AWS MDM / Big Data (Data Lake) Engineer

Select Search Associates LLC; Fairfax (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Select Search Associates LLC (SSA) seeks an experienced AWS MDM / Big Data Engineer to join a highly skilled team delivering cloud engineering capabilities for a mission-critical, security-sensitive initiative.

You will help shape the next generation of secure enterprise data platforms, making complex datasets discoverable, governed, and useful through scalable AWS data engineering and modern data architecture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of data engineering experience with hands-on AWS delivery.
• Experience with data ingestion, transformation, catalogs, and lake architectures.
• Strong understanding of data governance and secure access controls.
• Hands-on AWS cloud experience and ability to work effectively in highly controlled environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve AWS data lakes using Amazon S3, AWS Glue, and Lake Formation.
• Build and maintain metadata catalogs, schema ingestion, and data discovery capabilities.
• Create ETL/ELT pipelines and optimize data access for analytics workloads.
• Implement fine-grained data governance, tagging, and attribute-based access patterns.

Skills

AWS data engineering

Amazon S3

AWS Glue

Data governance

ETL/ELT pipelines

TS/SCI clearance

Tools

Athena

OpenSearch

EMR

Job description

Description

Are you ready to put your AWS expertise to work on cloud challenges that few engineers get the chance to tackle? Select Search Associates LLC (SSA) is seeking an experienced AWS MDM / Big Data (Data Lake) Engineer to join our client’s highly skilled team delivering advanced cloud engineering capabilities for a mission-critical, security-sensitive initiative. Shape the next generation of secure enterprise data platforms. You will help make complex datasets discoverable, governed, and useful through scalable AWS data engineering and modern data architecture. You will work with experienced technical partners in a collaborative environment where careful engineering and measurable results matter.

The program you will be supporting is a highly classified, mission-critical modernization initiative. Your roles will be to help build next-generation cloud infrastructure and integration platforms that connect fragmented intelligence, operational data, and mission systems through APIs, MCP servers, and cloud-native technologies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and evolve AWS data lakes using Amazon S3, AWS Glue, and Lake Formation.
• Build and maintain metadata catalogs, schema ingestion, and data discovery capabilities.
• Create ETL/ELT pipelines and optimize data access for analytics workloads.
• Implement fine-grained data governance, tagging, and attribute-based access patterns.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of data engineering experience with hands-on AWS delivery.
• Experience with data ingestion, transformation, catalogs, and lake architectures.
• Strong understanding of data governance and secure access controls.
• Hands-on AWS cloud experience and ability to work effectively in highly controlled environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Data mesh or zero-trust data architecture experience.
• Athena, OpenSearch, EMR, or complex metadata management platforms.
• Relevant AWS professional or specialty certifications; Security+ or CISSP where applicable.

Requirements

• Active TS/SCI clearance; must be eligible for applicable SCI read-on/indoctrination and additional program-specific access approvals.
• Must reside within commuting distance of one of the following 4 approved secure work locations: Herndon, VA; Washington, DC; Seattle, WA; or Denver, CO.
• Regular on-site work in an approved secure facility and occasional work at authorized customer facilities may be required. This is not a remote position.
• Full-time position, on-site at the specified location(s)
• Please note that pursuant to a government contract, this specific position requires U.S. citizenship status

What is Important to Us:

• You are an excellent communicator in writing and speaking.
• You have the ability to work independently but also value teamwork.
• Your problem-solving skills are excellent.
• You are looking for a job where performance appraisals occur regularly, and you look forward to advancing your career.
• You seek a community of virtue-centered co-workers and clients.