Open to opportunities

Zai Muhammad

@zaimuhammad

Message

Forward-thinking Senior Data Engineer with 10+ years of experience.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I am looking for a role that values innovation and collaboration, where I can leverage my skills in data engineering to drive impactful projects and contribute to a privacy-focused culture.

I am a Senior Data Engineer with over a decade of experience in architecting secure and scalable data platforms for Fortune 500 companies. My expertise lies in building real-time and batch data pipelines that process over 5TB of data daily, optimizing infrastructure, and implementing privacy-first architecture. I have successfully collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver trusted data products that enhance consumer privacy and drive business strategy.

At Databricks, I architected enterprise-scale data pipelines using Apache Spark and Delta Lake, significantly improving data governance protocols and reducing regulatory reporting lag by 60%. My passion for aligning data architecture with risk mitigation and privacy by design has led to substantial cost savings and improved operational efficiency. I take pride in mentoring junior engineers and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Senior Data Engineer

Current

Databricks

Oct 2019 - Present (5 years 9 months)

Architected and owned enterprise-scale data pipelines in Apache Spark and Delta Lake, processing over 5TB of daily data for machine learning and compliance analytics. Drove the implementation of privacy-first data governance protocols, including audit trails, role-based access control (RBAC), and GDPR-aligned data masking.

Apache Spark Delta Lake Fivetran Airflow GDPR CCPA Machine Learning CI CD AWS

Data Engineer

Fivetran Data Solutions

Jun 2015 - Sep 2019 (4 years 3 months)

Migrated over 250 legacy ETL pipelines to modular Airflow and dbt frameworks, cutting maintenance overhead by 70% and improving lineage visibility for compliance. Engineered real-time data quality monitoring for 10TB+ datasets, proactively identifying schema drift and data loss.

ETL Airflow DBT Data Quality Cloud Infrastructure Data Governance SQL Python

Data Analyst / Junior Data Engineer

Accenture

Jun 2012 - May 2015 (2 years 11 months)

Developed ETL workflows using Informatica and SSIS to populate regulatory BI systems in retail and finance sectors. Built and maintained Power BI and Tableau dashboards for executive decision-making, ensuring metric accuracy.

ETL Informatica SSIS Power BI Tableau Agile SQL Data Analysis

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Unknown

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

Studied the fundamentals of computer science, including programming languages, data structures, and algorithms. Gained a strong foundation in software development and system design.