This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.
Who we are:
Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.
We’re looking for an experienced Chief Data Engineer to support our customers and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.
About the role:
As a Chief Data Engineer at our organization, you play a pivotal role in shaping the foundation of Raft's Data Platform. Your responsibilities extend beyond mere coding; you’re a navigator, leading multiple software teams through the complex labyrinth of production at an enormous scale.
Raft is building a best of breed Data Platform that is central to implementing Data Fabric and Data Mesh architectures. We've taken an opinionated approach to building our platform on best-of-breed OSS solutions combined with our added secret sauce of making them secure for DoD Enterprise. We've also tweaked the performance of these solutions to meet the scale desired by our customers. You will be a key leaders in making architectural decisions that not only solve for requirements needed for today but also for requirements that will be needed in future.
What we are looking for:
- 10+ years of experience being a hands-on engineer with demonstrable experience in Data Engineering
- 10+ years of experience being a technical leader leading teams, advocating with customers, understanding mission needs, and helping build product roadmaps
- Proficiency in at least one of the following languages: Java (JVM Based stack), Python, GoLang, etc.
- Proficiency in at least one of the following scripting languages: Bash, Ansible, Terraform, etc.
- Experience working in the DoD Ecosystem as a leader leading teams and as a Thought Leader thinking outside the box
- Experience with Data focused tools like: DBT, Pinot, Trino, Kafka, DeltaLake
- Experience in Knowledge Graphs, Graph Databases and Ontologies
- Experience in Graph DBs other than Neo4j is highly preferred
- Experience thinking at the product level, epic level, and user story level -- Demonstrable experience working with customers to break down big complex features into small chunks
- Leadership leading a team of 12+ engineers to gain alignment, plan, and execute
- Master's or higher in Computer Science / Engineering / Physics / Mathematics background
- Obtain Security+ within the first 90 days of employment with Raft
Highly preferred:
- Hands-on experience with time-series data in PostgreSQL or another SQL-flavored database
- Working experience with Knowledge Graphs and Graph Databases
Clearance Requirements:
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance
Work Type:
- Tampa, FL (Relocation will be paid)
- May require up to 10% travel
What we will offer you:
- Highly competitive salary
- Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) and company match
- Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
- Education & training benefits
- Annual budget for your tech/gadgets needs
- Monthly box of yummy snacks to eat while doing meaningful work
- Remote, hybrid, and flexible work options
- Team off-site in fun places!
- Generous Referral Bonuses
- And More!
Our Vision Statement:
We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.
Our Customer Obsession:
We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.
How do we get there?
Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.
Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Top Skills
What We Do
Raft is a digital consulting firm with niche expertise in the rapid delivery of modern, user-first, scalable, and data-intensive digital solutions. We accelerate the missions of our federal partners through human-centered design (HCD) and agile development practices, bringing deep technical expertise in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, cloud-native microservice architectures, and secure, open source delivery.
We put our people and our culture first. We work with some of the smartest, hardest working experts in their field. We owe it to them to make sure our team is free of meaningless restrictions and internal politics so they can focus on what they love, finding innovative solutions.
We build off the Open-Source and resist vendor lock in. That way you’re not paying us to reinvent the wheel, our solutions play nice with others and are always adaptable.
We know digital innovation doesn’t always operate during bank hours, so neither do we. (It's also why we don’t dress like bankers.) We aren’t afraid to go the extra mile or put in the extra time to find a solution. We get it right the first time; we won’t waste our time (and your money) trying to fix something that’s fundamentally broken. It’s kind of like making an exceptional cup of coffee, if the beans are roasted wrong, it doesn’t matter how much pumpkin spice you dump in your cup, it’s still not going to taste great.
And above all else we’re up for a challenge; it’s in our DNA. Ask us about something that’s never been done, or better yet something that can’t be done, and we’ll find a way to do it. It’s just who we are.
If you need a partner that’s looking toward the future and not the past, don’t go traditional, go Raft.
Why Work With Us
Raft partners with public agencies to solve hard complex problems that impact the lives of millions of Americans. We work hard to make it easy for humans to connect with data.
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