AI Data Ops Engineer
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Design, build, and operate the data backbone for enterprise AI.
We're hiring an AI Data Ops Engineer for a leading Abu Dhabi-based holding group investing heavily in its data and AI capability. You'll engineer the pipelines that feed everyday AI assistants and enterprise AI products — and you'll be the technical authority reviewing and signing off vendor-delivered data architectures before they reach production. Reports to the AI Solutions Manager.
What you'll own:
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Engineer batch and stream pipelines using Fabric Data Pipelines / Azure Data Factory, Synapse, or Databricks.
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Implement data quality rules, schema validation, de-duplication, SCD, and reconciliation checks.
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Operationalize lineage, cataloging, and classifications with Microsoft Purview; enforce RBAC and access patterns.
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Automate CI/CD via Azure DevOps or GitHub with environment promotion, infrastructure-as-code (Bicep/Terraform), and secrets management via Key Vault.
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Build feature stores and model-serving data contracts in partnership with MLOps and AI engineering teams.
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Own reliability: alerts, runbooks, on-call rotation, and cost and performance optimization.
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Review and finalize vendor-delivered data pipelines and data architecture for AI projects; ensure compliance with client standards for security, performance, and reliability; approve production readiness.
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Collaborate with delivery partner squads on interface specifications, test data, and delivery checkpoints; support SIT/UAT and production cutover.
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Define and enforce Data Contracts and SLAs per priority dataset (schema, refresh frequency, quality thresholds, reconciliation checks, and consumer expectations).
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Own data incident management: classification, RCA, corrective actions, and prevention of recurring nonconformities.
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Formalize the handshake with AI/ML/DevOps engineers on feature and embedding pipelines, monitoring hooks, and release gates for data-dependent AI deployments.
What you bring:
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6–8 years in data engineering with strong SQL and PySpark and cloud-native data services.
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Hands-on experience across the Azure data stack: Fabric/Synapse, Data Factory, ADLS Gen2, Delta Lake/Parquet.
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Bachelor's in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent.
Core skills and tools required:
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Python and PySpark, SQL, Lakehouse patterns, medallion architecture.
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Microsoft Purview: catalog, lineage, classifications; data privacy controls and masking.
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CI/CD with Azure DevOps or GitHub; IaC with Bicep or Terraform; Docker basics.
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Observability: Kusto/KQL, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics; performance tuning and FinOps.
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Production incident response and RCA discipline.
Required certifications:
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Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203)
Preferred certifications:
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Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
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Databricks Data Engineer Associate or Professional
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-time
Experience: 6-8 years
Salary Range: 15,000 - 23,000 (AED per month)

