Data Engineer & Application Development (TS/SCI w/ Poly)

Orbis; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbis is seeking a Data Engineer to build, deploy, and sustain data pipelines and supporting applications for federal intelligence programs. This growth role offers broad exposure across the data life cycle and requires a candidate who is curious, adaptable, and ready to pick up new tools as the mission requires, with a clear path to greater technical ownership over time.

Travel involves on‑site work in Washington, DC metro area; occasional work from Orbis offices or home when appropriate.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with a poly required.
• 2–5 years experience in data engineering or related technical role.
• Experience integrating APIs and data sources.
• Linux knowledge and container experience.
• Willingness to learn new tools and grow with the role.

Responsibilities

• Data Pipelines: Build and sustain ingestion pipelines that pull structured and unstructured data from feeds, batch loads, and external systems.
• Delivery: Translate requirements from analysts and end users into working data flows and supporting application features.
• Application Support: Build and maintain supporting interfaces and server‑side logic as needed to expose or operate on pipeline data.
• AI/Agentic Support: Support the architecture, integration, and validation layers behind AI agent and retrieval‑driven applications.
• Deployment & Sustainment: Package, deploy, and sustain containerized pipelines and applications in cloud and accredited environments, including air‑gapped enclaves.
• Testing & Support: Debug issues, run automated and functional tests, and resolve user‑reported problems.
• Collaboration: Work with product owners, analysts, and senior engineers in an agile environment.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

Data engineering

APIs integration

Linux

Containers

Learning agility

Collaboration

Job description

McLean, VA

Company Overview

Orbis is a technology company that delivers sovereign intelligence and decision capabilities to the United States Government and its allies. We convert complex information and operational systems into decisive outcomes, giving public institutions and critical enterprises the tools to move faster, see clearer, and act first in an increasingly contested world.

We are not a consulting firm and not a systems integrator. Every Orbis team is built around practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, and every engagement is judged on one thing: whether it produces working capability, not slide decks. Solutions forged from experience; that is how we build, and it is how we hire.

Job Summary
We are looking for a Data Engineer to help build, deploy, and sustain data pipelines and supporting applications for federal intelligence programs. This is a growth role: broad exposure across the data life cycle matters more to us than deep specialization in any one technology. The right candidate is curious, adaptable, and ready to pick up new tools as the mission requires, with a clear path to greater technical ownership over time.

Travel: The engineer works primarily on‑site in customer spaces, must be available for meetings across the Washington Metro Area, and may work occasionally from Orbis offices or home.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Pipelines: Build and sustain ingestion pipelines that pull structured and unstructured data from feeds, batch loads, and external systems.
• Delivery: Translate requirements from analysts and end users into working data flows and supporting application features.
• Application Support: Build and maintain supporting interfaces and server‑side logic as needed to expose or operate on pipeline data.
• AI/Agentic Support: Support the architecture, integration, and validation layers behind AI agent and retrieval‑driven applications.
• Deployment & Sustainment: Package, deploy, and sustain containerized pipelines and applications in cloud and accredited environments, including air‑gapped enclaves.
• Testing & Support: Debug issues, run automated and functional tests, and resolve user‑reported problems.
• Collaboration: Work with product owners, analysts, and senior engineers in an agile environment.

Required Qualifications

• Clearance: Active TS/SCI clearance with a poly.
• Experience: 2–5 years of experience in data engineering, software development, or a related technical role working with data and applications.
• Data & Application Integration: Basic experience working with APIs, connecting different systems and data sources, and building or supporting data pipelines.
• Linux & Containers: Basic hands‑on experience running applications or data tools in a Linux environment; experience with containers is helpful.
• Adaptability: Able to learn new programming languages, tools, and technologies as needed. We value problem‑solving and a willingness to learn over deep expertise and experience in any specific technology.
• Coachability & Growth: Open to learning application development and taking on new responsibilities. We're looking for someone with strong learning instincts who responds well to feedback and can grow with the role.

Desired Qualifications

• End‑to‑end ownership of a data pipeline or application, from initial build through deployment and sustainment.
• Relational and embedded analytical databases.
• CI/CD pipelines and automated build tooling.
• Deployment into GovCloud, secure enclaves, or other accredited or isolated environments.
• Agentic AI Architecture: Working familiarity with how models, tools, retrieval, and validation layers fit together in modern AI agent applications.
• Configuration‑Driven Design: Comfort externalizing business logic into configuration files rather than hard‑coding it into the application.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Participation in virtual and in‑person meetings
• Ability to attend planned meetings and/or work in classified spaces for extended periods within the specified work regions

Beyond the opportunity to work alongside practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, joining Orbis means real ownership over outcomes that matter; the chance to build technology that gives the United States Government and its allies a genuine decision advantage, not just another dashboard. From competitive retirement matching to a PTO policy that encourages real time off, we're committed to creating an environment where our team can do their best work and still have a life outside of it.

Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. A full list of benefits is shared with candidates following an initial conversation with our HR team, so you'll have a clear picture of the support and resources available to you as part of the Orbis team.

Orbis Locations

Orbis works in whatever arrangement the mission requires. Depending on the role, that might mean five days a week on a customer site, full‑time in one of our offices, a hybrid schedule, or fully remote work; our team is spread across 25 states and four countries to match. We make sure every team member has the tools and access needed to do the work, wherever that work happens.

Travel is common across many Orbis roles, particularly those supporting customer missions in the field.

Orbis is headquartered in McLean, VA, with additional office locations in Taipei, Taiwan, and Canberra, Australia.

Orbis is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment, and we make employment decisions based on merit,

qualifications, and business need. Orbis does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Orbis complies with all applicable equal opportunity and non‑discrimination laws in every jurisdiction in which we operate. Reasonable accommodation is available to applicants and employees with disabilities upon request.