Data Engineer

Strategic Innovation Group LLC is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to lead the data core of a new analytics platform for a federal government client. The work will focus on building and operating an on-premises PostgreSQL data layer within a FedRAMP Moderate environment, with a strong emphasis on governed schemas, reliable ingestion, and data correctness for downstream dashboards and reporting.

This role owns the physical data model, ingestion architecture, and reusable connectors, while ensuring that analytic rules and reporting outputs reflect validated, deterministic SQL logic. You will also establish data-quality practices, capture metadata and lineage, and enable client teams to run and extend pipelines with minimal reliance on contractor support.

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 Python-based ingestion pipeline using Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or a comparable orchestration framework to collect, normalize, validate, and persist structured and unstructured data.
• Build configuration-driven connectors for REST APIs, flat files, database replication, and SFTP, enabling reuse across agencies without source-code changes.
• Deploy connectors through the client CI/CD pipeline (GitLab, Jenkins, or Azure DevOps) with automated build, test, and security scanning to a Rancher-managed Kubernetes platform.
• Implement PII anonymization, data-handling, and access controls at ingestion in coordination with the security lead, aligned to NIST SP 800-53 Moderate controls.
• Implement analytic rules and threshold-based indicators as deterministic, inspectable SQL executed on a scheduled refresh, and document the data and criteria behind each rule.
• Lead data-quality error detection by identifying, categorizing, tracking, resolving, and reporting defects and anomalies across the data lifecycle.
• Capture metadata and data lineage, and expose data-currency indicators including source, last refreshed, and next refresh to the user interface.
• Set standards for coding, code review, testing, and documentation; review the work of the Data Engineer; and collaborate with application developers on API access to the data core.
• Troubleshoot pipeline failures, data discrepancies, and query performance bottlenecks.
• Produce technical documentation, data dictionaries, and runbooks, and deliver knowledge transfer so client staff can operate, maintain, and extend pipelines with minimal contractor reliance.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies including 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 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 with hands-on experience using Airflow, Dagster, or Prefect.
• Demonstrated experience building reusable, configuration-driven ingestion from heterogeneous sources with schema validation and data-quality checks.
• Experience deploying pipelines in containerized environments using Docker and 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 environments and collaborating with technical and non-technical stakeholders in a federal contracting context.
• Strong written communication skills for data-model documentation, runbooks, and knowledge transfer.

Technology stack

• PostgreSQL, SQL, Python
• Airflow, Dagster, Prefect
• REST APIs, SFTP
• Rancher, Kubernetes, Docker
• CI/CD and Git-based version control: GitLab, Jenkins, Azure DevOps
• NIST SP 800-53

Location and compensation

• Location: Arlington, VA (onsite)
• Salary: USD 135,000 - 155,000 per year

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 an HSA

Preferred qualifications

• Experience supporting federal civilian, financial-oversight, budget, or program-management IT systems
• Experience integrating data from enterprise financial systems (for example, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, or comparable ERP) and Treasury or payment platforms
• Experience with grants management or federal financial systems (for example, GrantSolutions, eRA, Treasury payment systems)
• 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 in an on-premises federal environment with restricted internet access (Rancher preferred)
• Familiarity with Splunk log integration and NIST SP 800-53 audit-logging requirements