How a data engineer shapes the customer journey

A data task that once took hours to complete now finishes in mere minutes. It’s a process change that Colten, a senior data engineer at Capital One, says is a win that helps his team deliver exactly what customers need: a seamless car buying experience.

It’s the kind of improvement that happens when data engineers have the space, tools and trust to be strategic and think ahead. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m working at a bank,” said Colten. “It feels like I’m working at a tech company.” 

Colten credits Capital One’s tech culture to how teams work together, the tools they use and the trust engineers have to build what matters for customers.

A high-stakes start with real impact

When Colten joined Capital One in 2024, his team was tasked with modernizing a complex, technical system behind Capital One Auto’s car buying and selling experience, Auto Navigator.

Collaborating with engineers across technical teams, Colten helped design and build a new system, setting up the cloud environment and strengthening the testing framework. Today, the  process reliably completes in less than an hour, accelerating our ability to provide the tools and information that power a positive experience for car buyers.

“I had the autonomy to pick the right tools and design parts of the flow,” he said. “Seeing those choices pay off was incredibly rewarding.” 

The impact is tangible: Colten can point to the exact improvements his team delivered to help customers shopping on the Auto Navigator website. He takes pride in seeing his craft make a real-world difference. 

Tech that grows with you

Rebuilding a vital process required modern tools and a strong engineering mindset. Capital One’s modern data stack runs on the cloud, and though Colten arrived without hands-on AWS experience, he was encouraged to learn on the job and earn his AWS certification. 

“That turned out to be a real positive,” Colten said. “I gained a skill that’s valuable anywhere, and I use it every day here.”

Knowledge-sharing and collaboration are built into how engineers work. Colten led the rewrite, but what made it successful was how his team worked together to get it done. His engineering pod partnered closely with a product team, staying aligned from early design through delivery. Design discussions were focused, code reviews were constructive and when there was a challenge, teams jumped in and solved it together.

Colten and his team brought in fundamentals like version control, thoughtful testing and clear reviews—which allowed them to build code with purpose. The combination of a strong tech stack and a methodical approach gave him the foundation to deliver solutions that scale, as well as well-deserved recognition.

Colten and his team were presented with an award during a town hall of hundreds of peers, celebrating the high-impact work and technical excellence Colten’s team delivered to the organization.

“We were recognized because we got it done on time, we made everyone's life easier and we improved the quality of our systems,” Colten said. “It was high-level, high-impact work.”

A culture built for momentum 

Colten says the Capital One Dallas campus gives him access to the kinds of spaces that help engineers do their best work. He meets with his team in open collaboration areas for whiteboarding, heads into focus rooms when he needs uninterrupted time, and appreciates the energy that comes from being around people who love solving problems together.

And he likes to jump into the occasional chess game with coworkers, and work out at the on-site gym. For him, the hybrid work model creates meaningful time for in-person connection, while offering flexibility when needed.

What stands out about Capital One

A few constants define Colten’s Capital One experience: modern tools, a supportive team and a culture that helps each associate win. Car buyers may never know it’s engineers like Colten behind the scenes, but their experience is powered by the systems he and his team build every day.

Ready to build what’s next in Dallas? If you’re a data engineer who loves a culture of innovation and a place that operates and feels like a tech company, there’s a place for you at Capital One. Explore data engineering jobs in Dallas and bring your skills to work for millions of customers every day.