Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities.
The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.
The Analytics Tooling Engineer is responsible for implementing, maintaining, and optimizing the technical tools and environments used by the NDS Analytics, Insights, & Metrics teams. This role manages platform configuration, development environments, deployments, automation, access controls, and day-to-day operational reliability across analytics systems. The position ensures that analysts and data teams have dependable, secure, and well-governed access to data and analytics resources. The role is hands-on, execution-focused, and supports the ongoing improvement of analytics tools and workflows.Platform Configuration and Maintenance
• Configure, administer, and support analytics platforms including Snowflake, SQL Server, Netezza, Power BI, GitLab, and related Analytics tools.
• Troubleshoot and resolve platform issues, outages, and performance problems.
Automation and Operational Reliability
• Build, maintain, and monitor automated jobs, data refreshes, CI/CD pipelines, and workflow orchestration tools.
• Implement error handling, alerting, and system monitoring to support reliability.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of operational processes and platform stability.
Access Management, Governance, and Compliance
• Implement access models, workspace structures, permission updates, and security configurations aligned to enterprise standards.
• Support compliance reviews, audit requests, and governance controls.
• Follow data governance and InfoSec guidelines in all tool configurations.
AI and Tool Integration
• Assist with configuration and support of AI-related analytics tools, environments, and safe-use patterns.
• Help with the identification, assessment, and integration of new tools and technologies into the analytics ecosystem under guidance from architecture or leadership.
• Support prototype development and testing efforts.
Documentation and User Support
• Create and maintain system documentation, setup guides, runbooks, and knowledge base articles.
• Provide technical support to analysts and developers for platform issues and usage questions.
• Contribute to internal training and utilization of tools and best practices.
Vendor and Internal Partner Coordination
• Work with vendors to resolve technical issues, support updates, and validate changes.
• Collaborate with Data Engineering, Infrastructure, Enterprise Architecture, and Governance teams to ensure alignment and smooth operations.
• Communicate technical impacts, status updates, and operational risks as needed.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, or related field; or proven professional experience with analytics platforms and tooling.
EXPERIENCE:
Required
• Strong SQL skills and experience supporting and administering Snowflake environments.
• Experience administering or supporting Power BI environments (eg. Data Gateways, API Integration, etc.).
• Experience troubleshooting performance issues, platform errors, and system failures.
Preferred
• Experience with automation/orchestration tools (e.g. Dataiku, Alteryx, Microsoft Fabric, etc.).
• Familiarity with Python (preferred) or another scripting language commonly used in analytics engineering.
• Experience supporting AI-related analytics tools or machine-assisted workflows.
• Experience with data engineering or analytics engineering environments.
COMPETENCIES – SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES:
Competencies
• Technical troubleshooting and problem resolution
• Attention to detail and operational discipline
• Ability to translate technical issues for nontechnical partners
• Collaboration with cross-functional technical teams
• Ability to maintain consistent, reliable environments
• Process mindset and focus on continuous improvement
Work Environment
This role works closely with analytics teams, engineering teams, and enterprise technology groups and may require periodic off-hours support for platform maintenance or issue resolution.
Annual compensation range for this role is $90,000 to $120,000 depending on experience.
This position requires work in support of the Company’s contract with the United States Department of Education (“ED”). As such, the United States Government requires that any applicant for this position must complete United States Government security clearance. Effective June 1, 2018, ED has informed Nelnet that security clearance applications for foreign nationals are not being accepted or processed. In light of this direction from ED, Nelnet will be unable to hire applicants without United States citizenship for such positions.
Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: LINK.
Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.
Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at 402-486-5725 or corporaterecruiting@nelnet.net.
Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.