Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs
Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer jobs are open across the US at companies hiring remotely, from entry-level roles at remote-first startups to senior roles on large distributed teams, with employers like Akumin, Geisinger, and Optum hiring right now. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
Find JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 326+ Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer jobs











INTRODUCTION
The Workday Data Senior Principal Consultant will “bridge the gap” between the business and technical teams by solving complex Workday Student intersystem problems. They will guide clients through the transformation, implementation, and operation phases of a Workday implementation.
Responsibilities:
- Be a Workday Student data product expert with knowledge of design, configuration, testing and implementation.
- Reinforces company policies and procedures to others.
- Drives and makes decisions regarding tactical direction of project workstreams.
- Identifies dependencies and supports interplay between different workstreams within a project.
- Leads, mentors, and oversees the work of other Consultants within their projects.
- Designs and generates data tracking and monitoring tools, and develops reports with accurate, easy to read, useful information.
- Identifies strategies, risks, and options, recommends approaches and mitigations to meet client requirements.
- Coordinates and leads cross functional discussions related to the execution of a Workday tenant build.
- Uses technical aptitude to map data sources into Workday using Workday delivered and Cognizant built tools for the data conversion process.
- Guides clients through the data extract and cleansing process.
- Loads customer data, migrate configuration from tenant to tenant, identify risks and issues to the overall conversion process, troubleshoot load issues, and document issues.
- Creates scripts to transform and load data and creates strategies to improve and normalize client data.
- Leads the validation of data loaded into Workday. Works with the customer to ensure they understand the data validation process.
- Regularly engages and supports the client through all phases of the project, ensuring a smooth transfer from legacy systems to the Workday solutions.
- Performs multiple tasks under limited direction, while regularly keeping the client, your project team, and your Engagement Manager abreast of changes or progress related to the project.
- Willingness to take a leadership position on a project.
- Uses technical aptitude to convert and map data sources into data conversion templates via all Workday load methods.
- Acts as a mentor to fellow consultants and analysts, including providing support for shadow assignments.
- Actively participates in update training and internal opportunities to share one’s skills and learnings with others within the organization.
- Additional duties as assigned by manager.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- Must be certified in Workday
- Data conversion experience in Workday Student required
- 4+ years of Workday implementation experience required
- 5 years Student, Human Resources, Payroll, or Financials software experience required.
- Experience with data conversion, data mining, and data loading
- Demonstrated functional experience in Student, Human Resources, Payroll, or Financials Management
- Minimal travel required, but must be willing to travel on-site if needed
SALARY AND OTHER COMPENSATION
Applications will be accepted until 08/25/2026. The annual salary for this position is between $128,093 - $192,140 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
BENEFITS: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
- Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
- Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
- 401(k) plan and contributions
- Long-term/Short-term Disability
- Paid Parental Leave
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
WHY CHOOSE COGNIZANT:
- Entrepreneurial environment that welcomes your ideas
- Opportunity to do great work
- Outreach programs that support communities and tap into your volunteer spirit
- Learning opportunities to help current needs and advancement
- Global operations, with opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific
- An abundance of Affinity groups to meet your needs
COGNIZANT CORE VALUES:
- Work as One: We think beyond roles, relying on each other’s strengths to win as a team.
- Raise the Bar: We always aim for excellence in how we work and what we deliver.
- Dare to Innovate: We push boundaries and take chances to reimagine what’s possible.
- Do the Right Thing: We all lead with integrity and always make the ethical choice.
- Own It: We own the outcomes for our company, colleagues, and community.
See All 326+ Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsRemote Senior Principal Data Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
- Akumin25

- Geisinger10

- Optum7

- Turner & Townsend Pty Limited7

- AECOM6

Top Industries Hiring
- Healthcare & Medical Services60
- Technology & Software58
- Consulting & Professional Services47
- Insurance27
- Construction & Real Estate11
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in remote senior principal data engineer jobs.
- 8 or more years of experience designing and operating large-scale data platforms
- Expert-level proficiency in distributed processing frameworks such as Spark or Flink
- Deep experience with cloud data platforms including AWS, GCP, or Azure data services
- Demonstrated ability to define data architecture standards across multiple engineering teams
- Strong command of data modeling, warehousing concepts, and lakehouse patterns
- Experience mentoring senior engineers and influencing technical roadmaps at the organizational level
Tips for Your Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer Job Search
Quantify pipeline scale on your resume
Senior principal roles attract scrutiny on scope, so replace vague language with concrete scale. Cite data volumes processed, latency targets hit, and the number of downstream teams your platform served. Reviewers at this level compare systems impact, not job duties.
Highlight cross-functional technical leadership
At the senior principal level, hiring managers want architects who align engineering, product, and analytics roadmaps. Your resume should show specific decisions you made that shaped org-wide data strategy, not just projects you delivered as an individual contributor.
Filter openings by architecture ownership signals
Job postings that mention 'define data platform strategy' or 'set engineering standards' are principal-track roles. Postings that say 'implement' or 'maintain' often get relabeled at lower levels. Read the responsibilities section carefully before investing time in an application.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists senior principal data engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare a system design narrative for interviews
Senior principal interviews almost always include an open-ended system design round where you defend architectural tradeoffs. Prepare a walkthrough of one real platform you designed from scratch, covering why you chose your storage layer, processing model, and observability approach.
Negotiate scope before you negotiate compensation
At this seniority, reporting structure and technical scope erode faster than base pay. Ask explicitly what the role owns versus advises, whether the principal track has a defined promotion criteria, and how many engineers will be direct or indirect stakeholders of your decisions.
Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a remote senior principal data engineer job?
Target companies that already run distributed teams, since they hire remotely by default and know how to onboard someone they never meet in person. Remote senior principal data engineer employers screen hard for self-direction and clear written communication on top of the core skills, so show evidence you can own work without someone over your shoulder. Apply to the openings above that match your experience.
Which companies hire remote senior principal data engineers?
Employers currently hiring remote senior principal data engineers include Akumin, Geisinger, and Optum, per current remote listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. Remote-first firms and large companies running distributed teams post the most remote senior principal data engineer roles.
Can you get a remote senior principal data engineer job with no experience?
Yes, but it is harder than an on-site role, because remote work expects you to operate independently from the start. Entry-level remote senior principal data engineer openings do exist, especially at remote-first companies, and a portfolio of real work helps more than a long resume. Applying broadly to the roles that fit improves your odds.
Do you need a degree for remote senior principal data engineer jobs?
Not always. Many employers hire remote senior principal data engineers on demonstrated skills and prior work rather than a specific degree, though some larger companies still prefer one. Showing relevant results matters more than a credential for most remote senior principal data engineer roles.
Which industries hire the most remote senior principal data engineers?
The sectors hiring the most remote senior principal data engineers are Healthcare & Medical Services, Technology & Software, and Consulting & Professional Services, based on current remote listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. These sectors run distributed teams and hire senior principal data engineers remotely most consistently.
See All 326+ Remote Senior Principal Data Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Jobs