IC Data Engineer

MITRE is seeking an Intelligence Community (IC) Data Engineer (Lead) to deliver senior data engineering and enterprise data architecture support onsite in McLean, VA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead data engineer and technical advisor for sponsor priorities, enterprise data modernization, architecture decisions, and executive decision support.
• Collaborate with IC sponsors, mission owners, architects, developers, cybersecurity teams, analysts, and other stakeholders to convert mission needs into data engineering requirements, technical designs, and integration plans.
• Architect and assess enterprise data platforms and end-to-end pipelines across ingestion, transformation, storage, distribution, and access for batch and streaming workflows with focus on scalability, performance, resilience, security, and cost.
• Design and evaluate data models, schemas, APIs, interface specifications, data contracts, exchange formats, and integration patterns including ETL/ELT, event-driven integration, messaging, and federated or virtualized access.
• Define and evaluate approaches for metadata and cataloging, data lineage, data quality and observability, master and reference data, lifecycle management, access controls, and interoperability across cloud, hybrid, legacy, and modern environments.
• Build prototypes, proofs of concept, benchmarks, test strategies, and technical trade studies to validate integration approaches, improve analytics and AI data readiness, identify capability gaps and dependencies, and reduce implementation risk.
• Produce and refine data architecture documentation, engineering requirements, interface specifications, implementation plans, technical assessments, and executive briefings; coordinate across government, MITRE, and contractor teams; mentor staff supporting related data engineering work.

Requirements

• Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; alternative combinations include 6 years with a Master’s, or 3 years with a PhD, or an equivalent education and experience combination.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field, or equivalent education/experience.
• Experience leading technical tasks or small multidisciplinary engineering teams, with hands-on work designing, implementing, or modernizing enterprise data architectures, data integration solutions, and production data pipelines.
• SQL proficiency and experience using at least one modern programming language such as Python, Java, or Scala for data processing, automation, or systems integration.
• Experience with data integration methods and technologies including ETL/ELT, APIs, batch and streaming processing, data modeling, schema design, and interface development.
• Experience with cloud or hybrid data platforms, distributed data processing, scalable storage and compute, and modern warehouse, lake, or lakehouse architecture patterns.
• Strong understanding of metadata and cataloging, data lineage, data quality and observability, data lifecycle management, interoperability standards, and enterprise information sharing.
• Ability to evaluate platform tradeoffs for scalability, performance, resilience, security, and cost; identify and resolve complex integration risks and technical dependencies.
• Experience developing technical requirements, architecture artifacts, interface documentation, implementation plans, and test or verification approaches.
• Strong understanding of Intelligence Community missions, organizations, data-sharing environments, interoperability challenges, security considerations, and enterprise coordination mechanisms.
• Demonstrated ability to operate in a complex, classified, matrixed, fast-paced sponsor environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including translating complex data engineering topics into clear recommendations for senior executives and national-level decision makers.
• Must have an active Top Secret/SCI w/Poly U.S. Government issued Security Clearance; must be a U.S. Citizen for eligibility.
• Onsite requirement: 5 days a week onsite.

Technologies

• SQL, Python, Java, Scala
• ETL/ELT, APIs
• Batch and streaming processing
• Data modeling, schema design
• Cloud, hybrid data platforms, distributed data processing
• Modern warehouse architecture patterns, lake architecture patterns, lakehouse architecture patterns
• Metadata and cataloging, data lineage
• Data quality, data observability
• Interoperability standards, master and reference data
• Access controls
• Messaging, event-driven integration
• Federated or virtualized data access

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting data engineering, enterprise data architecture, or data integration within the Intelligence Community or broader national security enterprise.
• Advanced degree in a related technical discipline.
• Experience with modern enterprise integration approaches such as data mesh, data fabric, API-centric architectures, event-driven architectures, or federated data services.
• Experience applying DevSecOps or DataOps practices, including automated testing, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, containerized data services, and repeatable deployment patterns.
• Experience developing or applying structured technology evaluation frameworks, metrics, benchmarks, and scoring methodologies for data platforms or integration technologies.
• Experience enabling AI/ML use cases through data engineering, including scalable data preparation, feature or vector data flows, model-data integration, or AI-ready data architectures.
• Experience modernizing legacy data environments, migrating workloads to cloud or hybrid platforms, and managing technical transition risk.
• Ability to build trust quickly with senior sponsors and operate with discretion and minimal direction.
• Experience coordinating across multiple IC elements and technical organizations for enterprise data strategy, architecture, and implementation activities.

Security Clearance

• Required clearance for this requisition: Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph.
• Ability to have or obtain within one year of hire: Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph.

Compensation

• Annual range: $155,200 - $194,000 - $232,800 (midpoint: $194,000).

Work Location

• Onsite
• McLean, VA