Data Engineer, Information Technology

The Heritage Foundation; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 105,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

The Heritage Foundation is seeking a Data Engineer to design, build, and maintain data pipelines and infrastructure that support analytics and decision-making. You will collaborate with analysts, engineers, and business stakeholders to deliver scalable solutions.

Responsibilities include implementing data quality processes, supporting data warehouses and lakes, and ensuring reliable data flow across systems. The role demands strong SQL, Python/Java/Scala, and familiarity with big data tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• 5+ years of data engineering or related roles.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, Java or Scala; BI tools familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize ETL/ELT data pipelines.
• Ensure reliable data flow across systems.
• Support structured and unstructured data ingestion from multiple sources.
• Develop AI-ready data pipelines and capabilities for multi-source data fusion.
• Maintain data models, schemas, and storage solutions.
• Support development of data warehouses, data lakes, and databases.
• Build prototypes and proof-of-concept solutions for advanced analytics.

Skills

SQL

Python

Java/Scala

Hadoop

Spark

Kafka

Data governance

Data security

BI tools

Microsoft Suite

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Hadoop

Spark

Kafka

Airflow

Job description

Reports to: Director, Information Technology

Job Summary : The Data Engineer is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining data pipelines and infrastructure to ensure data is reliable, accessible, and optimized for analytics and decision-making. The Data Engineer collaborates with cross-functional teams, including analysts, engineers, and business stakeholders, to deliver scalable data solutions that support organizational goals.

Job Duties:

• Design, build, and optimize ETL/ELT data pipelines.
• Ensure efficient and reliable data flow across systems.
• Support structured and unstructured data ingestion from multiple sources.
• Develop and maintain AI-ready data pipelines and capabilities for multi-source data fusion.

Data Quality & Reliability

• Implement data validation, monitoring, and cleansing processes.
• Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity.
• Troubleshoot and resolve data-related issues.
• Design and maintain data models, schemas, and storage solutions.
• Support development of data warehouses, data lakes, and databases.
• Build prototypes and proof-of-concept solutions for advanced analytics.

Stakeholder Support & Coordination

• Work with data architects, analysts, and business teams to define requirements.
• Translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Support analytics and reporting initiatives.
• Coordinate with third-party vendors and consultants.
• Support integration of external data systems and tools.
• Maintain documentation of data processes and systems and identify and implement improvements to data workflows and performance.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and best practices.

Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

Experience: 5+ years of experience in data engineering or related roles

Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills

Technology: Microsoft Suite; proficiency in SQL, Python, Java, or Scala and experience with big data tools like Hadoop, Spark, or Kafka; strong familiarity with data management frameworks, data lakes, data warehouses, databases, and workflow orchestration tools; knowledge of data governance and data security practices; familiarity with BI tools

Other Requirements:

• Understand and support the Heritage mission and vision for America, and the department’s goals and objectives.
• Ability to translate technical concepts clearly to a non-technical audience.
• Well organized, highly motivated, and exceptional time management.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment.
• Manage relevant vendor and consultant relationships.

Benefits and Salary:

The Heritage Foundation offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, best-in-class health care, vision, and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement funding, “take what you need” PTO and sick leave, 14 weeks of paid leave for new moms and 6 weeks of paid leave for new dads, among other programs.

The salary range for this role is $105,000 - $130,000 annually. This is a good‑faith estimate, and the final salary offered to a selected candidate depends on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, and other qualifications; internal and external market pay for comparable jobs; and level of hire based on aforementioned qualifications.