Digital Solutions - Data Engineer

At LightBox, we strive to not only equip confident, data-driven decisions across sectors, but to also enrich lives by bringing people, information, and technology together. As a company with a wide range of clients, we believe a diverse workforce is crucial to success. Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experience is the foundation upon which we operate and connect with our customers and the communities in which we work. With our expertise, we are producing the best available data, workflow tools, technology, and analytics to support everyone making a real estate decision. There has never been a better time to make an impact and we invite you to join us on this journey. LightBox is a leading provider of data and workflow solutions across commercial real estate and location intelligence. Our solutions deliver the depth, speed and accuracy that enable insights to over 50,000 brokers, 1,000 banks and lenders, 1,000 law firms and 5,000 environmental consulting and engineering firms. About LightBox LightBox is the world’s leading platform for commercial real estate information and technology. We empower decision-makers with authoritative data, integrated workflows, and unparalleled industry connections. Our clientele includes commercial and government agencies, brokers, developers, investors, lenders, insurers, technology providers, environmental consultants, and valuation professionals - all requiring definitive real estate data and robust workflow solutions. Our expertise enables us to deliver the highest quality data, workflow tools, technology, and analytics to support location-based decision-making. There has never been a better time to make an impact. Join us on this journey and help shape the future of real estate. About Digital Solutions The Digital Solutions ("Professional Services") team at LightBox plays a crucial role in delivering tailored solutions and support to our clients. We ensure seamless integration and optimal use of LightBox's data and technology platforms, providing expert guidance and ongoing support to maximize the value of our tools. Leveraging industry knowledge and technical expertise, the Digital Solutions team helps clients streamline workflows, enhance data accuracy, and achieve superior decision-making outcomes. Position Overview As a Digital Solutions Data Engineer at LightBox, you will be responsible for designing, building, validating, delivering, and owning geospatial data solutions that support both client engagements and long-term productized data assets. You will collaborate with a highly motivated team of experienced data and software engineers, focusing on end-to-end data layer creation, quality assurance, modeling, and architecture to address diverse use case scenarios. This role requires hands-on experience creating data layers from initial research and acquisition through deployment and ongoing maintenance. You will develop scalable data ingestion pipelines, maintain processes for ingesting, building, validating, and deploying spatial datasets, and leverage your expertise in database management and Python to deliver high-quality data solutions. Data is delivered as standalone assets or embedded within LightBox and client software environments. LightBox data solutions are created using client data inputs, the LightBox data platform, and industry-standard GIS and data transformation/enrichment tools to support property insights across lending, insurance, real estate, environmental, and government markets. What you will do and achieve Reporting to the Director of Digital Solutions, the Data Engineer will: • Fulfill LightBox’s custom and recurring data deliveries to clients. • Develop an in-depth understanding of LightBox data assets, infrastructure, and software platforms (e.g., LightBox Vision, SpatialStream). • Analyze business and technical use cases and propose data solutions aligned with business objectives. • Assess client and internal requirements and design data and software solutions accordingly. • Model and architect data to address complex business problems. • Analyze and resolve technical data and application issues. Data Engineering & Lifecycle Ownership • Design, build, and maintain geospatial data layers from inception through production, including: • Data research and sourcing • Data acquisition and ingestion • Transformation and enrichment • Quality assurance and validation • Deployment and post-deployment support • Serve as a point of contact for external data vendors and data sources, investigating discrepancies, validating data availability and update cadence, and coordinating issue resolution to ensure data accuracy and reliability. • Manage and evolve a portfolio of geospatial data layers focused on the disclosure risk market, ensuring accuracy, regulatory relevance, scalability, and long-term maintainability. Pipelines, Automation & QA • Create and maintain automated data pipelines to prepare and manage datasets for specific use cases. • Develop, test, and document ETL (extract, transform, load) processes to meet business and technical requirements. • Develop data acceptance criteria, quality assurance plans, and automated testing routines. • Investigate data-related issues and implement durable resolutions. • Create tools and workflows to automate and optimize existing processes. Knowledge Transfer & Transition Support • Participate in structured knowledge transfer activities with existing team members, including reviewing legacy workflows, validating assumptions, documenting processes, and assuming ownership of data layers as responsibilities transition to other projects. