Senior Data Engineer_ Only W2 _ Only USC

Job Role: Senior Data Engineer
Location: Hybrid_ McLean, VA
Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer to support enterprise-scale analytics and mission-critical data platforms. The ideal candidate will design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines and analytics solutions that transform structured and unstructured data into actionable insights.This role requires strong expertise in modern data engineering, big data ecosystems, cloud-based analytics, and collaborative Agile delivery. The candidate will work closely with analysts, developers, data scientists, and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment supporting high-impact government and defense initiatives. Due to the nature of the work, candidates must possess an active Secret Clearance and be a U.S. Citizen. Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable ETL/ELT pipelines for enterprise analytics platforms
• Develop robust data ingestion, transformation, and orchestration workflows
• Integrate structured and unstructured data from multiple data sources
• Build optimized data models for reporting, analytics, and operational intelligence
• Develop and maintain data applications using Python, SQL, Scala, or R
• Work with distributed computing and big data technologies such as Spark and Hadoop ecosystems
• Implement data quality, governance, monitoring, and performance optimization strategies
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including:
• Data Scientists
• Analysts
• Software Engineers
• Business Stakeholders
• Support cloud-based and large-scale data processing environments
• Participate in Agile ceremonies, sprint planning, and technical design discussions
• Create documentation, deployment procedures, and operational support materials
• Support secure and compliant handling of sensitive government or defense-related data

Required Skills & QualificationsExperience

• 5+ years of experience in:
• Data Engineering
• Data Platforms
• Analytics Engineering
• Application Development
• Data Science-related environments
• 3+ years of experience:
• Building enterprise-scale data applications
• Designing scalable analytics/reporting systems
• Operationalizing production data pipelines

Technical SkillsStrong hands-on experience with:Programming Languages

• Python
• SQL
• Scala
• R

Big Data & Distributed Systems

• Apache Spark
• Hadoop
• Hive
• Kafka
• Databricks
• AWS EMR

Data Engineering Concepts

• ETL / ELT Pipelines
• Data Modeling
• Workflow Orchestration
• Data Warehousing
• Data Transformation
• Data Governance
• Data Quality & Monitoring

Cloud & Analytics Platforms

• AWS-based data services
• Enterprise analytics environments

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience with Palantir Foundry
• Experience with visualization tools:
• Tableau
• Power BI
• Qlik
• ArcGIS
• Geospatial analytics experience
• Experience supporting DoD or Combatant Command environments
• Agile/Scrum development experience
• Exposure to machine learning or AI-driven data platforms

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in:
• Computer Science
• Data Science
• Mathematics
• Engineering
• Related Technical Field

Security & Compliance RequirementsMandatory

• Active Secret Clearance
• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Valid U.S. Passport

Preferred

• TS/SCI Clearance

Pay: $55.00 - $60.00 per hour

Security clearance:

• Confidential (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in McLean, VA 22103