Currently Engaged — Considering Select Future Opportunities
Ken Whiteside
AI-Augmented Data Engineering
I help data teams work 10x faster by integrating AI into every step — from Jira ticket to production deployment. 30+ years in data. Snowflake. CI/CD. The future of how work gets done.
I've spent 30 years building data systems — from SQL Server 6.0 in 1996 to Snowflake + AI-automated pipelines today.
Currently a Principal Data Engineer at a leading fintech, where I've transformed how our team works by integrating AI into every phase of the software development lifecycle. The result: tickets that took days now take hours. Processes that required 3 hours of manual work get done in 30 minutes. Deployments that used to need tribal knowledge now flow through documented, automated CI/CD pipelines.
I'm not an AI researcher. I'm a practitioner who makes AI work in the real world — in regulated industries, with production data, through established change management processes. And I teach others to do the same.
Snowflake
SnowPro Certified. DDL, stored procedures, Streamlit, ELT patterns. Led migration of hundreds of objects from SQL Server.
AI Integration
End-to-end AI workflows using Kiro & Claude. Jira → Code → Test → Deploy, fully AI-augmented with human validation gates.
CI/CD
GitLab pipeline architecture across Snowflake and Talend platforms. Versioned migrations, merge request workflows, automated deployment.
Team Enablement
Mentoring teams on AI adoption. Training sessions, mindset coaching, and building repeatable patterns others can follow.
Services
What I Do
01
AI Workflow Transformation
Take your existing development process — Jira tickets, code reviews, testing, deployment — and integrate AI at every step. Reduce cycle times by 50-70% while maintaining quality and compliance.
AI-augmented development lifecycle design
Prompt engineering patterns for data teams
Human-in-the-loop validation frameworks
Tool selection and integration (Kiro, Claude, etc.)
02
Snowflake & Data Platform Engineering
Design, build, and optimize Snowflake environments. Migrate from legacy platforms. Implement modern ELT patterns that scale.
SQL Server → Snowflake migration
ELT/ETL architecture (Talend, SSIS, native)
Stored procedures, Streamlit apps, data modeling
Performance optimization and cost management
03
CI/CD Pipeline Architecture
Build automated deployment pipelines for data artifacts — Snowflake migrations, Talend packages, and everything in between. From Git to production with proper gates.
GitLab CI/CD for Snowflake (versioned migrations)
Cross-platform deployment patterns
Environment promotion (DEV → UAT → PROD)
Merge request workflows and gating
04
AI Adoption & Team Coaching
Help your team shift their mindset and adopt AI-augmented practices. Not a one-day workshop — embedded coaching that creates lasting change.
1:1 and team coaching on AI tools
Mindset transformation for experienced engineers
Pattern documentation and playbooks
6-18 month embedded engagements
Results
What This Looks Like in Practice
3 hrs → 30 min
Emergency ETL Build
A teammate estimated 3 hours to create error handling, audit logging, and orchestration for a Talend ETL process. Using AI, I completed all three tasks and the deployment plan in 30 minutes. Ran in UAT — worked on first execution.
Zero Training
Cross-Team CI/CD Deployment
During an emergency, deployed through an unfamiliar team's CI/CD pipeline with no prior training. Used AI + steering documentation to generate the required Python and YAML configuration files. Merged to production successfully on the first attempt.
60%+ Faster
Ticket-to-Production Automation
Implemented end-to-end AI-augmented workflow: Jira ticket analysis → code generation → automated test case creation → CR documentation → GitLab CI/CD deployment. Tickets that took days now complete in hours.
12 FTE → 1
National Support System
Implemented and maintained a national support system solo that had an equivalent 12-person offshore support team. Reduced delivery cycles from 6 months to 1 month through rapid application development.
Career
Experience
2024 – Present
Principal Data Engineer
GreenSky
AI-augmented development workflows, CI/CD pipeline architecture, Snowflake Streamlit, cross-team leadership, AI mentoring. Retained at senior IC level following Goldman Sachs divestiture.
2017 – 2024
Sr. SQL Developer (VP)
GreenSky / Goldman Sachs
Promoted to Vice President. Led SQL Server → Snowflake migration (hundreds of objects). Converted Credit Bureau Reporting (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion). Talend enterprise integration.
2016 – 2017
Sr. SQL Developer / BI Architect
USAN, Inc.
Cloud BI on AWS/Exasol. Multi-tenant SaaS security. Near-real-time ETL. Exasol certified.
2007 – 2015
SQL BI Developer / DW Architect
AT&T (8 years, multiple contracts)
National support systems, $250K savings through automation, 12 FTE → 1 FTE. Teradata, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server.
2005 – 2010
BI Developer / Lead ETL / DBA
CDC, BearingPoint, Cap Gemini
Data warehouse lifecycle. Mainframe migrations. GA Retirement System (66 agencies). Performance tuning.
1988 – 2005
IT Director / DBA / Systems Analyst / Owner
LDC Direct, Jacada, San Joaquin Public Health, Auto Magic
IT leadership, staff management, software product development, public health systems, SQL Server from v6.0.
SnowPro Core Certified
MCITP DBA
MCTS SQL 2005
MCDBA
MCSE
Insights
Thoughts on AI & Data
Part 12 — September 2026
Tenacious Prompting — Testing AI Disruption on My Own Vacation Rentals
How refusing to accept AI's first two "I can't do that" answers turned into real proof that Airbnb and Booking.com can be disrupted — using my own vacation rental listings as the test case.
Frustration vs Tenacity — Surviving the Intimidating AI Meeting
Some AI meetings make me feel like I'll never be good enough. Here's how tenacity turns that sting into new skills — 30 years in and still leaving a Zoom feeling like a beginner.
Nobody trained me on half of what I do with AI. I picked it up organically — from watching other people work. The teams that adopt fastest aren't the ones with the biggest training budget.
I'm available for contract engagements (6-18 months) and select full-time opportunities. If you're looking to transform how your data team works with AI, or need senior Snowflake/data engineering expertise, let's have a conversation.
Contract Engagements
AI workflow transformation, Snowflake architecture, CI/CD pipeline design, team coaching. Corp-to-corp. Remote preferred.
Full-Time Opportunities
Open to the right role — where I can drive AI adoption, have autonomy, and make a measurable impact. Remote or Atlanta-area hybrid.