Data & Applications Engineer (Internal Candidates Only)

Washington Education Association; Federal Way (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid medical, dental, vision,

Life insurance (full family coverage)

Generous sick time off and PTO

Long-term disability plan

401(k) with employer contribution

Defined Benefit plan

Relocation assistance

WEA Collective Bargaining Agreement

Job summary

The Washington Education Association (WEA) is seeking a Data & Applications Engineer to lead databases, data integration, and business platforms, providing Tier 2/3 support and guiding Azure-based data architecture.

You will manage SQL Server environments, design data models, and build integrations to support Tableau, Appian, Laserfiche, and other tools. Collaboration with IT leadership and staff enables modernization and secure, scalable reporting for WA state education stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent professional experience.
• Five or more years of demonstrated experience with Microsoft SQL Server in production, including administration, performance tuning, backup and recovery, and security.
• Advanced T-SQL skills to read, debug, and rewrite queries, procedures, and ETL logic.
• Experience designing data models, building integrations using APIs/web services, and ETL processes.
• Hands-on experience with SQL Server in Microsoft Azure (Azure VMs, Azure SQL Managed Instance, or Azure SQL Database), including at least one migration to Azure.
• Experience developing on or supporting low-code or business application platforms such as Appian, Laserfiche, or Microsoft Power Platform.
• Experience with version control and structured release management (Git, dev/test/prod environments).
• Knowledge of industry trends and ability to stay current with evolving technologies.
• Strong written communication and technical documentation skills for non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Administer WEA’s SQL environment including configuration, access control, patching, backup and recovery, and performance tuning.
• Plan and execute database migrations, upgrades, and consolidations.
• Write and optimize T-SQL queries, views, and stored procedures.
• Oversee design and monitoring of data pipelines and ETL processes; lead modernization efforts.
• Guide data architecture strategy in Microsoft Azure with IT leadership, considering hosting options and costs.
• Maintain data source inventories and storage/documentation standards.
• Design, build, and maintain integrations between WEA systems and third-party platforms.
• Administer business application platforms with configuration, licensing, access control, and least-privilege principles.
• Support secure, private, and high-performing member-facing applications and services.
• Develop scripts and automations to improve operational efficiency across data and application systems.
• Serve as Tier 2/3 escalation for databases, integrations, and applications and document runbooks.

Skills

Microsoft SQL Server

T-SQL

Azure

Data Modeling

APIs

ETL

Git

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Appian

Laserfiche

Power Platform

Tableau

Power BI

Git

Azure Data Factory

SSIS

Job description

Job Summary

The Data & Applications Engineer serves as WEA’s (Washington Education Association’s) technical lead for databases, data integration, and business application platforms. This position is responsible for WEA’s SQL environment and data sources, as well as the data and integration layer behind key business applications, including Tableau, Appian, and Laserfiche.

Reporting to the IT Manager, the Data & Applications Engineer collaborates with IT leadership on data and application platform strategy, planning, and design. This position also partners with staff across WEA who build, maintain, and use these applications and reports. Additionally, this role serves as a Tier 2/3 escalation resource for support requests related to databases, integrations, and business applications, contributing to a goal of helping WEA members strengthen public schools in Washington State.

Benefits and Compensation

• Salary range (CATEGORY 5) - $150,179 to $206,210
• Employer-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance (full family coverage)
• Generous sick and paid time off (PTO)
• Long-term disability plan
• Defined Contribution plan - 401(k) (with employer contribution)
• Defined Benefit plan
• Relocation assistance
• Position covered by the WEA/WEASO Collective Bargaining Agreement

Responsibilities

Database and Data Platform

• Administer WEA’s SQL environment, including instance configuration, access and security, patching, backup and recovery, and performance tuning.
• Plan and execute database migrations, upgrades, and consolidations.
• Write, troubleshoot, and optimize T‑SQL queries, views, and stored procedures.
• Oversee the design, monitoring, and error handling of WEA’s data pipelines and ETL processes, and lead ongoing modernization efforts.
• Guide the strategy for WEA’s data architecture in Microsoft Azure, in collaboration with IT leadership, including evaluating hosting options, capacity requirements, and cost considerations.
• Maintain an inventory of data sources and establish standards for data storage, sourcing, and documentation.

Applications and Integrations

• Design, build, and maintain integrations between WEA systems and third‑party platforms.
• Administer WEA’s business application platforms, including configuration, upgrades, licensing, vendor relationships, and user access, with an emphasis on least‑privilege principles and role‑based access control.
• Support the design and development of member‑facing applications and services, with an emphasis on security, privacy, and performance.
• Build, support, and maintain workflows, forms, and reports across WEA’s business application platforms.
• Develop scripts or automations to improve operational efficiency across data and application systems.

Support and Continuous Improvement

• Serve as a Tier 2/3 support escalation point for databases, integrations, and business applications.
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) on databases, integrations, and assigned business applications across the organization.
• Maintain up‑to‑date documentation, including runbooks, architecture designs, and data source inventories.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement through knowledge sharing, documentation creation, and collaboration with IT staff and colleagues across the organization.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent professional experience.
• Five or more years of demonstrated experience working with Microsoft SQL Server in a production environment, including administration, performance tuning, backup and recovery, and security.
• Advanced T‑SQL skills, including the ability to read, debug, and rewrite existing queries, stored procedures, and ETL logic.
• Experience designing data models, building integrations using APIs web services, and building ETL processes.
• Hands‑on experience working with SQL Server in Microsoft Azure (Azure VMs, Azure SQL Managed Instance, or Azure SQL Database), including at least one migration of SQL workloads to Azure.
• Experience developing on or supporting low‑code or business application platforms, such as Appian, Laserfiche, or Microsoft Power Platform.
• Experience with version control and structured release management practices, such as Git and separate development, test, and production environments.
• Working knowledge of industry trends, standards, and best practices, with the ability to stay current with evolving technologies.
• Strong written communication and technical documentation skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts and recommendations to non‑technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting analytics and reporting platforms, such as Tableau or Power BI, including connecting and managing data sources.
• Scripting experience using PowerShell, Python, or a similar language.
• Experience with SSIS, Azure Data Factory, or other ETL and integration tools.
• Experience configuring application authentication and single sign‑on with Microsoft Entra ID using SAML, OAuth, or OpenID Connect.
• Experience working in a labor, nonprofit, or public‑sector organization.

COVID-19 Vaccination

As part of our commitment to the health and safety of our employees, members and councils, all candidates must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination status upon hire. Exceptions may be made for medical or religious reasons in accordance with applicable laws.

Supervision

The successful incumbent will function as a member of the Information Technology team and will report to the IT Manager.

The Washington Education Association is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where the contributions of each employee are respected as part of the work performed on behalf of 90,000+ members in public education. WEA embraces employees with varied backgrounds and life experiences, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, socio‑economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical ability, and veteran status. Only those candidates who can commit to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusiveness need apply.