages innovation—you will make an impact here.
We do what’s right.Our “do-what’s-right” value is pervasive. We ask ourselves: “Is this in the best interest of our clients? Our employees? Our financial representatives?” Acting on this value improves our clients’ experience, and makes Northwestern Mutual a better place to work.
We recognize and develop possibilities in our people.Onsite training and leadership development programs help employees succeed and grow. We also sponsor learning opportunities outside the company to help employees stay current in their fields, network with peers and gain external perspective.
Diversity makes us better.We believe diversity and inclusion cultivate creativity, innovation and a better experience for our clients. That’s why we recruit and grow people who bring unique perspectives, ideas, beliefs and cultural backgrounds.