Data Engineer

Strategic Innovation Group (SIG) is partnering with a federal government client to build a new on-premises analytics platform in a FedRAMP Moderate environment. As the senior technical leader for the platform’s data core, you will design the centralized PostgreSQL governed data layer, establish the ingestion architecture and reusable connector framework, and ensure the platform delivers trustworthy data to dashboards and reporting.

This role is rooted in hands-on engineering and governance: you will implement ingestion-time controls aligned to NIST SP 800-53 Moderate, define deterministic analytic SQL rules, capture metadata and lineage, and help the team operate and extend pipelines with minimal contractor dependence. The successful candidate will be proposed as key personnel and work cross-functionally in an Agile environment.

What you will do

• Design and implement a centralized PostgreSQL data layer using a governed schema and a shared data vocabulary defined with the data governance lead.
• Architect a scalable ingestion pipeline in Python using orchestration such as Airflow, Dagster, Prefect or comparable tools to collect, normalize, validate, and persist structured and unstructured data from agency systems and Government-wide sources.
• Build configuration-driven connectors for REST APIs, flat files, database replication, and SFTP, reusable across agencies without source-code changes; deploy via the client’s CI/CD process (GitLab, Jenkins, or Azure DevOps) with automated build, test, and security scanning to the client’s Rancher-managed Kubernetes platform.
• Implement PII anonymization, data-handling, and ingestion-time access controls in coordination with the security lead, aligned to NIST SP 800-53 Moderate.
• Implement defined analytic rules and threshold-based indicators as deterministic, inspectable SQL on a scheduled refresh, and document the data and criteria behind each rule.
• Lead error-detection methodology for data-quality issues by identifying, categorizing, tracking, resolving, and reporting defects and anomalies across the lifecycle.
• Capture metadata and data lineage, and expose data-currency indicators (source, last refreshed, next refresh) to the user interface.
• Set coding, code-review, testing, and documentation standards for the data team; review the Data Engineer’s work; and collaborate with application developers on API access to the data core.
• Troubleshoot and resolve pipeline failures, data discrepancies, and query performance bottlenecks.
• Produce technical documentation, data dictionaries, and runbooks; deliver knowledge transfer so client staff can operate, maintain, and extend pipelines with minimal contractor reliance.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies, sprint planning, code reviews, demonstrations, and continuous improvement activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field (equivalent experience may be considered).
• 8+ years of professional data engineering experience, including 3+ years as a technical lead or senior engineer on a production data platform (or 6+ years with a Master’s degree).
• Expert-level SQL and PostgreSQL data modeling, including normalized and analytic schemas, partitioning, indexing, and performance tuning.
• Strong Python and hands-on experience with an orchestration framework such as Airflow, Dagster, or Prefect.
• Demonstrated experience designing reusable, configuration-driven ingestion from heterogeneous sources with schema validation and data-quality checks.
• Experience deploying pipelines in containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes) with Git-based version control and CI/CD.
• Experience handling PII and sensitive financial or program data under NIST SP 800-53 (or equivalent controls).
• Experience working in Agile software development and collaborating with technical and non-technical stakeholders in a federal contracting environment.
• Strong written communication skills for data-model documentation, runbooks, and knowledge transfer.
• U.S. Citizen with an Active TS or eligible for a Top Secret (Tier 5) clearance. No third party. No H1B or Green Card holders.

Technologies

• PostgreSQL, SQL, Python
• Airflow, Dagster, Prefect
• REST APIs, SFTP
• GitLab, Jenkins, Azure DevOps
• Rancher-managed Kubernetes, Kubernetes, Docker
• Git-based version control, CI/CD
• NIST SP 800-53 Moderate, NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP Moderate
• NIST SP 800-53 audit-logging requirements
• PII anonymization
• TS (Top Secret)
• Splunk

Benefits

• Great work/life balance
• Eligibility for performance-based participation in cash bonuses
• Potential to participate in growth of the company through incentives
• Excellent benefits, including health, dental, vision, generous PTO, a 401(k) with match, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, and a health savings account (HSA)

Preferred qualifications

• Experience supporting federal civilian, financial-oversight, budget, or program-management IT systems.
• Experience integrating data from enterprise financial systems (e.g., SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, or comparable ERP) and Treasury or payment platforms.
• Experience with grants management or federal financial systems (e.g., GrantSolutions, eRA, Treasury payment systems) highly preferred.
• Experience extracting structured data from unstructured documents (PDF, DOCX) at scale.
• Experience with metadata management, data-lineage, and data-catalog tooling.
• Experience deploying to Kubernetes (Rancher preferred) in an on-premises federal environment with restricted internet access.
• Familiarity with Splunk log integration and NIST SP 800-53 audit-logging requirements.

Location: Arlington, VA (onsite)

Salary: USD 150,000 - 185,000 per year

Experience level: Senior Data Engineer (8+ years)

SIG is a fast growing 8(a) government contractor based in Arlington, Virginia, offering technical expertise in Digital Transformation, Data Management/Data Science, and Systems Modernization. At SIG, people are described as the company’s mission.