Location: Herndon/Chantilly, VA Clearance Required: TS/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) Position Type: Full-Time, On-Site Salary Range: $235,000 – $255,000 We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Data Engineer to support the design, development, and optimization of mission-critical data engineering solutions for a federal program. This position requires extensive experience in the full data lifecycle, including data movement, ingestion, transformation, and modeling in both on-prem and cloud-based environments. The ideal candidate will bring a strong command of ETL pipelines, data formatting tools, and modern data engineering frameworks to support advanced analytics and mission-driven insights. Primary Responsibilities: Develop scalable tools, services, and code to execute complex data engineering tasks involving structured and unstructured data. Design, implement, and maintain robust ETL pipelines using technologies such as Spark, Apache NiFi, Apache Iceberg, and Trino. Ingest and transform data for enterprise-level storage and exploration, ensuring format standardization and compliance with mission objectives. Collaborate with data scientists and mission partners to understand source data and define transformations supporting operational outcomes. Clean, preprocess, and condition data to support downstream analytics, ensuring data quality, integrity, and lineage (pedigree/provenance). Build services for one-time and recurring data extractions and conversions across local and enterprise repositories. Support cloud-based processing using AWS EMR and Kubernetes, and contribute to OpenSearch integrations. Produce comprehensive documentation including ETL mappings, code usage guidelines, and system access protocols. Coordinate with engineering teams and data stewards to integrate and operationalize new data processing platforms. Participate in Agile development processes and data governance working groups to enhance enterprise data standards and practices. Requirements Minimum Qualifications: 10+ years of professional experience in data engineering, including: Full data lifecycle engineering (collection, transformation, storage, distribution) Development and maintenance of ETL pipelines and data transformation workflows Cloud and on-premise data solutions Proficiency in Python, SQL, Spark, and modern data engineering languages Experience with COTS/open-source data tools such as ElasticSearch and Apache NiFi Proven track record of delivering within Agile software development lifecycles Ability to work full-time on-site in Herndon/Chantilly, VA. Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) is required at the time of application. Preferred Qualifications: Experience applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) to optimize data processing and transformation. Familiarity with emerging data pipeline architectures and advanced cloud-native tools. Exposure to data stewardship and enterprise data governance principles. Eligibility: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future. Active TS/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) clearance is required for this role. Benefits Salary: Salary for this position is determined based on factors such as location, qualifications, experience, and contract-specific budget considerations. Proposed Salary Range: $235,000 – $255,000 Benefits: Our client offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including: 100% Company-Paid Health Insurance: Full coverage for medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents (United Healthcare and Guardian). Protection Plans: Employer-paid life, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance. 401(k) Retirement Contribution: 15% of base salary contributed by the company, fully vested from day one. Paid Time Off: 200 hours of PTO annually (accrued), in addition to 11 federal holidays. Bonuses: Recruitment and business development bonus opportunities based on performance and company growth.