Junior Data Engineer

Sentinel Group is building reliable data pipelines and data services that support reporting and analytics across the organization. In this Junior Data Engineer role in Wakefield, MA, you will help the development team create and improve batch ETL/ELT workflows, strengthen data quality, and support releases alongside senior engineers.

What you’ll do

• Collaborate with Business Analysts, Data Analysts, Software Engineers, and peers to understand requirements and deliver data solutions.
• Build, maintain, and enhance batch data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows under guidance from senior engineers.
• Use SQL and scripts to extract, transform, validate, and load data from APIs, databases, files, and other sources.
• Help design and maintain datasets, tables, views, and data models for downstream applications, reporting, and analytics.
• Implement data quality checks, reconciliation steps, logging, and monitoring to keep data accurate, complete, timely, and available.
• Troubleshoot pipeline and data issues, communicate blockers clearly, and escalate risks with useful diagnostic information.
• Support modernization of legacy data processes by moving toward secure, automated, cloud-based solutions aligned with the team’s CI practices.
• Participate in code reviews, automated tests, build pipelines, documentation, and runbooks to strengthen development and data operations.
• Support safe releases, backfills, and reprocessing by validating results and documenting changes.

Requirements

• Commitment to building secure, maintainable, testable, and observable data systems.
• Growth mindset and willingness to learn from experienced engineers, analysts, and business partners.
• Foundational programming skills for data processing, automation, and integration work.
• Working knowledge of SQL, relational databases, and data transformation concepts.
• Familiarity with Python or another scripting language used for data engineering.
• Understanding of how data quality, lineage, documentation, and governance support trusted data.
• Curiosity about how AI can responsibly improve engineering productivity, testing, documentation, and data quality.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Academic, internship, project, or professional experience working with SQL, Python, databases, data analysis, or software development.
• Understanding of relational database concepts, data modeling fundamentals, and common ETL/ELT patterns.
• Experience or coursework using SQL to query, join, aggregate, and validate data.
• Familiarity with structured formats and integrations such as CSV, JSON, and REST APIs.
• Foundational knowledge of AWS or another cloud platform, including storage, compute, and access-control concepts.
• Familiarity with version control, pull requests, automated testing, and build or deployment pipelines.
• Ability to work in a hybrid environment, with one day in the office.
• Authorized to work in the US without current or future sponsorship.

Technologies

• SQL, Python, CSV, JSON, REST APIs, AWS, Git

Location & work model

This is a hybrid role based in Sentinel Group’s Wakefield, MA office, with in-office time one day per week, plus additional in-person trainings and workshops as needed.

Benefits

• PTO (vacation, sick, personal time bank)
• FTO after 2 years of service for vacation, sick, and personal time
• 12 Paid Holidays (10 stated and 2 floating holidays)
• 2 Community Volunteer Days
• 5 Summer Half Days
• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life Insurance
• LTD & STD
• Retirement Plan with 4% Employer Match
• Parental Leave

Salary

The salary range for this position is $85,000-$93,000 USD per year. Compensation is calibrated to geographic location, so the posted range may vary based on where you live.

Nice to have

• Experience with git, build pipelines, auth, and frontend testing.