My name is Josh Cooper, a
Wisconsin based

Cloud Engineer

Data Platform Builder

Automation Enthusiast

Cloud Architecture & Automation

AWS Certified engineer with hands-on delivery across AWS, Azure, and Linux. Build and maintain secure landing zones, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code patterns that keep analytics platforms resilient.

Data Platforms & Pipelines

Design and operate data lakes and warehouses using Snowflake, Glue, Fabric, and Python. Specialize in governed ETL frameworks, lineage tracking, and validation that promote compliance and trustworthy analytics.

Analytics & Governance

Deliver business-ready insights through Tableau and Power BI while upholding HIPAA-aligned security and quality controls. Mentor teams on documentation, SDLC practices, and automation that scales data operations.

AWS Certified Cloud Engineer with extensive experience configuring and maintaining AWS services and Linux-based environments for enterprise use cases. Adept at optimizing performance, auditing, and maintaining secure data repositories and server infrastructures.

  • Works
  • Certifications
Jul '24 - Present

Cloud Engineer at Insight Global

  • Spearheaded the launch of Azure Fabric as a service to end-user groups.
  • Developed a Python-based resource management and creation library called ARMA, automating capacity management and streamlining resource provisioning.
  • Utilized Azure DevOps (ADO) pipelines with the ARMA library to provide a front-end GUI, improving efficiency and user experience.
  • Created and maintained notebook utilities in PySpark, enabling end users to monitor and extract critical workspace metrics.
  • Used Azure Log Analytics to build a logging methodology for tracking workspace processing metrics, facilitating long-term automation and scale.
  • Authored technical documentation and user guides for the ARMA library and PySpark notebook utilities.
  • Managed notebook utilities stored in Azure DevOps repositories, ensuring version control and collaborative development.
Dec '23 - Jul '24

Lead Data Engineer at Great Wolf Resorts

  • Led the redesign and implementation of a data warehouse structure on AWS (Snowflake), leveraging S3 for staging and IAM for secure access.
  • Ensured compliance with security regulations by monitoring AWS resources and maintaining best practices.
  • Designed and developed end-to-end data pipelines using Glue and Lambda.
  • Redesigned data warehouse structure for cleaner operation, traceability, governance, and lineage.
  • Utilized Python for data testing and validation; specialized in PMS migration from on-prem to cloud.
  • Introduced data lineage models and governance frameworks, enhancing traceability and compliance.
  • Used Snowflake Snowpark for large-scale data processing.
  • Implemented real-time data flow to deliver same-day insights to leadership.
  • Used OpenAI to provide the first data lineage model within the Snowflake data warehouse.
  • Built solutions to integrate GA4 data with BigQuery, optimizing analytics performance.
  • Mentored junior developers and maintained version control with GitHub.
Apr '19 - Nov '23

Data Engineer at Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds

  • Maintained strict security protocols and supported compliance efforts (HIPAA) with focus on PII/PHI.
  • Implemented data pipelines and platforms covering storage, ingestion, and governance policies.
  • Wrote and reviewed code for pipelines using Alteryx, Python, and SSIS.
  • Developed robust ETL processes for data integration, validation, and synchronization.
  • Established and optimized data flows; automated deployments with Python.
  • Led various projects from reporting pipelines to integrations.
  • Assisted in design, configuration, and launch of a new MDM system.
  • Orchestrated automation and scheduling with Control-M and Python/bash for jobs on Alteryx Server.
  • Built and refined Tableau dashboards backed by comprehensive backend systems.
  • Shaped data lake infrastructure (database design, table structures, data flows).
  • Championed SDLC with Git, aligning ETL and dashboard deployment practices.
  • Administered Tableau and Alteryx Servers; created and managed bash scripts for patching and configuration.
May '15 - Apr '19

Business Intelligence Analyst/Developer at Acoustic Ceiling Products

  • Designed and implemented ETL pipelines centralizing operational data into AWS RDS and modeling into AWS Redshift.
  • Automated manual processes with code; instituted rigorous tests and validations for data pipeline code.
  • Developed and maintained AWS infrastructure; designed scalable solutions.
  • Enhanced monitoring and alerting with CloudWatch.
  • Employed DevOps practices with AWS CLI, AWS Console, and CloudFormation (IaC).
  • Managed automated backups and scaled AWS resources based on utilization.
  • Managed user access via IAM (roles, groups, policies) to maintain security controls.
  • Centralized logging to S3 using CloudWatch and CloudTrail.
  • Functioned as Tableau Server Admin (Linux EC2) and Viz Developer; deployed data sources and dashboards from the warehouse.
  • Oversaw patching, OS updates, and resource scaling for Linux-based EC2 instances.
  • Maintained server health via comprehensive monitoring and notifications.
  • Configured VPCs, Security Groups, and NACLs.

Microsoft Certifications

  • Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (Issued Dec 2024 · Expires Dec 2025)
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate (Issued Nov 2024 · Expires Nov 2025)
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2026)
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2026)

AWS Certifications

  • AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate (Issued Nov 2024 · Expires Nov 2027)
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2026)

Alteryx Certifications

  • Alteryx Designer Advanced Certification (Issued Jan 2024 · Expires Jan 2026)
  • Alteryx Designer Core Certified (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2025)
  • Alteryx Server Administration (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2025)
  • Alteryx Server Implementation (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2025)

Snowflake Certification

  • SnowPro Core Certification (Issued Oct 2023 · Expires Oct 2025)

Wisconsin Lake Explorer

Filter more than 15,000 Wisconsin lakes by fish species, access amenities, and DNR regulations—all plotted on an interactive Leaflet map.

Built with curated DNR datasets, accessible controls, and dynamic clustering for fast exploration.

Grammarling

Smart flashcards that accelerate multilingual vocabulary growth through spaced repetition and active recall.

Supports multiple languages with customizable decks and progress tracking.

Key Skills

  • Cloud Architecture • AWS/Azure
  • Data Pond/Lake/Warehouse
  • APIs (SOAP, REST)
  • Python/PySpark
  • Infrastructure as Code
  • Network Engineering
  • ETL Framework Design
  • Server Administration
  • QA Testing Framework Design & Implementation
  • Automation
  • Googling

Technical Skills

  • Languages: SQL, Python, .NET, C#, C++, R, Command Line/Terminal/BASH, Google BigQuery
  • ETL Tools: Python, Glue, Fabric, Alteryx, Talend, Mulesoft, Matillion
  • Cloud: AWS, Azure, GCP
  • Databases: Snowflake, SQL Server, Redshift, DynamoDB, AWS RDS, Oracle, Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, DB2, Azure SQL
  • Scheduling: Airflow, Control-M
  • Visualization: Tableau, Power BI
  • OS: UNIX, Linux, Windows
  • Special Powers: Defensive wall engineering and construction, as well as supreme land management techniques and processes

Hobbies

Aquaponics; learning ML/AI; utilizing AWS and Azure for various side projects.