Pooja Karumanchi
@poojakarumanchi
Certified Data Engineer and Technical Lead specializing in modernizing data systems and cloud-native ETL.
What I'm looking for
I am a Certified Data Engineer and Technical Lead with 12+ years of experience modernizing data systems across North America, Europe, and Asia. I focus on migrating legacy ETL systems to cloud-native architectures and improving pipeline performance.
At Ahold Delhaize USA I led Unity Catalog migration, upgraded batch and streaming pipelines to Azure-native solutions, and delivered measurable performance gains. I mentor developers on best practices for modularization, version control, and observability.
Earlier roles include operationalizing ML outputs, transforming Scala notebooks to Python DLT workflows, and streamlining SAS-based analytics and ETL on UNIX platforms. I have a strong record of reducing manual validation work and improving pipeline efficiency.
I hold Databricks and SAS certifications and an MS in Business Analytics. I bring a pragmatic, results-driven approach to data engineering, focusing on scalable designs, automation, and cross-functional collaboration.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Lead Data Engineer
Ahold Delhaize USA
Jan 2023 - Apr 2025 (2 years 3 months)
Led modernization of brownfield ETL and lakehouse systems, migrating Hive metastore tables to Unity Catalog and upgrading batch/streaming pipelines to Azure-native ADF, Databricks and PySpark, improving streaming job performance by 20% and delivering a successful Unity Catalog migration.
BI Developer / MLOps Dev
Retail Business Services
Jun 2022 - Jan 2023 (7 months)
Supported transformation of Scala notebooks into DLT-compatible Python workflows, built DBT and Delta Live Table POCs, and operationalized ML outputs on Databricks to enable production-ready data pipelines.
Lead Application Support Developer
ICMR - National Institute of Nutrition
Jun 2018 - Dec 2020 (2 years 6 months)
Streamlined SAS programs and automated data quality checks on UNIX, refined ETL workflows to reduce manual effort and delivered analytical dashboards for non-technical stakeholders, achieving an 80% reduction in manual validation work.
Senior Application Developer
OptumInsight
Jun 2016 - Jun 2018 (2 years)
Revamped SAS and SQL-based claims analysis pipelines, integrated PostgreSQL and Python to boost processing efficiency, and performed statistical analyses to detect overpayments and fraud, improving pipeline efficiency by 18%.
SAS Developer / Analyst
National Institute Of Nutrition
Jan 2014 - May 2016 (2 years 4 months)
Developed and optimized SAS programs to clean and analyze large-scale public health datasets and collaborated with statisticians to produce insights supporting national health policy and research initiatives.
Statistical Data Analyst
Zenotech Labs
Apr 2010 - Dec 2013 (3 years 8 months)
Performed statistical analyses and data processing for research projects, supporting experimental design and result interpretation for biomedical studies.
Research Assistant
Zenotech Labs
Apr 2008 - Mar 2010 (1 year 11 months)
Supported biostatistics research activities including data collection, cleaning, and preliminary analyses for lab studies between 2008 and 2010.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Northeastern University
Master of Science, Business Analytics
2021 - 2022
Master of Science in Business Analytics completed at Northeastern University from Aug 2021 to Dec 2022.
National Institute of Nutrition
Master of Public Health, Public Health
2015 - 2015
Master of Public Health in Public Health completed in 2015 at the National Institute of Nutrition.
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
Bachelor of Technology, Biotechnology
2004 - 2008
Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology completed from Aug 2004 to May 2008.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
Authorized to work in
Job categories
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