Data Engineer (Contractor)

RCX Sports is experiencing an explosive phase of growth, expanding its impact on youth sports across the country and into new international markets. Through a platform-driven approach, we empower a growing network of League Operators to deliver safe, organized, and—most importantly—fun recreational league experiences across NFL FLAG, MLS GO, Jr. NBA Leagues, NHL Street, and emerging pilot programs. Our evolving platform model is designed to provide League Operators with the resources, training, technology, and support they need to enhance and expand the youth sports experience at scale.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Data Engineer to support our Product and Technology team for a 6-month contract. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in the development, maintenance, and optimization of data pipelines connected to a centralized database. This role is integral to ensuring data quality, enhancing governance, and integrating data into analytics systems to support informed decision-making across the organization. 

• Data Infrastructure & Architecture Design 
  • Design and manage the overall data infrastructure for RCX, ensuring that the architecture supports scalability, performance, and future growth.
  • Provide expert recommendations on the appropriate technology stack, considering the current and future needs of the organization. Influence the choice of database systems, data storage solutions, and integration tools, ensuring alignment with the company’s technical and operational goals.
  • Assist in evaluating and recommending cost-effective infrastructure and technologies, ensuring that the data architecture can scale while optimizing for budget constraints. Collaborate with the Head of Technology to assess and forecast resource needs for the data infrastructure, considering both performance and cost factors.
• Data Pipeline & Database Development
  • Develop and maintain robust data pipelines to extract, transform, and load (ETL) data from multiple systems into a centralized database.
  • Optimize data ingestion processes in partnership with the Backend Engineer to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, evolving alongside new product launches and feature enhancements.
  • Assess current data ingestion workflows and provide recommendations on system or software investments to improve performance.
• Data Quality & Governance
  • Ensure compliance with information security policies and all legal requirements to safeguard proprietary data and personally identifiable information (PII).
  • Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and governance through rigorous validation, cleaning, and handling of missing or inconsistent data.
  • Develop automated alerting mechanisms to detect and notify stakeholders of data inconsistencies or errors in real-time.
  • Establish and maintain data governance rules in collaboration with the Analytics team.
  • Maintain detailed change logs to track data modifications and governance compliance.
• Analytics Integration & Enablement
  • Provide guidance on the selection of analytics tools best suited to the company’s needs.
  • Prepare data for analytics tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI, Looker) by structuring it in required formats.
  • Develop and manage integrations to ensure seamless data movement between the centralized database and analytics platforms.
• Database Ownership & Optimization
  • Own the centralized database and its architecture, ensuring scalability and organization across systems.
  • Optimize storage, indexing, and queries specifically for analytical workloads to enhance performance.
  • Implement best practices for data modeling and schema design to support business intelligence and reporting.
  • Analyze and optimize data models for improved performance, including caching strategies and streamlined data sets to enhance system responsiveness (e.g., for League Finder).
• System Integrations & Data Distribution
  • Build and maintain pipelines to move data into operational systems, such as Salesforce and Sage Intacct.
  • Ensure data consistency and synchronization across all business applications and platforms.
  • Collaborate with internal stakeholders to define integration requirements and implement solutions that enhance cross-functional workflows.
• Future Data Product Development
  • Support the scoping and development of future data products designed to empower Pro League partners and or improve participant registration forecasting capabilities.
  • Evaluate emerging data technologies and methodologies that could enhance data-driven decision-making across the organization.
  • Explore opportunities to leverage AI and machine learning within the database to enhance efficiency, optimize data utilization, and uncover insights.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience as a Data Engineer, preferably in a fractional or contract role
• Strong expertise in data pipeline development, ETL processes, and database management
• Familiarity with data governance, security, and compliance requirements
• Proficient with analytics tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI, Looker) and data integration methods
• Experience with cloud technologies and data storage solutions
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.

Position Details:

• Type: Independent Contractor
• Duration: 6-Months
• Compensation: Expected hourly rate $80/hour
• Reports to: Head of Product and Technology

If you are passionate about data engineering and ready to make a meaningful impact, we'd love to hear from you!

This an independent contractor role and that you would be responsible for your own taxes, benefits, and other business expenses, including but not limited to, insurance, equipment, and travel and other employer-related obligations.