Senior Data Engineer (Public Trust)

Location: Bethesda, MD (Hybrid)
Clearance: Public Trust (Role may require additional background investigations)
Employment Type: Full-Time

US Citizenship is Required

Position Overview:

Praescient Analytics is seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer to support a major federal data modernization and analytics program. This role is responsible for the design, development, optimization, and operational support of scalable, secure, and high-quality data pipelines that enable advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI-driven decision support in a regulated government environment.

The Senior Data Engineer plays a critical role in the client's transition from legacy, on-premises systems to a cloud-native, open-source analytics ecosystem built on Microsoft Azure. This position ensures that data is reliable, performant, well-governed, and readily consumable by data scientists, analysts, and AI/ML engineers supporting mission-critical use cases.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain production-grade ETL/ELT pipelines to ingest, transform, and curate large volumes of structured and unstructured data.
• Develop data workflows using Python-based frameworks and Microsoft Azure services, ensuring scalability, reliability, and fault tolerance.
• Optimize data pipelines for performance, cost efficiency, and maintainability.
• Architect and implement data solutions within Microsoft Azure, including:
  • Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS Gen2)
  • Azure SQL and related data services
  • Azure Synapse Analytics
• Design and manage workflow orchestration using Azure Data Factory (or equivalent) for scheduling, monitoring, and automation.
• Build and maintain Python-based data services and utilities using open-source libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and related frameworks.
• Implement logging, monitoring, alerting, and performance tuning to support operational reliability.
• Apply data governance best practices, including data lineage, reproducibility, auditability, and compliance with federal standards.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation, including data dictionaries, pipeline designs, and process flows.
• Work closely with data scientists, AI/ML engineers, analysts, architects, and Agile project managers to ensure data pipelines meet analytical and operational requirements.

Required Qualifications:

Experience

• Minimum of 5+ years of experience designing, building, and operating data pipelines supporting analytics and/or machine learning.
• Demonstrated experience working with large-scale datasets in production environments.
• Proven experience supporting cloud-based data platforms.
• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or related field - or equivalent professional experience.

Technical Skills

• Strong proficiency in Python (Pandas required; NumPy, scikit-learn, and related libraries preferred).
• Advanced SQL skills and experience integrating relational data sources.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, including Azure Data Lake Storage and Azure SQL.
• Experience with workflow orchestration tools such as Azure Data Factory.
• Familiarity with open-source data processing and ETL frameworks.
• Experience with logging, monitoring, and performance optimization for data systems.
• Proficiency with Git-based version control and collaborative development practices.

Clearance: Minimum of a Public Trust (U.S. Citizenship is Required)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or higher in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or related field - or equivalent professional experience.
• Microsoft Azure certifications (e.g., Azure Data Engineer Associate) strongly preferred.
• Experience working in federal, public-sector, or other regulated environments.
• Familiarity with data engineering patterns for secure, scalable systems.
• Experience supporting AI/ML workloads, feature engineering pipelines, or near-real-time analytics.

What you can expect from us:

• Real opportunity for career growth in an environment where your achievements will be celebrated
• Constant collaboration with numerous teams to ensure client success
• A team that respects and embraces your ideas and expertise
• Coworkers that are motivated by pursuing excellence, rather than the prospect of personal gain
• A workplace dedicated to supporting and bettering public safety and government agencies

Benefits:

• Very competitive salary based on qualifications and experience
• Comprehensive, Company paid healthcare for you (We pay your premiums and deductibles)
• 401(k) with company match
• Travel & performance incentives
• 3 weeks paid time off (plus Federal Holidays)
• $5K annual training allowance
• $500 book allowance

Praescient Analytics is a Certified Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) with over a decade of expertise in advanced analytics, engineering, and DevOps, specializing in transforming complex data into actionable intelligence for informed decision-making. Since 2011, we have supported over 40 organizations across diverse domains, including military intelligence operations, financial and fraud investigations, and insider threat detection.

Our team of experts-skilled in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, DevOps, and engineering-brings deep experience in solving complex challenges. With a proven track record in federal contracting, we deliver tailored, high-impact solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency, ensure mission success, and address the evolving needs of our clients. Praescient's innovative and adaptive approach makes us a trusted partner in delivering data-driven insights and technological excellence for critical missions.

Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
US Citizenship Required
Interested Candidates: Please forward your resume to recruiting@praescientanalytics.com and please visit our website to apply online at www.praescientanalytics.applicantstack.com/x/openings.