Data Engineer - CENTCOM

Agile Defense; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Agile Defense is looking for a Data Engineer to support the development of AI-enabled data solutions at Combatant Commands. The ideal candidate will design data pipelines and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to derive insights from complex data.

A bachelor's degree with relevant experience (3+ years) is required. Familiarity with cloud-based platforms like AWS is preferred. The role demands strong communication skills and active participation in agile environments.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree plus 3 years of recent specialized experience.
• 3+ years of experience in applied data science or machine learning.
• Strong technical communication skills and collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

• Support design, development, and operational deployment of AI-enabled data solutions.
• Shape and deploy data pipelines and workflows.
• Transform raw data into meaningful insights and decision-support tools.

Skills

Applied data science

Machine learning engineering

Data pipeline development

Python

SQL

MLOps

Education

Bachelor's degree

Associate's degree with experience

Major certification with experience

Tools

AWS

Azure

Databricks

Spark

Job description

Requisition #: 1691

Job Title: Data Engineer - CENTCOM

Location: Tampa, FL

Clearance Level: Top Secret, Must Have Clearance to Start

Job Description

Agile Defense is seeking a Data Scientist / Engineer to support the design, development, and operational deployment of scalable, AI-enabled data solutions within the Department of Defense’s CDAO ADA IR program. This role is part of a multidisciplinary team integrating advanced analytics, machine learning, and engineering practices into mission-critical environments at Combatant Commands.

You will help shape and deploy data pipelines, pre-processing workflows, feature engineering strategies, and machine learning services within secure, containerized environments. The ideal candidate brings a hybrid of statistical modeling fluency and hands‑on software engineering expertise.

You will collaborate closely with product managers, full‑stack developers, platform engineers, and mission stakeholders to transform raw data into meaningful insights and decision‑support tools.

This role requires strong technical communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and experience working in agile environments that value reproducibility, testing, and continuous delivery. Familiarity with cloud‑based data platforms such as Databricks, Palantir, or AWS‑native data services is highly preferred.

Education and Background

A bachelor's degree plus 3 years of recent specialized experience, OR, an associate's degree plus 7 years of recent specialized experience, OR, a major certification plus 7 years of recent specialized experience, OR, 11 years of recent specialized experience

Years of Experience

3+

Required Skills

• 4+ years of experience in applied data science, machine learning engineering, or data pipeline development.
• Familiarity with MLOps, API development, and secure cloud‑based environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, Palantir Foundry).
• Strong understanding of data validation, model testing, and performance evaluation techniques.

Preferred Skills

• Proficient in Python, SQL, and distributed data frameworks (e.g., Spark, Databricks, PySpark).
• Experience developing ML models from training to deployment using industry‑standard tools and libraries (e.g., scikit‑learn, TensorFlow, XGBoost, MLflow).
• Familiarity with MLOps, API development, and secure cloud‑based environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, Palantir Foundry).
• Strong understanding of data validation, model testing, and performance evaluation techniques.
• Experience with data visualization and storytelling using tools such as Tableau, Plotly, or Matplotlib.
• Excellent technical communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to non‑technical audiences.

Working Conditions

Must be able to work in a SCIF at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities