Data Engineer

Company Overview

ANSER enhances national and homeland security by strengthening public institutions. We provide thought leadership for complex issues through independent analysis, and we deliver practical, useful solutions. ANSER values collaboration, integrity, and initiative and we are client focused in all that we do. Because we were established for the purpose of public service and not for profit, we measure our success in the impact of our service.

Position Summary

ANSER is seeking a Data Engineer to design, build, and optimize enterprise-level data management systems to support Object-Based Intelligence (OBI) analytic processes and mission requirements. You will focus on integrating and maintaining scalable, secure data pipelines and architectures that enable advanced analytic workflows, visualization, and automation.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Manage complex, long-term projects involving the design, development, integration, and installation of new information systems, databases, and data services.
• Perform technical studies, systems analysis, and feasibility assessments to ensure designs meet user requirements and define specifications for new or existing data and content management solutions.
• Design, develop, integrate, install, and optimize data management capabilities, data integration solutions, and both relational and non-relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) to support enterprise ingestion, storage, retrieval, and analytics.
• Collaborate with team members to design, refine, implement, and maintain resilient, scalable ETL pipelines using industry-standard tools and frameworks (e.g., Apache NiFi).
• Ensure ETL pipelines support secure data acquisition, normalization, enrichment, and delivery while meeting security controls, SLA requirements, and evolving data architecture needs.
• Collaborate with team members to design, implement, and maintain GraphQL APIs enabling flexible, efficient access and aggregation of data across distributed enterprise sources.
• Conduct testing and promote the integration of new databases and data services within existing IT infrastructure, including operational readiness testing and transitional user support.
• Create, execute, and document comprehensive test plans covering component, integration, system, compatibility/interface, user acceptance, and performance/stress testing.
• Monitor, maintain, and upgrade data services, content management systems, and databases; analyze system and database reports to ensure optimal performance.
• Identify data redundancy and design solutions to integrate or consolidate sources, reducing storage and maintenance costs while improving enterprise consistency.
• Produce technical data, performance reporting, and analysis outlining the operational characteristics of databases and data services across the DIA/DIE infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery and continuity plans to ensure data availability, access reliability, and database integrity during crisis situations.
• Analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations, artifacts, and integration patterns for current, planned, and emerging data service, data management, and database technologies based on performance, cost, and security requirements.
• Design, develop, test, and implement unstructured data management solutions, including content extraction, tagging, data integration, web services, service versioning, containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), and infrastructure-as-code automation.
• Troubleshoot service, database, and user interface failures; implement temporary fixes and permanent corrections; interface with vendors, developers, and users; manage change requests; support code repositories; and prepare and present technical briefings to senior leadership.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with eligibility for Poly
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Eight (8) or more years of experience in data engineering.
• Proven experience developing and managing data pipelines, ETL processes, and database systems for large-scale or mission-critical environments.
• Proficiency in Python, R, and SQL, and experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Experience with data orchestration and automation tools (e.g., Apache NiFi, Airflow, or similar).
• Familiarity with knowledge graphs, semantic data modeling, and query languages (e.g., SPARQL, GraphQL).
• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating AI/ML models for analytic efficiency and tradecraft compliance.
• Strong understanding of data security, access control, and system hardening in accordance with DoD and IC standards.
• Demonstrated ability to apply semantic data modeling and metadata standards within an OBI or analytic environment.
• Proficiency in containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Familiarity with semantic web technologies (RDF, OWL, SPARQL) and their use in OBI data integration.
• Understanding of advanced analytic method augmentation.
• Experience developing data visualization and analytic tools supporting structured and unstructured intelligence data.
• Certification in Data Management or Cloud Architecture (e.g., AWS Certified Data Engineer, Google Professional Data Engineer).
• Ability to communicate technical data management concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience supporting DIA, IC, or DoD analytic modernization or OBI initiatives.
• Experience with distributed data processing, cloud-based analytics, or large-scale machine learning architectures.
• Experience working with in support of Defense Intelligence All-source Analytic Enterprise (DIAAE) OBI efforts, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise Knowledge Model (DIEKM), and Defense Intelligence Core Ontology (DICO).
• Experience developing OBI governance and tradecraft to assist DIA and other DIAAE organizations conducting OBI.
  
  

Individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including but not limited to: business considerations, local market, internal equity, candidate qualifications such as skills, education and experience. ANSER provides employees benefits to support all aspects of their life including health, financial and well-being. For more information, please visit: http://www.anser.org

Full Time Salary Range for this position for this position:

$123,000—$147,000 USD

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with ANSER, please call 703-416-2000 or e-mail Recruiting@anser.org

ANSER is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We seek individuals from a broad variety of backgrounds with varying levels of experience who have a desire to do meaningful work. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.