Principal Data Engineer I - QuantumBlack

Your Impact

As a Principal Data Engineer I, you will lead technical teams, architect data platforms, and build scalable pipelines while mentoring colleagues and collaborating with clients at all levels. You’ll tackle impactful challenges, contribute to R&D, and grow as a leader by working with diverse experts on cutting‑edge AI projects across industries.

In this role, you will lead multiple technical teams and own the technology stack for enterprise data and AI platforms. You’ll design and build robust, scalable, and reproducible data pipelines for machine learning while ensuring information security standards are upheld. Additionally, you’ll mentor junior colleagues, contribute to R&D projects, and drive innovation within the QuantumBlack Data Engineering community.

Your work will address real-world challenges across industries. Partnering with McKinsey’s QuantumBlack and Labs teams, you’ll help create innovative machine learning systems that accelerate AI adoption and solve business problems at speed and scale, enabling clients to achieve meaningful and lasting impact.

You’ll work in cross‑functional Agile teams alongside Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, and industry experts to deliver advanced analytics solutions. Collaborating with clients from data owners to C‑level executives, you’ll help architect impactful solutions that solve complex business problems and drive value.

This role offers an exceptional environment to grow as a technologist and leader. You’ll develop expertise at the intersection of technology and business by tackling diverse challenges. Surrounded by inspiring, multidisciplinary teams, you’ll gain a holistic understanding of AI while collaborating with some of the best design, 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, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. 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

Degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or equivalent experience

8+ years relevant professional experience in data engineering, software engineering, or adjacent technical roles

Ability to scope projects and define workstreams with clear milestones and deliverables

Proven experience architecting and building enterprise data and AI platforms as well as scalable data pipelines for advanced analytics use cases operating in production

Expertise in implementing software engineering concepts and best practices to drive enterprise‑wide improvement, inc. DevOps, DataOps and MLOps.

Expertise in distributed computing frameworks (e.g. Spark, Dask), cloud platforms (e.g. AWS, Azure, GCP), containerization, and analytics libraries (e.g. pandas, numpy, matplotlib)

An ability to write clean, maintainable, scalable and robust code in an object‑oriented language, e.g., Python, Scala, Java, as well as experience helping junior colleagues grow their coding skillset through collaborative code reviews

While we advocate for using the right tech for the right task, we often leverage the following technologies : Python, PySpark, the PyData stack, SQL, Airflow, Databricks, our own open‑source data pipelining framework called Kedro, Dask / RAPIDS, container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, cloud solutions such as AWS, GCP, and Azure, and more

Extensive commercial client‑facing or senior stakeholder management experience

Exceptional time management to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment

Willingness to travel

Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and local office language(s), with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels

Commitment to Integrity

Our unwavering commitment to integrity drives everything we do, guiding us to always act in the best interests of our clients, our people, and the communities we serve.

Equal Opportunity Statement

FOR U.S. APPLICANTS : McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS : McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.

Salary and Benefits

For new joiners for this role in the United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, a reasonable estimated range is $216,700 – $220,000 USD. Certain roles are also eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey’s discretion and based on factors such as individual and / or organizational performance.

Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our commitment to the wellness of our colleagues and their families. This includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance, and paid time off.

Job Skill Group – N / A

Job Skill Code – DEDE – Principal Data Engineer I

Function – Technology

Industry – High Tech

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