Data Engineer - Greater Chicago Area

RAPP Chicago is looking for a Data Engineer to join our award-winning Technology team. · Who We Are · We are RAPP – world leaders in activating growth with precision and empathy at scale. · As a global, next-generation precision marketing agency we leverage data, creativity, tech ...

Job description

RAPP Chicago is looking for a Data Engineer to join our award-winning Technology team.

Who We Are
We are RAPP – world leaders in activating growth with precision and empathy at scale.

As a global, next-generation precision marketing agency we leverage data, creativity, technology, and empathy to foster client growth. We champion individuality in the marketing solutions we create, and in our workplace. We fight for solutions that adapt to the individual's needs, beliefs, behaviors, and aspirations.

We foster an inclusive workplace that emphasizes personal well-being.

How We Do It
At RAPP, our fearless superconnectors help to create value from personal brand experiences by focusing on three key areas: connected data, connected content and connected decisioning.

Our data analysts identify who that person is, our strategists understand what they want, and our award-winning technologists and creatives know how to deliver it – ensuring we're able to activate authentic customer connections for our clients.

Part of Omnicom's Precision Marketing Group, RAPP is comprised of 2,000+ creatives, technologists, strategists, and data and marketing scientists across 15+ global markets

Your Role
We are looking for a
Data Engineer
who is eager to learn and grow while contributing to the development of scalable, cloud‑native data pipelines and platforms. The ideal candidate has foundational knowledge of Python and an interest in building data workflows using modern technologies such as Apache Airflow, AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, and dbt. You should have a strong curiosity for how data systems operate, a willingness to learn best practices in data engineering, and a motivation to support advanced analytics, as you gain hands‑on experience.

Your Responsibilities

• Data Pipeline Development

• Design, build, and maintain robust ETL/ELT pipelines using Python and Airflow.

• Develop serverless workflows leveraging AWS Lambda for scalable event-driven data processing.

• Implement and optimize dbt models for analytics and transformations.

• Data Architecture & Storage

• Design schemas and manage data in DynamoDB and other cloud-native storage solutions.

• Ensure high availability, scalability, and performance of data systems.

• Integrate structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data sources.

• Automation & Orchestration

• Build workflow orchestration strategies using Airflow for scheduling and monitoring pipelines.

• Automate infrastructure deployment and CI/CD pipelines for data services.

• Quality & Governance

• Implement data validation, testing, and monitoring frameworks.

• Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and governance standards.

Required Skills

• 1–3 years of experience in data engineering, software engineering, or a related role.
• Proficiency in Python for data engineering and automation.
• Familiarity with Apache Airflow for workflow orchestration.
• Basic understanding of AWS Lambda and serverless design patterns.
• Exposure to DynamoDB (schema design and performance considerations).
• Knowledge of dbt for data transformation and analytics modeling.
• Experience working in cloud environments (AWS preferred).
• Understanding of CI/CD workflows, Git, and DevOps practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with other AWS services (S3, Glue, Redshift, Kinesis).
• Familiarity with data warehouse and data lake architectures.
• Exposure to real-time streaming and event-driven data pipelines.
• Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).

Soft Skills

• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex metadata systems to non-technical users.
• Ability to work collaboratively and cross-functionally with creative, marketing, and IT teams.
• Proactive problem-solver who can identify issues and suggest improvements.
• Time management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Our Hybrid Work Model
RAPP's current hybrid model is designed to enable in-person connections and collaboration that is core to our culture, while also supporting flexibility for all employees. As such, we have the option to work from home two days per week, if we'd like.

RAPP provides a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits plan. Benefits for this role include health/vision/dental insurance, 401(k), stock options, Healthcare & Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts, vacation, sick, and personal days and positive activism days, paid parental leave and disability benefits. For more information regarding Omnicom benefits, please visit A reasonable estimate of the salary for this role, at the time of posting, is $81,000 - $97,000. This range is specific to Chicago and multiple factors are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to: skill set, experience and training, certifications; etc. This is an exempt position. If your requirements fall outside of this range, you are still welcome to apply.
"As an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status."

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.