Lead Data Engineer and Architect for Modern Data Platforms

WALTER HANKINS

Indianapolis, IN ***** 317-***-**** ***********@*****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/walterhankins-76490a17/

LEAD DATA ENGINEER/DATA ENGINEERING ARCHITECT

Data Governance & Security Reporting & BI Integration Data Modeling & warehousing DevOps & Automation

Certified and innovative Data Engineer with 10+ years of experience architecting and optimizing end-to-end data solutions across cloud and hybrid environments. Expert in SQL, Python, Snowflake, and Apache Spark, with strong proficiency in ETL/ELT pipeline design, dimensional modeling, and star schema architecture. Adept at leading data modernization projects, ensuring data integrity, governance, and scalability for analytics and AI initiatives. Skilled in mentoring and coaching Data Engineers and Data Scientists, driving best practices in data engineering and compliance. Known for delivering executive-level technical guidance and clear visual architecture diagrams to IT and Data Science leadership. Proven success in building reliable, high-performance data systems that transform raw information into actionable insights.

Pipeline Design and Optimization: Expert in architecting and fine-tuning scalable ETL/ELT pipelines that streamline data flow, reduce latency, and ensure high performance across cloud and on-prem environments.

Data Warehousing and Integration: Skilled in designing and managing end-to-end data warehouse solutions, integrating diverse data sources, and applying dimensional modeling (Star and Snowflake schemas) for efficient analytics and reporting.

Data Programming & Scripting: Proficient in Python, SQL, and shell scripting for data transformation, automation, and orchestration; experienced with frameworks such as PySpark and Databricks notebooks.

Data Governance & Compliance: Strong background in implementing data quality frameworks, access control, and metadata management to uphold data integrity, lineage, and regulatory compliance across enterprise systems.

Business Development and Leadership: Adept at leading cross-functional teams, mentoring Data Engineers and Scientists, and translating complex data strategies into clear, actionable solutions that support executive decision-making and organizational growth.

Technical Skills

Databases: Teradata, Snowflake, DB2, SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB

Cloud & Data Lakes: Azure (Data Lake, Synapse, Databricks), AWS S3

ETL / Orchestration: SSIS, Talend, Matillion, Ab Initio, Azure Data Factory, Airflow, CI/CD Automation

Programming & Scripting: Python, SQL, SAS, Shell, R, JavaScript, VB Script

Data Modeling: ERD, Dimensional Modeling, Star/Snowflake Schema, Kimball/Inmon, Erwin

Streaming & Monitoring: Kafka, CDC Frameworks, Prometheus, Grafana

Security & Governance: RBAC, API Security, Encryption, Data Lineage, MDS

Reporting & BI: Power BI, Tableau, QlikView, MicroStrategy, SSRS

Selected Notable Achievements

Designed and optimized ETL pipelines in Azure Databricks processing workloads exceeding 5 TB per day, supporting enterprise-scale analytics and data science operations.

Led the deployment and automation of 30+ ETL/ELT pipelines using Python and SQL, improving performance and reliability for AI-powered analytics.

Reduced ETL processing latency by 35% through advanced incremental loading and transformation logic for big data environments.

Cut deployment times by 40% by implementing CI/CD pipelines and automating batch and online processes across cloud environments.

Increased mail order data accuracy by 99.9% through enhanced process automation and address validation systems.

Led large-scale data migration projects transferring over 1B+ records with 99.99% data fidelity, modernizing ETL architecture within Azure and Snowflake ecosystems.

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Data Engineer Architect I TEKsystems, Jacksonville, FL 09/2023 – Present

Data Architecture & Modeling: Architected Medallion layer data models (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and built a scalable Modern Data Warehouse in Azure Databricks, processing 5+ TB of data daily for enterprise analytics.

ETL/ELT Automation: Led deployment of 30+ Python and SQL-based pipelines, optimizing data throughput and reliability by 40% for AI-driven analytics.

Cross-Cloud Integration: Engineered workflows connecting Snowflake, ERP, AWS, Azure, and API systems, enabling real-time and batch access across multi-cloud environments.

Performance Optimization: Implemented advanced incremental load and transformation logic, reducing ETL latency by 35% and improving data freshness for downstream analytics.

AI & Automation Enablement: Integrated LLMs and AI-driven automation into ETL workflows, enhancing fraud detection accuracy and compliance tracking.

Data Visualization & Governance: Designed and maintained Power BI dashboards and Data Governance Catalog with 100% uptime, strengthening executive reporting and data trust.

Engineer, IT Applications (Senior Data Engineer) Full Beauty Brands, Indianapolis, IN 02/2023 – 09/2023

Cloud Migration & Modernization: Migrated SSIS and SQL Server databases to Agile Shrum Cloud, modernizing pipelines for 24/7 uptime and data security.

ETL Development: Created Matillion ETL jobs integrating AWS S3 with Snowflake, improving ingestion efficiency for data science teams.

Cross-Team Collaboration: Supported production operations and provided mentorship on SQL best practices across analytics teams.

DevOps & CI/CD Automation: Built CI/CD pipelines automating batch and online processes, reducing deployment times by 40%.

Data Quality Enhancement: Automated address validation using SMART API, improving mail order data accuracy by 99.9%.

Data Engineering Consultant Fusion Alliance, Columbus, OH 01/2022 – 02/2023

Pipeline Engineering: Designed and implemented full and incremental ETL integrations using Azure Data Factory, JBASE, and MongoDB, increasing data throughput by 25%.

