Data Engineer/Metadata Engineer - TS Required

Partner Forces; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Partner Forces in Arlington, VA is seeking a pragmatic Data Engineer / Metadata Engineer to support a federal cybersecurity client. You will design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines, integrate structured and unstructured data, and help establish data governance across cloud environments.

Ideal candidates bring 3–7 years of data engineering experience, hands-on ETL/ELT work, strong SQL skills, and a security clearance.

Qualifications

• Must be a US citizen.
• Active Top Secret security clearance.
• 3–7 years of experience in data engineering or metadata engineering.
• Hands-on ETL/ELT design and data pipelines.
• Strong SQL and database experience.
• Experience with data warehousing or large-scale data platforms.
• Understanding of metadata management and data governance.
• Experience in at least one major cloud environment (Azure/AWS/GCP).
• Able to troubleshoot complex data problems and work with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes.
• Integrate structured and unstructured data from multiple sources.
• Build and support data models, warehouses, lakes, and lakehouse environments.
• Develop automation and monitoring to improve data pipeline reliability and quality.
• Create and maintain metadata repositories and data catalogs.
• Support metadata collection, classification, and enrichment.
• Establish data lineage to explain data origins and changes.
• Define data governance practices including ownership and quality controls.
• Identify opportunities to improve data quality, accessibility, and trust.
• Support cloud-based data environments across Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Develop automation-first approaches to data management and platform operations.
• Translate business needs into practical technical solutions.

Skills

US Citizenship

Top Secret clearance

ETL/ELT pipelines

SQL

Cloud data platforms

Data governance

Communication

Job description

Partner Forces is a management consulting firm helping homeland security organizations solve some of their most pressing and complex challenges. We partner with government agencies and industry to strengthen national security and critical infrastructure through expertise in strategy, program management, stakeholder engagement, technology implementation, preparedness, and business transformation.

At Partner Forces, we're more than consultants—we're trusted advisors. We work alongside our clients to solve meaningful problems, deliver actionable solutions, and make a lasting impact. As a growing firm, every employee has the opportunity to contribute not only to our clients' success, but also to the future of Partner Forces. We believe great consultants are developed through collaboration, mentorship, continuous learning, and meaningful opportunities to lead.

Our culture is grounded in six core values: Integrity, Excellence, Positivity, Candor, Determination, and Teamwork. These values shape how we work with our clients, support one another, and grow together. We believe that when our people thrive, our clients do too, which is why we invest in our employees' well-being, professional development, and long-term success.

Partner Forces is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact us at [e-mail].

What We Are Looking For

Partner Forces is looking for a hands-on Data Engineer / Metadata Engineer to support a mission-focused federal cybersecurity client. We’re looking for someone who enjoys getting underneath the data and making it work better. You’ll help build and improve the pipelines, platforms, and processes that move data across systems while also helping ensure that data is organized, understandable, discoverable, and trusted. This is a great fit for someone who brings strong technical data engineering experience and is equally comfortable thinking about the bigger picture of how data is governed, cataloged, and used across an organization. At Partner Forces, we value curious problem solvers who are comfortable jumping into complex environments, asking good questions, collaborating with technical and nontechnical stakeholders, and finding practical ways to make things better.

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes
• Integrate structured and unstructured data from multiple internal and external sources
• Build and support data models, databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and lakehouse environments
• Develop automation and monitoring to improve the reliability, performance, and quality of data pipelines
• Build and maintain metadata repositories and data catalogs that make data easier to find, understand, and use
• Support automated metadata collection, classification, and enrichment
• Establish and maintain data lineage to help users understand where data comes from, how it changes, and where it is used
• Help define and implement data governance practices, including data ownership, stewardship, quality controls, and standards
• Identify opportunities to improve data quality, consistency, accessibility, and trust
• Support cloud-based data environments and integrations across platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP
• Develop automation-first approaches to data management and platform operations
• Partner with stakeholders to understand business and mission needs and translate them into practical technical solutions
• Support data that powers analytics, reporting, AI/ML, and other mission capabilities

Qualifications

• Must be a US Citizen.
• An active Top Secret security clearance
• Approximately 3 to 7 years of experience in data engineering, metadata engineering, data platforms, or a closely related technical field
• Hands-on experience designing or building ETL/ELT processes and data pipelines
• Strong experience with SQL and relational or nonrelational databases
• Experience with data warehousing, large-scale data processing, or modern data platform environments
• Experience with data modeling and integrating data from multiple sources
• Understanding of metadata management, data lineage, data catalogs, and data governance
• Experience working in at least one major cloud environment such as Azure, AWS, or GCP
• Ability to troubleshoot complex data problems and develop practical solutions
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with both technical teams and mission stakeholders

Next Steps

If your application looks like a match, someone from our People Operations team will reach out to schedule a phone screening. During this conversation, we will determine if the current or future position aligns with your experience and skills. If things go well, from there you'll meet with members from the project team, including the hiring manager and teammates, and possibly be asked to submit a writing assessment to showcase your practical knowledge. If we find you are a match, you’ll get a call offering you the role. While we wish we could hire every great candidate who comes our way, the reality is that we can't. If you are not selected, we will be sure to connect with you and let you know so you can move on with your search. We will also keep your resume for future needs.