Data Engineer/Architect

Leidos; United States; Remote; USD 108,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking an experienced Data Engineer/Architect to design a data foundation for generative AI applications, including RAG, and enable analytics across diverse data sources. The role combines architecture with hands-on development using Python and/or JavaScript.

Candidate scope is across experience levels, with compensation aligned to background. Remote work is available for this position, with US citizenship and Top Secret eligibility required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's with 8+ or 12+ years in science/engineering/tech, or Master's with 6+ or 10+ years; equivalency considered.
• US citizenship; ability to obtain Top Secret clearance in DISS.
• 5+ years designing and developing systems to analyze large structured and unstructured data from diverse sources.
• 5+ years of AI applications experience, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Able to develop tools, algorithms and queries to improve business performance; hands-on Python/JS development.
• Able to build intelligent systems that learn from data, predict outcomes and act autonomously.
• Strong written and verbal communication to explain data engineering and architecture to non-technical audiences.
• Experience working directly with product owners.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement big data systems, ETL pipelines and Data Lakes/Lakehouse/Meshes.
• Design and implement schema and ontologies.
• Create data foundations to support generative AI apps (RAG) and analytics.
• Implement row/cell level data access control.
• Hands-on development in Python or JavaScript for data integration and app features.
• Document data definitions and designs.

Skills

Big data design

ETL pipelines

Data lakes/lakehouse

Schema & ontology design

Python development

JavaScript development

Data security/access control

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree with 8+ or 12+ years in STEM

Master's degree with 6+ or 10+ years in STEM

Tools

Dagster

PostgreSQL

Alembic

pgvector

SysML

Job description

Data Engineer/Architect

Location: Remote

Clearance Required: US Citizenship; Ability to obtain Top Secret clearance

Leidos has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Data Engineer/Architect to support the design of a new data foundation. This foundation will support generative AI applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and enable analysis of diverse data sets. Looking for an engineer with strong architectural and hands-on development skills who can define the foundation (tools, schemas, and ontologies) and document that definition so that software engineers can implement, and management can understand the capabilities that the foundation can support.

This role is open to candidates across a range of experience levels. The scope of the position and corresponding compensation will be aligned with the selected candidate's background and expertise.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design and implementation of big data systems, ETL pipelines and Data Lakes / Lakehouse / Meshes.
• Design and implementation of schema and ontologies.
• Design and implementation of data foundation to support generative AI applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and business analytics.
• Design and implementation of row/cell level data access control.
• Hands‑on software development using Python and/or JavaScript to support data integration and application functionality.
• Documentation of data definitions and designs.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ or 12+ years of experience in a Science, Engineering, or Technology field or a Master's degree with 6+ or 10+ years of experience in a Science, Engineering, or Technology field. Additional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• US citizenship; Ability to obtain a Top Secret security clearance in DISS.
• 5+ years of experience with design and development of systems to analyze structured and unstructured large data sets from disparate sources.
• 5+ years of experience with principals associated with AI applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Ability to develop tools, algorithms and queries to improve business performance.
• Ability to develop new technical solutions, including hands‑on Python or JavaScript development, to achieve project goals.
• Ability to develop intelligent systems that analyze data, learn from patterns, predict outcomes, and make informed decisions autonomously.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate data engineering and architectural concepts to non-technical audience.
• Experience working directly with product owners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating and/or operating: Dagster, PostgresSQL, Alembic, pgvector
• Experience with digital Engineering (SysML).
• Experience with generative AI applications, including RAG, embeddings, and vector search.
• Experience with operational support to data foundation and devOps.
• Familiar with Medallion style architecture.
• Current Secret clearance in DISS.

Please be advised that during the interview, you will be required to keep your camera on, and your interviewer will be taking your picture for identification purposes if an offer letter is extended to you.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Pay Range

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.