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Work closely with peers across Product, Engineering, Data, Sales, and Digital Solutions teams to align requirements, manage dependencies, and ensure successful delivery and adoption of data solutions. Documentation & Sustainability • Own and maintain comprehensive documentation for each GIS data layer, including data sources, processing logic, QA criteria, deployment details, assumptions, and known limitations, to support reproducibility, cross-training, and long-term sustainability. Education • Bachelor’s degree or certificate in GIS, Geography, Computer Science, or a related discipline. • Strong academic record with a solid foundation in GIS and Data Engineering. • Familiarity with GIS standards, principles, best practices, open-source tools, and public domain data. Experience • 3-5 years of experience as a GIS Analyst, Data Engineer, or Data Analyst (NOTE: qualified recent graduates will not be considered). Key Knowledge & Skills • Outstanding organizational, communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills. • Ability to quickly understand technical products and explain concepts to non-technical audiences. • Experience with project management techniques like Agile and Scrum • Proven track record of meeting deadlines and managing multiple varied tasks. • Fundamental knowledge in SQL (spatial), Python, ETL, and data management to aggregate, gather, manipulate, or validate data. • Proficiency with GIS software packages and open-source tools (e.g., QGIS, ESRI, GRASS, GDAL, OGR). • Optimize geospatial data layers for performance and scalability, applying techniques such as geometry simplification, vertex thinning, indexing strategies, and efficient spatial transformations to support downstream applications and client delivery. • Experience utilizing Python modules, packages, and libraries. • Experience with pipeline orchestration technology (e.g., Prefect, AirFlow). • Proficiency with pipeline transformation tools, using Python and the Pandas library. • Scripting experience. • Ability to document workflows concisely. • Commitment to exceeding assigned tasks and project expectations. • Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS), Git, Docker, Apigee, and Kubernetes • Has knowledge of data security best practices (when handling sensitive data) Core Competencies • Keen interest in data engineering with a “tinkering” mindset. • Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills. • Driven to continually learn about and incorporate new technologies. • Experience with implementing new technologies and continuous improvement of processes and workflows • Thrive in a self-driven environment. • Understanding and integrating human and machine workflows. • Team player with the ability to work collaboratively and take on new tasks. • Reliable problem solver with the ability to work efficiently and independently. • Embraces challenges with a positive attitude. • Passion for learning new concepts and skills. Other Desirable Attributes • Proven experience creating and maintaining disclosure (risk based) datasets (e.g., wildfire, environmental) • 3+ years of experience in database design, data manipulation, and/or software engineering roles using SQL Server or similar RDBMS environments, including proficiency in stored procedures, views, optimizing queries and processes and ETL processes (Extract, Transform, Load). • Experience maintaining data quality across all stages of acquisition and processing, from data sourcing/collection to normalization and transformation. LightBox's Diversity Commitment At LightBox, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive work environment that values everyone’s unique contributions, experiences, and perspectives. We believe in unity through diversity, cultivating a collaborative atmosphere that encourages creativity, initiative, and professional development. Our commitment includes offering a competitive salary and benefits package. LightBox and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers, committed to prohibiting discrimination of any kind and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. We believe that we are stronger together when we support, recognize, and embrace our differences. Additional Information This job description outlines the primary tasks and expectations of the position and does not encompass all responsibilities that may be assigned. Employees are expected to undertake additional tasks, responsibilities, and training as directed by their supervisors. Duties and responsibilities may evolve with business needs, with or without prior notice. This role may require occasional overtime, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, to meet deadlines or accommodate customer requirements. The position involves regular activities such as talking, hearing, walking, using hands, kneeling, crouching, and lifting up to 25 pounds. Reasonable accommodations will be considered for individuals with disabilities to facilitate the essential job functions. We appreciate all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. NO TELEPHONE CALLS OR AGENCY SOLICITATION PLEASE. We thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. This job description is a general listing of the required tasks and expectations of the position and in no way implies that the duties listed above are the employee’s only responsibilities. The employee is expected to perform other tasks, responsibilities and training as instructed by their supervisors. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice. This position may require additional hours outside of the standard work schedule including occasional holiday, evening and/or weekend hours in order to meet deadlines or to accommodate customers. LightBox and all its holding companies are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. It is the policy of the LightBox and its holding companies to prohibit discrimination of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. NO TELEPHONE CALLS OR AGENCY SOLICITATION PLEASE. Apply tot his job