Cloud Migration: Modernized legacy SSIS and SQL systems to Azure and Snowflake, reducing operational costs by 15%.

Modern Platform Development: Built foundational Talend Cloud pipelines supporting enterprise analytics and BI modernization.

Schema Management: Standardized schema governance and validation, improving accuracy for high-volume transactional platforms.

Data Fidelity Leadership: Managed data migration of 1B+ records with 99.99% accuracy, ensuring integrity during cloud transitions.

Data Warehouse Engineer Hopebridge LLC, Indianapolis, IN 03/2021 – 12/2021

Data Warehousing: Developed enterprise data warehouse solutions using SSIS/SSRS/SSAS, enabling advanced clinical analytics.

Cloud Architecture: Designed Azure Synapse pipelines for centralized clinical data storage, enhancing scalability and access.

ETL Integration: Integrated data from 10+ disparate sources into a unified warehouse, improving reporting consistency.

Data Governance: Implemented lineage tracking and quality frameworks for regulatory compliance and transparency.

Data Analytics Enablement: Delivered infrastructure supporting analysis of 5M+ clinical transactions for operational reporting.

Senior Data Engineer DMI LLC / Computer Enterprise / Collabera Inc. (Contract Roles) 03/2020 – 01/2021

ETL Development: Designed and maintained end-to-end ETL/ELT and BI solutions using SSIS, Talend, Ab Initio, and Azure Data Factory.

Performance Engineering: Optimized data storage for low-latency, high-throughput analytics, managing 100TB+ data lakes.

Business Intelligence: Developed Power BI dashboards and DAX data models, enabling insight-driven decisions.

Operational Efficiency: Streamlined analytics workflows across healthcare and finance, automating compliance for 10M+ records.

Team Leadership: Mentored remote data teams, achieving 98% on-time project delivery across multiple client assignments.

Data Engineer Collabera Inc., Eden Prairie, MN / Agiliti Health 09/2019 – 11/2019

Azure Data Integration: Created ETL pipelines, REST APIs, and Python scripts for analytics and reporting automation.

BI Development: Built Power BI dashboards with complex DAX expressions, improving executive insights.

Data Modeling: Designed dimensional data models for aggregation and faster processing.

ETL Automation: Implemented SSIS packages for automated extract-transform-load processes across multiple systems.

Documentation: Produced comprehensive technical documentation, improving knowledge transfer and team productivity.

Senior Software Engineer Advisor Collabera Inc., Green Bay, WI / Cigna, Express Scripts 06/2019 – 08/2019

ETL Pipeline Development: Engineered Ab Initio workflows processing 500K+ daily transactions in DB2 and Oracle.

Automation & Scripting: Wrote Unix shell scripts for staging and validation, improving data flow reliability.

Database Optimization: Developed PL/SQL procedures and validation frameworks for large-scale medical claims.

Big Data Analytics: Enhanced analytics processing for inbound Rx and medical claims in high-volume environments.

EDI Integrations Lead MD Logistics Inc., Plainfield, IN 02/2019 – 03/2019

EDI Development: Designed and mapped ANSI X12 EDI transactions (810, 850, 856, 812), improving data exchange efficiency.

SQL Development: Built stored procedures and functions for logistics operations (inventory, shipping, receiving).

Integration Engineering: Automated inbound/outbound data analytics through Red Prairie WMS and Liaison Delta EDI tools.

Process Optimization: Reduced manual intervention by 60% through ETL and SQL automation.

Senior Data/SQL Analyst VIVA USA / Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Chicago, IL 09/2018 – 11/2018

ETL Automation: Built SQL load procedures integrating Teradata and CSV feeds from FTP sources.

Reporting Systems: Designed report delivery architecture using SAS EG and SAS Grid, improving reporting speed.

Machine Learning Support: Coded ML-based automation for overpayment analytics and fraud detection.

Performance Improvement: Improved data accuracy and reporting efficiency across healthcare operations.

OTHER RELATED EXPERIENCES

Business Intelligence Developer Lead Discovery Data7 Analytics LLC, Indianapolis, IN 03/2017 – 09/2018

Business Data Analyst Developer KFORCE Inc. / Sallie Mae, Indianapolis, IN 05/2016 – 01/2017

SQL Reporting Consultant Telamon / Advantage Health, Carmel, IN 09/2014 – 05/2016

Enterprise Systems Analyst II Sunrise Systems / Eli Lilly (Unisys), Indianapolis, IN, 05/2014 – 08/2014

Sr. Consultant / QlikView Developer Lead Zunainfotech Inc., Carmel, IN 02/2013 – 05/2014

Senior Business Intelligence Developer CEI / WellPoint Health Care, Pittsburgh, PA 08/2012 – 01/2013

Project Manager – Quality Improvements Indecon Inc. / Managed Health Services, Indianapolis, IN, 02/2012 – 08/2012

Systems Analyst MDwise Inc., Indianapolis, IN 04/2008 – 02/2012

Data Science Statistical Analyst Eli Lilly / Pfizer / PRA / TAP Pharmaceuticals (Multiple Contracts)10/1997 – 05/2006

EDUCATION

Master of Science, Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Bachelor of Science, Engineering North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC

CERTIFICATIONS

Microsoft AZ-900 - Issued 10/2022

Microsoft AZ-204 in view

Python for Data Science and Machine Learning.

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