Performance Engineer

Role: Performance Data Engineer (ETL)

Location: Raleigh, NC

Contract to hire

Pay Rate: $60-$65/hr on W2

Overview

Seize the opportunity to make a meaningful impact as a Performance Data Engineer supporting a key Federal agency. In this role, you will serve as a senior technical expert responsible for ETL performance optimization, Teradata data engineering, and modern cloud analytics enablement. You will work within the Data Asset Services organization, supporting mission-critical systems that operate at enterprise scale.

Key Responsibilities

ETL & Data Engineering

• Design, develop, enhance, and maintain high-performance ETL applications supporting enterprise data assets.
• Perform system analysis, coding, configuration management, change control, and application documentation.
• Develop and execute test scripts, validate program changes, and implement security safeguards in compliance with government standards.
• Provide direct technical assistance for application development and operational support.

Teradata Performance Optimization (Primary Focus)

• Serve as a subject-matter expert in Teradata performance tuning and optimization.
• Analyze and act on SQL EXPLAIN plans to maximize use of Teradata’s massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture.
• Leverage DBC Accounting and system tables to measure, analyze, and improve ETL and query performance.
• Optimize SQL workloads supporting MicroStrategy and other reporting tools.
• Provide data modeling expertise to ensure design decisions support optimal ETL and query performance.

Cloud & Advanced Analytics

• Lead the engineering of a scalable, cloud-based Unified Analytics Platform (UAP) built on Databricks and hosted in Microsoft Azure.
• Support enterprise data governance, observability, and analytics modernization initiatives.
• Contribute to the integration of on-premise and cloud-based data platforms.

Operational Support

• Participate in a 24×7 on-call rotation to support production environments.
• Provide support for production server applications, ETL installations, and ongoing operational maintenance.
• Ensure system reliability, performance, and availability to meet customer and business needs.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field (highly preferred).

Experience

• 15 years of hands-on experience in data modeling, querying, and ETL development.

Required Technical Skills

• Expert-level Teradata SQL, including complex business logic embedded in queries.
• Extensive experience with the Teradata Optimizer.
• Proven ability to read and interpret Teradata EXPLAIN plans and implement performance improvements.
• In-depth knowledge of DBC Accounting and system metrics for performance analysis.
• Strong background in enterprise ETL application development and maintenance.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience with MicroStrategy or other OLAP/BI tools interacting with Teradata.
• Knowledge of Ab Initio tools, architecture, and analytics (including GDE).
• Strong understanding of data warehouse modeling techniques, including Third Normal Form (3NF) and Dimensional Modeling.
• Experience with Web API development.
• Knowledge of streaming data technologies (Kafka, MQSeries, JMS, or similar).
• Experience designing or developing solutions in cloud environments, particularly Azure.

Security & Clearance Requirements

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.
• Must successfully complete a government background investigation, including fingerprinting.
• U.S. residency requirement applies:
• U.S. Citizens must not have resided outside the U.S. (including territories) for more than 6 consecutive months in the past 3 years (exceptions may apply).
• Non-U.S. Citizens must not have resided outside the U.S. (including territories) for more than 90 consecutive days during the required period.

About Seneca Resources:

Seneca Resources is client driven provider of strategic Information Technology consulting services and Workforce Solutions to government and industry. Seneca Resources is a leading IT services provider with offices in Reston, Virginia, Alabama and Columbia, Maryland that service clients throughout the United States. The key to our success lies within our strong corporate culture which drives our business. We challenge our staff through engaging work, and we reward our staff through competitive compensation, extensive professional training, and excellent opportunities for career advancement. In turn, we look for only the best and brightest to join our team. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and value the benefits of diversity in our workplace.