Data Engineer

NC State University; Raleigh, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Childcare benefits

Wellness & Recreation Membership

Wellness Programs

Job summary

NC State University is seeking a Data Engineer to support the SPEED national autonomous-science user facility. You will develop and maintain data infrastructure connecting instruments, robotics, AI, and lab automation to enable reproducible experiments in chemistry and materials science.

The role requires strong Python/SQL skills, ETL/ELT experience, and collaboration with scientists and IT teams to ensure robust data pipelines and scalable storage solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, IT, or related field.
• Proficient in Python and SQL for data engineering and automation.
• Experience with ETL/ELT pipelines, APIs, data modeling, and schema design.
• Familiarity with relational and document databases and metadata.
• Git, Linux, testing, monitoring, and technical documentation.
• Ability to collaborate with scientists, automation, software, AI, and IT teams.
• Knowledge of data quality, provenance, identifiers, access control, and backup/recovery.

Responsibilities

• Build data ingestion, transformation, and processing pipelines.
• Design schemas for samples, experiments, metadata, provenance, and instrument outputs.
• Maintain databases and storage with indexing and data-access services.
• Implement data-quality, validation, and provenance checks.
• Integrate data systems with lab automation, software, AI, and user workflows.
• Manage access controls, monitoring, backup/recovery, and user support.
• Develop data dictionaries, API specs, and schema documentation.

Skills

Python

SQL

ETL/ELT

APIs

Data modeling

Schema design

Git

Linux

Data quality

Provenance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MongoDB

PostgreSQL

Cloud

Docker

Job description

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Anticipated Hiring Range Commensurate with experience and education (anticipated hiring range $70,000 - $80,000)

Work Schedule Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm (additional work outside of standard hours may be required due to business needs)

Department Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering’s primary research mission involves managing high-impact, multi-disciplinary research initiatives, specialized laboratory facilities, and large-scale sponsor portfolios. To support faculty innovation and maintain seamless operations across complex grant portfolios, the department utilizes embedded administrative professionals who provide direct, localized support to large faculty research groups, multi-investigator centers, and specialized laboratory infrastructure. Operate the Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design (SPEED) as an NSF-funded national autonomous-science user facility. Provide remote access to integrated self-driving laboratories. Connect robotics, scientific instruments, AI, and data infrastructure. Enable reproducible experiments in chemistry and materials science. Serve academic, government, and industry research users.

Wolfpack Perks and Benefits

As a Pack member, you belong here, and can enjoy exclusive perks designed to enhance your personal and professional well-being. As you consider this opportunity, we encourage you to review our Employee Value Proposition and learn more about what makes NC State the best place to learn and work for everyone.

Attain Work-life balance with our Childcare benefits, Wellness & Recreation Membership , and Wellness Programs that aim to build a thriving wolfpack community.

Disclaimer: Perks and Benefit eligibility is based on Part-Time or Full-Time Employment status. Eligibility and Employer Sponsored Plans can be found within each of the links offered.

The Data Engineer supports the NSF-funded Programmable Cloud Lab Center’s research mission by developing and maintaining data infrastructure for the SPEED national autonomous-science user facility. The position connects scientific instruments, laboratory automation, robotics, AI, and research data systems to support reliable, organized, and accessible experimental data. As the Data Engineer, you will contribute to an interdisciplinary research environment serving academic, government, and industry users while supporting reproducible experimentation and data-driven scientific discovery.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Build and operate scientific data ingestion, transformation, and processing pipelines
• Design schemas for samples, experiments, metadata, provenance, and instrument outputs
• Maintain databases, object/time-series storage, indexing, and data-access services
• Implement automated data-quality, validation, unit, completeness, and provenance checks
• Integrate data systems with laboratory automation, software, AI, and user workflows
• Manage access controls, monitoring, backup/recovery, documentation, and user support

If you are a data engineering professional interested in applying your expertise to scientific research, this position offers an opportunity to support innovative autonomous laboratories and contribute to data-driven discovery in chemistry and materials science. We welcome you to apply and join our team.

Other Responsibilities

• Develop data dictionaries, API specifications, and schema documentation.
• Support FAIR data practices and persistent identifiers.
• Assist users with data access, export, and troubleshooting.
• Evaluate new databases, storage technologies, and interoperability standards.
• Participate in technical reviews, platform commissioning, and sponsor demonstrations.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, IT, or related field..

Other Required Qualifications

• Python and SQL for data engineering and automation.
• ETL / ELT pipelines, APIs, data modeling, and schema design.
• Relational/document databases and structured scientific metadata.
• Git, Linux, testing, monitoring, and technical documentation.
• Data quality, provenance, identifiers, access control, and backup/recovery.
• Ability to collaborate with scientists, automation, software, AI, and IT teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Scientific data engineering or laboratory informatics, including ETL / ELT pipelines and structured data models.
• Proficiency with relational, document-oriented, object, and/or time-series databases, such as MongoDB or PostgreSQL.
• Familiarity with FAIR data practices, metadata standards, ontologies, and/or provenance systems.
• Cloud or container infrastructure and scalable data services.
• AI/ML data pipelines or integration of data systems with autonomous laboratories.
• Scientific data from spectroscopy, chromatography, imaging, or process-based applications.

Required License(s) or Certification(s)

N/A

Valid NC Driver's License required

Commercial Driver's License required

Special Instructions to Applicants

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

We welcome you to apply and join our team.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * How did you learn of this opportunity?
  • NCSU Website
  • NCSU Executive Search Services
  • Monster.com
  • CareerBuilder.com
  • InsideHigherEd.com
  • Other Online Job Board
  • Carolina Job Finder / Employment Guide
  • Job / Career Fair
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • HERC
  • Professional Journal
  • Print Advertisement (Newspaper / Periodical)
  • Professional Organization
  • Direct Contact from NCSU HR Representative / Recruiter
  • NCSU Employee Referral
  • Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Other)
  • Other
• If you learned about this vacancy from "other source" or "other website", please provide the source.

  (Open Ended Question)

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Contact Information for References

Optional Documents

None specified.

NC STATE UNIVERSITY

RALEIGH, NC 27695

PHONE: [phone]

Equal Opportunity Statement

NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at [phone] or [e-mail].

NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.