Associate Data Engineer - Direct College Hire

Department:

Technology

Our Company Promise

We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.

Job Description:

Our Technology Direct College Hire Program is a pathway for recent college graduates and individuals who are early in their technology careers to begin their professional growth journey. Through this program, we aim to help you develop lasting relationships while creating a meaningful career through on-the-job mentorship, professional development, and networking opportunities. Candidates will be selected to join one of the following Teams:

• Artificial Intelligence: As an Associate Data Engineer supporting the Artificial Intelligence Team at Southwest Airlines, you’ll build and transform data to power AI models that deliver predictive insights and automation for ground operations. This role focuses on preparing streaming and structured data for AI, leveraging cloud technologies, and collaborating with business partners to create impactful solutions.  ​

  • Preferred: Proficient in cloud technologies, including AWS (Lambda, S3, EMR, SageMaker) and Microsoft Azure, and SQL for data management and analysis.

• Data & Architecture: As an Associate Data Engineer on the Data & Architecture Team at Southwest Airlines, you’ll create reliable, secure and performant data pipelines that ingest, store and provide data in a variety of ways to business and technology Customers across the enterprise. In this role, you can expect to work on back-end development to ensure vital data can be retrieved and delivered to enterprise Customers.  

  • Preferred: Experience with ETL development and tools, including Ab Initio and AWS Glue.

  • Preferred: Knowledge of AWS services such as S3, Glue, Lambda, VPC, API Gateway, EC2, EMR, CloudWatch, and AWS Q Developer.

  • Preferred: Proficiency in Java, Python, and SQL, with experience using GitLab for version control.

  • Preferred: Familiarity with Terraform for infrastructure automation and deployment.

Additional Details

• This Dallas-based role is offered as a remote workplace position, which may require onsite presence/travel for training, meetings, conferences, etc. Outside of those required visits, the majority of your working time may be spent in an approved remote location within the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Applicants must reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by their first day of employment. Relocation assistance is not provided for this position. 

• U.S. citizenship or current authorization to work in the U.S. required and no current or future work authorization sponsorship available.

We’re committed to fair hiring practices and to making employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics. 

Responsibilities

• Monitor and maintain the components of our data engineering pipeline, and various container-based services configured through UIs, SQL, PL/SQL, Python, and Shell, with code managed in GitHub, deployed through Jenkins
• Work as a part of our production support team to ensure the highest standards of product configuration that meet client requirements
• Test and troubleshoot data pipeline using sample and live client data, utilizing Jenkins, Python, and Java to automate these tests. Must be able to parse logs to determine next actions
• Utilize dashboards for Kubernetes/OpenShift to diagnose high level issues and ensure services are healthy
• Support Implementation immediately after go live and work with implementation team to transition support
• Work with data providers to clarify requirements and remove roadblocks
• Drive automation into everyday activities
• May perform other job duties as directed by Employee's Leaders

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology, including applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services
• Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models
• Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems
• Ability to understand new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making
• Skilled in identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions
• Ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem
• Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)
• Ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources)
• Ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations)
• Ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material

Education

• Required: High School Diploma or GED
• Required: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related field; or equivalent formal training

Experience

• Required: Entry level experience, developing skills and knowledge in:
  • Cloud infrastructure, DataLake, AbInitio
  • ETL experience ensuring source to target data integrity.
  • Various file types (Delimited Text, Fixed Width, XML, JSON, Parque)
  • Unit Testing, Code Quality tools, CI/CD Technologies, Security and Container Technologies
  • Agile development experience and Agile ceremonies and practices

Licensing/Certification

• N/A

Physical Abilities

• Ability to perform work duties from [limited space work station/desk/office area] for extended periods of time
• Ability to communicate and interact with others in the English language to meet the demands of the job
• Ability to use a computer and other office productivity tools with sufficient speed and accuracy to meet the demands of the job

Other Qualifications

• Must maintain a well-groomed appearance per Company appearance standards as described in established guidelines
• Must be a U.S. citizen or have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be able to comply with Company attendance standards as described in established guidelines

Pay & Benefits

• Competitive market salary from $89,450 - $99,400 per year* depending on qualifications and experience. For eligible Leadership and individual contributor roles, additional bonus opportunities are available and awarded at the discretion of the company.  

Benefits you’ll love

• Fly for free, as a privilege, on any open seat on all Southwest flights (your eligible dependents too)

• Southwest will help fund your 401(k) retirement savings with Company contributions up to 9.3% of your eligible earnings**

• Potential for annual ProfitSharing contribution in the Southwest Retirement Savings Plan- when Southwest profits, you profit***

• Competitive health insurance for you and your eligible dependents (including pets)

• Southwest offers health plan coverage options that start from the very first day of employment. You will have 30 days to select and enroll in your health plan with coverage retroactively available to your first day of employment.

• Explore more Benefits you’ll love: https://careers.southwestair.com/benefits  

   

*Pay amount does not guarantee employment for any particular period of time.

**401(k) match contributions are subject to Retirement Savings Plan vesting schedule and applicable IRS limits 

***ProfitSharing contributions are subject to Retirement Savings Plan vesting schedule and are made at the discretion of the Company

Southwest Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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