Data Engineer

The Data Engineer will design data architectures and deliver pipelines, knowledge indexes, and retrieval services that enable AI agents to use authorized enterprise information. The role also includes owning reliability for data and retrieval components while partnering with AI Engineering to improve retrieval behavior and response quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Design data architectures and build pipelines, knowledge indexes, and retrieval services that ground agents in authorized enterprise information.
• Collaborate with source-system owners and engineering teams to define data contracts, integrate structured and unstructured sources, and maintain permissions, lineage, quality, and freshness.
• Own the reliability of data and retrieval services and partner with AI Engineering to improve application retrieval behavior and response quality.
• Support two emphasis areas through architecture and governance decisions (architect positions) or pipeline, connector, and service implementation (engineer positions).
• Maintain ingestion, transformation, indexing, synchronization, and retrieval services.

Required Qualifications

• Experience designing or implementing enterprise data platforms, lakehouse architectures, and integrations for structured and unstructured data.
• Experience with SQL and Python, including developing, testing, and operating ETL or ELT pipelines.
• Experience defining data models, schemas, data contracts, APIs, and access patterns that support downstream applications.
• Experience with data governance, source permissions, lineage, quality controls, and monitoring for freshness and availability.
• Knowledge of retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, vector indexes, and semantic or hybrid search.
• Ability to troubleshoot ingestion and retrieval failures and assess relevance, latency, scalability, and data quality.
• Ability to translate enterprise requirements into architecture decisions, integration standards, and governance patterns.
• Ability to implement and maintain ingestion, transformation, indexing, synchronization, and retrieval services.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or Suitability/Fitness determination based on client requirements.
• Bachelor's degree.

Technology Focus

• SQL, Python, ETL, ELT
• Retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, vector indexes
• Semantic search, hybrid search

Nice If You Have

• Experience with Databricks, Spark, Delta Lake, vector databases, or comparable platforms.
• Experience with permission-aware retrieval, metadata enrichment, incremental ingestion, or knowledge engineering.
• Experience delivering reusable customer connectors and data services for production AI applications.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Financial benefits
• Retirement benefits
• Paid leave
• Professional development
• Tuition assistance
• Work-life programs
• Dependent care
• Recognition awards program acknowledging employees for exceptional performance and superior demonstration of company values
• Full-time and part-time employees working at least 20 hours a week on a regular basis are eligible to participate in Booz Allen’s benefit programs

Vetting and Eligibility

• Applicants selected will be subject to a government investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements of the U.S. government client.

Identity Verification and Interview Requirements

• Complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud.
• Be on camera during interviews and assessments.
• The company reserves the right to take a picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.

Candidate AI Usage Policy

• The use of artificial intelligence or other tools to assist with responses during interviews (in-person or virtual) is prohibited unless permission is explicitly provided.

Work Model

• Onsite: Work will primarily be performed full-time at a customer facility, where employees will collaborate directly with colleagues and customers as required by the role.

Location, Salary, and Education

• Location: McLean, VA (onsite)
• Salary: USD 62,000 - 141,000 per yearly
• Education: Bachelor's degree

Non-Discrimination Commitment

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.