About the role

This position is in the Secretariat for Special Operations (SSO), Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (OASW(SO/LIC)). The ASW(SO/LIC) serves as the principal civilian advisor and assistant to the Secretary of War and has statutory responsibility for overseeing special operations-peculiar administrative matters pertaining to the readiness and organization of special operations forces (SOF), resources and equipment, and civilian personnel.
The Data Engineer serves as the principal technical authority and hands-on builder for enterprise data architecture, pipelines, and data platform capabilities across classified and unclassified enclaves. This role transforms fragmented, multi-source operational and business data into high-integrity, automated, and mission-ready data products. Working at the intersection of modern data engineering, cloud infrastructure, and national security data governance, the Senior Data Engineer empowers senior decision-makers, mission analysts, and digital service teams with secure, high-velocity data integration.

What you'll do

Data Pipeline Architecture & Pipeline Development (ETL / ELT): The Engineer will architect, implement, test, and maintain robust, fault-tolerant data pipelines (batch and real-time streaming) across disparate defense data sources. Develop automated data extraction, ingestion, transformation, and loading workflows using modern tools. Design resilient API connectors, database integration hooks, and secure file ingestion routines to ingest structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data formats. Monitor pipeline health, throughput, data freshness, and error logging; diagnose and resolve data ingestion bottlenecks and processing failures. Support the development and sustainment of executive dashboards, operational reports, self-service analytics, and decision-support products using approved business-intelligence tools.
Multi-Enclave Data Warehousing & Platform Modernization: Design and maintain optimized data storage schemas, relational models, dimensional models and modern architectures across secure on-premises and classified cloud environments (e.g., AWS GovCloud, Azure Government). Ensure seamless data availability, synchronization, and secure storage across multi-enclave environments (e.g., NIPRNet, SIPRNet, JWICS, and Special Access Program [SAP] boundaries). Partner with cloud and systems engineers to optimize compute, database indexing, query performance, and partition strategies for analytical and operational workloads.
Data Governance, Quality, Lineage & Secure Compliance The role will operationalize DoD Data Strategy principles, implement rigorous automated data validation, quality checking, data cataloging, and metadata tagging to maintain end-to-end data lineage and governance. The Engineer will align data engineering practices with Risk Management Framework (RMF), NIST SP 800-53 controls, and defense cybersecurity directives. Partner with the Information System Security Manager (ISSM) and engineering teams to support system authorizations (ATO/IATT) and enforce data-at-rest/in-transit encryption. The Engineer will advise the SSO CIO on emerging technologies, support technical working groups, technical onboarding and transition activities to ensure new capabilities integrate seamlessly into operational workflows.
Stakeholder Synchronization & Analytics Enablement Collaborate with developers, software engineers, and mission analysts to deliver clean, curated data models and analytical datasets for executive dashboards, operational reporting, and machine learning models. Coordinate with vendors and government stakeholders on data-platform capabilities, integration requirements, technical acceptance criteria, and sustainment activities. Identify opportunities to automate manual data processes, reduce duplicate data sources, improve data reliability, and strengthen decision advantage. Translate complex operational and defense business requirements into technical data specifications and scalable engineering deliverables. Provide technical support to team members and advise the SSO CIO/EDS Chief on emerging data technologies, cloud data services, and modernization roadmaps.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience:

Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility. U.S. Citizenship required.
Deep technical subject matter expertise in Data Engineering, Information Systems, Software Engineering or a related technical discipline.
Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary technical teams, manage high-stakes IT delivery schedules, translate technical risks into executive-level decision briefs, and exercise sound judgment in ambiguous, high-tempo mission environments.
8 to 12+ years of progressive technical experience in data engineering, software engineering, or enterprise data management, with at least 5 years of designing and maintaining enterprise-scale data pipelines in secure or defense environments.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical field (e.g., Information Technology, Data Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems Management, or Software Engineering); may be considered in lieu of a degree, consistent with contract requirements.

Desired Skills and Experience

Active industry certifications strongly preferred, including:
Project Management Professional (PMP) or PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).
Cloud & Data Engineering: AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate / AWS Certified Solutions Architect; Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate; Databricks Certified Data Engineer; Cybersecurity / DoD Compliance; DoD 8140 / 8570.01-M baseline certification (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CySA+, CASP+, or CISSP).
Prior experience supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Joint Staff, Special Operations Forces (SOF/USSOCOM), or the Intelligence Community (IC).
Proficiency in Structured Query Language (SQL) and at least one programming or scripting language commonly used in data engineering, such as Python, Java, Scala, or PowerShell.
Experience with relational and non-relational databases; data warehouses; data lakes; APIs; file-based data exchange; and cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments.
Experience with ETL/ELT tools, workflow orchestration, data transformation, data validation, and pipeline monitoring.
Ability to prepare governed, well-documented datasets for reporting and visualization tools, such as Power BI.
Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to articulate complex data engineering tradeoffs and technical architectures to both technical peers and executive leadership.
Provide oversight/support the EDS team with direct report to the SSO CIO/EDS Chief.

This position is benefits-eligible. Our suite of benefits includes Health, Dental, Vision, 401k w/ match, Gym Membership discounts, Volunteer Paid Time Off, and a generous PTO package. We'd love to tell you more! Apply today!

We believe great talent comes from many backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and make all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We are committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, consistent with all applicable laws.

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