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Western Governors University

Data Engineer

🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, Utah 🕑 Full-Time 💰 $98K - $147K 💻 Data Science 🗓️ October 29th, 2026
SQL Python ETL

Edtech.com's Summary

WGU Corporation is hiring a Data Engineer. The Data Engineer designs, develops, and maintains ETL/ELT pipelines and business intelligence reporting to provide reliable and secure data to internal business units such as Data Analysts and Data Scientists. They handle data ingestion and transformation from multiple sources, troubleshoot ETL/ELT processes, and collaborate in an agile environment to deliver actionable insights.

Highlights
  • Develop and maintain robust ETL/ELT data pipelines and optimal data pipeline architecture.
  • Ingest and transform structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data from relational and NoSQL databases, APIs, JSON, XML, and other formats.
  • Create complex reports and dashboards using Cognos and Tableau.
  • Monitor ETL/ELT jobs, troubleshoot issues, perform audits, and ensure data quality.
  • Manage change requests and support discovery for new data sources and third-party applications.
  • Use programming languages including Python, Java, and Scala.
  • Experience with big data tools such as Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, and Databricks.
  • Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field; or equivalent experience.
  • Minimum of 2 years experience in Data Engineering, Data Integration, Big Data, Business Intelligence, or Software Engineering.
  • Salary range: $98,300.00 - $147,400.00; full-time position with bonuses, benefits, and paid time off.

Data Engineer Full Description

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Job Description



What You'll Do

  • Develop and build ETL/ELT data pipelines for use in data analysis and maintain optimal data pipeline architecture.
  • Assemble large, complex data sets that meet functional and non-functional business requirements while keeping data separated and secure across multiple cloud environments.
  • Ingest and transform structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data from relational databases, NoSQL databases, external APIs, JSON, XML, delimited files, and other sources.
  • Monitor and maintain ETL/ELT jobs, troubleshoot load issues, identify bugs, apply fixes, and perform pipeline audits to support data quality.
  • Deliver ad-hoc and analytical reports to internal users and create complex reports and dashboards in Cognos and Tableau.
  • Manage change requests and ticket queues for analytical reports and ETL/ELT jobs, including data and technology discovery for new sources and third-party applications.
  • Work collaboratively in an agile environment to deliver efficient and effective data pipelines and reporting solutions on time.


What You'll Bring

  • Bachelor's Degree in Management Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • 2 years of experience in Data Engineering, Data Integration, Big Data, Business Intelligence, or Software Engineering.
  • Ability to analyze and understand data sources and design a data model for data capture and ETL/ELT.
  • Experience with relational SQL and NoSQL databases.
  • Knowledge and experience with object-oriented/object function scripting languages, like Python, Java, and Scala.
  • Knowledge and experience with big data tools, like Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, Databricks, etc.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, work independently and cross-functionally, and use industry best practices for code development, testing, implementation, and documentation.


Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.


Bonus Points

  • Higher Education Domain Exposure.
  • Exposure to analytical reporting tools, preferably Cognos and Tableau.
  • Knowledge and experience with Cloudera or Horton, Impala, Hive, AngularJS, HTML5, and CSS/LESS.


What to Expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.

We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.


Work Location

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.


Visa Sponsorship

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.


Travel Requirement

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.