Data Engineer III

SMX is seeking a Data Engineer III  to act as senior technical contributor responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining scalable, secure, and performant enterprise-scale data infrastructure and analytics systems for government and commercial clients. This role requires deep expertise in cloud-native architecture and real-time data processing and includes mentoring junior team members and establishing technical standards. This is a remote position.

This position required a DoD Secret security clearance which requires US citizenship for work on DoD contracts.

Application Deadline: December 5, 2025

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Data Pipeline Development

• Design and build automated data pipelines (ingestion, transformation, standardization) from diverse sources, including streaming platforms
• Optimize pipelines for performance and reliability; develop reusable components and frameworks
• Ensure robust data lineage, metadata management, monitoring, and logging across all systems

Infrastructure & Data Management

• Manage cloud data infrastructure (compute, storage, networking) utilizing Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) principles
• Design, implement, and optimize database schemas for all workloads (transactional, analytical, NoSQL)
• Establish and maintain high availability, backup, and disaster recovery strategies

Analytics & ML Support

• Collaborate with analysts and scientists to build optimized data structures (data marts, analytical datasets)
• Integrate data warehouses with BI/visualization tools (Tableau, PowerBI) and support ML model deployment initiatives

Quality Assurance & Observability

• Implement automated testing (unit, integration, data quality) and validation rules
• Deploy comprehensive monitoring and alerting systems to track system health and data freshness

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (or equivalent professional certifications)
• Ability to obtain Secret security clearance (US citizenship required)
• 5-7 years of hands-on data engineering experience; 2-3 years in a senior or technical lead role
• Proven track record designing and implementing production-grade, enterprise-scale data systems
• Experience in government contracting or with sensitive data (preferred)
• Technical Expertise

Programming & Core Tools

• Advanced proficiency in SQL and strong programming skills in Python, Scala, or Java
• Expertise in Git, collaborative development, and shell scripting

Data Frameworks

• Hands-on experience with big data processing (Apache Spark, Hadoop) and workflow orchestration (Airflow, Step Functions)
• Experience with streaming technologies (Kafka, Kinesis) and data serialization formats (Parquet, Avro)
• Practical experience with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud platforms and their data services
• Proficient with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes)
• Knowledge of IaC (Terraform) and cloud security best practices

Database Systems

• Expert-level knowledge of relational databases and data warehousing (Redshift, Snowflake, BigQuery)
• Experience with NoSQL (MongoDB, DynamoDB) and specialized databases

Security & Soft Skills

• Understanding of data security, encryption, and compliance frameworks (NIST, FedRAMP)
• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills; commitment to continuous learning

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field or 8 years of experience; advanced cloud platform certifications
• Knowledge of MLOps, real-time analytics, and complex event processing
• Experience with geospatial data (PostGIS) or graph databases
• Familiarity with defense/intelligence data systems (ISR, GEOINT) and workflows

#cjpost

 The SMX salary determination process takes into account a number of factors, including but not limited to, geographic location, Federal Government contract labor categories, relevant prior work experience, specific skills, education and certifications. At SMX, one of our Core Values is to Invest in Our People so we offer a competitive mix of compensation, learning & development opportunities, and benefits. Some key components of our robust benefits include health insurance, paid leave, and retirement.

The proposed salary for this position is:: $112,600 USD - $187,600 USD

At SMX®, we are a team of technical and domain experts dedicated to enabling your mission. From priority national security initiatives for the DoD to highly assured and compliant solutions for healthcare, we understand that digital transformation is key to your future success.

We share your vision for the future and strive to accelerate your impact on the world. We bring both cutting edge technology and an expansive view of what’s possible to every engagement. Our delivery model and unique approaches harness our deep technical and domain knowledge, providing forward-looking insights and practical solutions to power secure mission acceleration.

SMX is an Equal Opportunity employer including disabilities and veterans.

Selected applicant may be subject to a background investigation and/or education verification.

SMX does not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization or immigration related support for this position (i.e. H1B, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, F-1 CPT, J-1, TN, E-2, E-3, L-1 and O-1, or any EADs or other forms of work authorization that require immigration support from an employer).