Data Engineer - Junior

Xpect-Solutions; Virginia (MN); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision benefits

Retirement Savings Plan

Life Insurance

AD&D Insurance

Disability Insurance

PTO 3 weeks

Holiday PTO 11 days

Performance Awards

Referral Bonus Plan (up to $5,000/year

Education Reimbursement/Training (up 到

Job summary

XPECT Solutions, LLC is seeking a Junior Data Engineer to support a Federal Government client with secure, cloud-based mission systems. You will work across front-end, back-end, data, and cloud layers to translate mission requirements into scalable solutions that meet NIST 800-53 and FedRAMP requirements.

The role is hybrid, onsite one day per week, and requires hands-on technical leadership, architecture experience, and collaboration with cross-functional teams. U.S.

Qualifications

• Must be a US Citizen able to obtain a Public Trust Level 6C.
• 3-5 years of Information Assurance experience.
• Experience with Python, Spark, PySpark, SQL and Database Implementation, Data Engineering and Data Pipelines, Storage and Compute Optimization, GitHub, Jenkins/CloudBees, Ansible, Terraform, Vault.

Responsibilities

• Design end-to-end solution architectures for secure, cloud-based data platforms supporting federal mission workloads.
• Develop reference architectures, design patterns, and ADRs to guide engineering teams.
• Architect distributed data processing pipelines using Spark and PySpark; define partitioning, caching, and resource strategies.
• Lead database design and data modeling for relational and analytical workloads.
• Define storage and compute optimization strategies to balance performance and budget.
• Collaborate with DevSecOps to embed security/compliance controls into architectures and CI/CD workflows.
• Conduct architectural reviews and proof‑of‑concept evaluations to validate solutions.
• Produce architecture documentation and technical briefings for engineering, security, and government stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams.
• Partner with program leadership to evaluate emerging technologies and roadmap investments.

Skills

Python

Spark

PySpark

SQL

Data engineering

Data pipelines

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

GitHub

Jenkins/CloudBees

Ansible

Terraform

Vault

Job description

Company Overview

XPECT Solutions, LLChas built a strong reputation by supporting our clients in meeting their strategic goals and mission objectives. We provide high quality resources for a wide range of IT and security solutions at best-value pricing. Our success is built on a solid foundation of well-vetted, highly technical personnel, a disciplined project management approach, and an overarching commitment to customer service. We develop, test, deploy, and support exceptional solutions that enhance system functionality, while maximizing reliability and availability, and ensure the tightest security.

Job Overview

XPECT Solutions is seeking a Junior Data Engineerto support our Federal Government Customer with delivering secure, cloud-based mission systems. The Engineer will contribute to the end-to-end technical design across full-stack applications, microservices, and AWS infrastructure, setting architectural direction and guiding a team of engineers through delivery. This role spans front-end (React, JavaScript, HTML/CSS), back-end (Java, Spring Boot, Python, Apache Camel, GraphQL), data, and cloud layers — translating mission requirements into scalable, maintainable solutions that meet federal compliance requirements (NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, DHS 4300A). The ideal candidate is a hands‑on technical leader who can move fluidly between whiteboard design, code review, and stakeholder briefings, and who has a track record of leading architecture for complex distributed systems in regulated environments. As a Hybrid position, there is an onsite requirement of one day per week.

Core Responsibilities

• Design end-to-end solution architectures for secure, cloud-based data platforms supporting federal mission workloads, including data ingestion, processing, storage, and analytics layers.
• Develop reference architectures, design patterns, and architectural decision records (ADRs) that guide engineering teams and ensure consistency across the program.
• Architect distributed data processing pipelines using Spark and PySpark, defining partitioning, caching, and resource strategies to optimize throughput and cost.
• Lead database design and data modeling efforts for relational and analytical workloads, including schema design, indexing strategy, and SQL performance tuning.
• Define storage and compute optimization strategies — tiering, right-sizing, autoscaling, and workload placement — to balance performance against budget constraints.
• Collaborate with DevSecOps to embed security and compliance controls (NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, DHS 4300A) into architectural designs and CI/CD workflows using GitHub, Jenkins/CloudBees, Ansible, Terraform, and Vault.
• Conduct architectural reviews, design trade‑off analyses, and proof‑of‑concept evaluations to validate solutions before full implementation.
• Produce architecture documentation, diagrams, and technical briefings tailored to engineering, security, and government stakeholder audiences.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams, guiding implementation decisions and resolving complex design issues.
• Partner with program leadership to assess emerging technologies, evaluate vendor offerings, and recommend roadmap investments aligned to mission needs.

Requirements

• Must Be A US Citizen Able to Obtain A Public Trust Level 6C
• 3-5 years of Information Assurance experience
• Experience with the following technologies:
  • Python
  • Spark
  • PySpark
  • SQL and Database Implementation
  • Data Engineering and Data Pipelines
  • Storage and Compute Optimization
  • GitHub
  • Jenkins/Cloudbees
  • Ansible
  • Terraform
  • Vault

Preferred Additional Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field.

Benefits

Xpect Solutions, LLCis a one-of-a-kind employer with a talented team that is cleared at various levels and is certified in dozens of industry-recognized certifications. Our talented staff are the key to our success. They bring the knowledge, experience and technical skills to deliver the best solutions to our customers.

We support our team by providing open communication, win‑win partnerships with clients and vendors, a team-oriented culture,and a focus on professional development and growth for a long‑lasting and happy career.

We offer a benefits package that is designed to keep our most important assets – our employees – healthy, happy, energized and moving forward. Our philosophy is simple – empower our employees with the benefits, resources and the financial incentives they need to be successful.

Benefits and Perks:

• A competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plan
• Retirement Savings Plan
• Life Insurance
• AD&D Insurance
• Short Term and Long Term Disability Insurance
• 3 weeks of annual PTO
• 11 days of Holiday PTO
• Performance Awards
• Referral Bonus Plan (of up to $5,000/year)
• Education Reimbursement/Training (of up to $2,500/year)