Senior Data Engineer - Federal

Posted 25 Days Ago
3 Locations
In-Office or Remote
90K-175K Annually
Senior level
Information Technology • Consulting
The Role
The Senior Data Engineer role involves designing and deploying AI-driven applications, building ETL pipelines, integrating data sources, optimizing workflows, and leading engineering teams for federal clients.
Summary Generated by Built In

Who Are We? 
Groundswell is a premier technology integrator resolutely committed to solving the most complex challenges facing federal agencies today. Our name, Groundswell, represents our commitment to be an unstoppable, seismic change in government. Ours is a small company culture with big company reach and resultsAre you ready to be audacious, be bold and drive change at a rapid paceJoin us, where we’ll make a greater impact together.
 


What You'll do:

This is a mid-level, customer-facing engineering role focused on designing, building, and deploying AI-driven and data-centric enterprise applications for federal clients. The role combines hands-on data engineering, cloud architecture, GenAI/LLM pipeline development, customer engagement, and technical leadership.

This is a hybrid role and requires being onsite in the Mclean office and/or client site 3 days/week.
 

Responsibilities Include:

  • Design, develop, and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines to support data ingestion from multiple sources.

  • Seamlessly onboard and integrate new data sources into existing pipelines.

  • Build automated data validation frameworks to ensure accuracy and consistency.

  • Optimize data pipelines for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.

  • Implement data quality monitoring, alerting systems, and lineage tracking.

  • Architect solutions across AWS, Azure, and GCP to support federal client needs.

  • Build pipelines to support Large Language Model (LLM) training and inference workflows.

  • Design data preprocessing pipelines tailored for GenAI use cases.

  • Implement data privacy controls, security best practices, and compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, etc.).

  • Write complex SQL queries for data analysis, reporting, and performance tuning.

  • Support proposal efforts with technical expertise in data engineering and AI/ML solutions.

  • Lead development teams and mentor junior engineers.

  • Test, troubleshoot, and optimize enterprise applications and data workflows.

  • Deliver customer demos, deep-dives, and training on data and AI solutions.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or related technical field.

  • 5+ years of data engineering or full-stack development experience.

  • Strong experience with SQL and one or more programming languages (Python, Java, Scala).

  • Demonstrated leadership in guiding engineering teams.

  • Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

  • Must be local to the DC Metro area and willing/able to be on site in our Mclean headquarters (or client site) 3 days / week.

  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a federal government security clearance. US citizenship required for clearance purposes.

Technical Skills
  • ETL Development: Experience with frameworks such as Apache Airflow, AWS Glue, etc.

  • Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP.

  • Data Analysis & Validation: Implementing data quality frameworks and validation processes.

  • Programming: Strong SQL plus proficiency in Python, Java, or Scala.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with LLM data requirements, vector databases, and/or AI model deployment.

  • Familiarity with data visualization/BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker).

  • Knowledge of streaming data technologies (Kafka, Kinesis).

  • Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).

  • Active TS/SCI with CI Poly (or higher).

  • Experience working with federal government programs (DoD preferred).


Skills:


Certification:

Why You’ll Never Want to Leave:

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans 

  • Flexible Spending Account 

  • 4% 401K Match (immediate vesting) 

  • Paid Time Off 

  • Tuition reimbursement, certification programs, and professional development

  • Flexible work schedule

  • On-site gym and childcare option 

The salary range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for any applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Groundswell, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

$89,901.00 - $175,477.00

NOTEGroundswell does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Groundswell, and Groundswell will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Read a copy of the Company’s Non-Discrimination Policy Statement.
Additional Resources:

  • EO 13496 Notification of Employee Rights under NLRA

  • Know your rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal
     

Disability Accessibility Accommodation: If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the employment selection process, please contact us at [email protected] or 703-639-1777.

Top Skills

Apache Airflow
AWS
Aws Glue
Azure
Docker
GCP
Java
Kafka
Kinesis
Kubernetes
Looker
Power BI
Python
Scala
SQL
Tableau
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The Company
McLean, Virginia
360 Employees
Year Founded: 2003

What We Do

Groundswell is a highly specialized systems integrator focused on bringing modern ERP, low-code solutions, and platforms to the most complex challenges facing federal agencies. Specializing in enterprise-scale transformation, Groundswell leverages its world-class talent and SaaS intellectual property to help clients achieve their goals better, faster, and cheaper.

As a premier technology integrator, we work with core partners such as Appian, SAP, Workday, and UiPath. Our expertise spans a wide range of capabilities, ensuring we can help government agencies further their objectives and redefine what citizens can expect from digital government services.

Groundswell embodies our commitment to creating an unstoppable, seismic change in government. We strive to set new standards for digital government through our specialized approach, leveraging our wealth of technology and experience.

Discover how Groundswell is redefining expectations for digital government at www.gswell.com

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