Job Description
Company description Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands. Starcom has long been the professional birthplace and proving ground for marketing leaders - CEOs, CMOs, sales leaders, and technology pioneers - and we continue to drive the industry with peerless talent and relentless innovation. From the start, we've known that achieving growth for our clients requires understanding and connecting with real people where they live and work, in ways they value. In an AI era, we remain ""Guided By Humanity,"" a phrase that describes our foundational belief that human expertise must remain in the driver's seat, supported by the best processes and technology. With our proprietary capabilities and Publicis Media's industry-leading resources and clout, we create ideas that move people and drive transformative business outcomes for brands. Overview We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Associate Director, Engineering to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of three years of hands-on experience in the Azure Cloud ecosystem and a strong foundation in building, deploying, and optimizing robust data pipelines. This role requires technical expertise in modern data warehousing, data lake management, and leveraging cutting-edge AI services to drive process automation and efficiency. The successful candidate will be a proactive, innovative thinker with excellent communication skills, dedicated to continuous improvement of our data platform.
Responsibilities Key Responsibilities:
Design and deploy robust Azure Data Factory pipelines for scalable data ingestion and transformation. Develop and optimize data workflows across Azure SQL Managed Instance , Azure Fabric Data Warehouse , and ADLS / OneLake storage. Work extensively with Parquet files , including integration with Azure Databricks , and configure Delta Sharing for secure data exchange. Manage data in Azure Data Lake , ensuring performance, security, and governance best practices. Collaborate across teams to implement AI-enabled tools and services for process automation and operational efficiency. Develop clean, maintainable code in Python for data processing and automation tasks. Participate in architectural discussions, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to engineering best practices. Suggest and implement process improvements proactively to enhance system reliability and development efficiency. Required Skills & Experience:
3+ years of hands-on experience with Azure Cloud data services. Expertise in Azure Data Factory , Azure SQL Managed Instance , and Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) . Experience working with Azure Fabric Data Warehouse and managing data in OneLake . Strong skills in Python for data engineering and scripting. Proficient in Databricks , including configuration for external Parquet files and Delta sharing setup. Strong understanding of Parquet file formats , distributed processing, and big data pipelines. Strong understanding of T-SQL and ability to optimize queries for cloud-native execution Knowledge of Fabric notebooks (Python/Spark) for data transformation Experience with dataflows Gen2 in Fabric for ETL/ELT workloads Understanding of Fabric workspace management, capacity planning, and cost optimization Familiarity with Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) authentication and security principals Design and implement medallion architecture (Bronze/Silver/Gold layers) in OneLake for data quality and Governance. Excellent communication skills with a proactive, innovative approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement. Qualifications Exposure to media or entertainment industry data workflows is a plus. Experience with on-prem SQL Server and SSIS is beneficial. Familiarity with AI/ML-powered data tools and real-time data processing pipelines. Azure certification (e.g., Azure Data Engineer Associate ) is a plus. Experience working in Agile teams with DevOps practices. Direct experience migrating from SQL Servers/SSIS to Azure Fabric is highly valued Experience with Power BI and understanding of Fabric's integration with Power BI Premium Knowledge of lakehouse vs data warehouse architecture tradeoffs in Fabric Familiarity with Git integration in Fabric for version control and CI/CD Understanding of shortcuts in OneLake for data virtualization. Additional information Starcom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances. The Power of One starts with our people! To do powerful things, we offer powerful resources. Our best-in-class wellness and benefits offerings include: Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance Tuition Assistance Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more Matching Gifts programs Flexible working arrangements 'Work Your World' Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility) Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances The benefits offerings listed are available to U.S. based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents. Compensation Range:
$112,290.00 - $161,280.00 Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 7/13/2026. If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. Qualifications:
Exposure to media or entertainment industry data workflows is a plus. Experience with on-prem SQL Server and SSIS is beneficial. Familiarity with AI/ML-powered data tools and real-time data processing pipelines. Azure certification (e.g., Azure Data Engineer Associate ) is a plus. Experience working in Agile teams with DevOps practices. Direct experience migrating from SQL Servers/SSIS to Azure Fabric is highly valued Experience with Power BI and understanding of Fabric s integration with Power BI Premium Knowledge of lakehouse vs data warehouse architecture tradeoffs in Fabric Familiarity with Git integration in Fabric for version control and CI/CD Understanding of shortcuts in OneLake for data virtualization.
