Platform Strategy Application Engineer

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Platform Strategy Application Engineer for a 3 Month contract assignment with one of our premier SaaS clients in Lehi, UT, San Jose, CA or San Francisco, CA. Contract Duration:
11/2/2026 - 2/19/2027 (tentative dates)

Data is a strategic asset of the organization, informing all aspects of business decision-making. This contract provides temporary coverage within the Platform Strategy Data & Dev Ops Engineering team, maintaining continuity on solutions that power real-time insights and services, including generative AI initiatives, on the firm's Data Platform internal products and platforms.

We're looking for a contractor who can ramp quickly and step into ongoing work with minimal onboarding lag - someone with a strong background combining software development and systems engineering to support scalable, distributed, fault-tolerant systems already in production. This person should be comfortable picking up existing codebases and operational responsibilities, troubleshooting production issues, and maintaining momentum on in-flight projects during the coverage period.

Responsibilities:

• Drive and build solutions to enable DataOps processes - pipeline reliability, data quality gates, versioning, and continuous testing/monitoring across the data lifecycle.
• Maintain, deploy, and run existing applications supporting the firm's data analytics, real-time, and AI solutions.
• Build solutions to migrate from open source Confluent Kafka to Azure Event Hubs.
• Build automation solutions for system scaling, CI/CD, monitoring, testing, and observability.
• Monitor and help sustain data/analytics platform health, performance, and reliability.
• Participate in on-call rotations; respond to and help resolve incidents.
• Ensure smooth handoff/transition at contract end, including documentation of work performed.

Required Skills:

• Expertise with the Databricks ecosystem: Spark, Python, and Airflow
• Proficiency with Kafka and related streaming technologies: REST Proxy, Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, Spark Streaming, Azure Event Hubs
• Strong programming background in one or more major languages: Python, Java, JavaScript, etc.
• Demonstrated experience creating APIs and microservices
• Solid understanding of software testing and data quality practices
• Experience with database/data warehouse platforms: Databricks, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, Redshift
• Proficiency with Unix and containerization technologies: Kubernetes, Helm, Docker
• Experience configuring/using observability tools: Prometheus, Grafana, New Relic
• CI/CD pipeline design and deployment automation for data platforms (e.g., CircleCI or equivalent), including orb/reusable-component contribution workflows
• Experience with job scheduling and orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, Astronomer, Lakeflow Jobs) and environment promotion practices (dev/stage/prod)
• Kubernetes for containerized workload deployment and management
• Familiarity with runbook development and enforcement for operational governance
• Ability to work independently and productively with minimal ramp-up time
• 4+ years of relevant hands-on experience
• BS in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience

Preferred Skills:

• Experience building AI applications
• Web UI development: HTML/CSS/JavaScript/jQuery
• Cloud platform experience (AWS, Azure)
• Build automation/config management: CircleCI, Saltstack, Jenkins, Argo CD
• Exposure to NoSQL technologies: Redis, Cassandra, MongoDB, DynamoDB

SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work. Please find us at .

SGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of Race, Color, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Religion, National Origin, Disability, Veteran Status, Age, Marital Status, Pregnancy, Genetic Information, or Other Legally Protected Status. We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, and our services, programs, and activities. Please visit our company to request an accommodation or assistance regarding our policy.