Data Platform Engineer

Talentify; Ashburn (VA); Remote; USD 85,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

Syms Strategic Group, LLC seeks a Data Platform Engineer to lead modernization of a healthcare data platform, migrating from MSSQL XML to a scalable AWS-based architecture with SQL reporting capabilities.

The role requires strong AWS expertise, SQL, and data modeling, plus experience with XML data stores and CI/CD pipelines. This is a remote, U.S.-based position supporting Veterans Affairs.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software or data engineering with a strong AWS focus.
• Experience migrating cloud data platforms in production healthcare environments.
• Track record of evaluating and selecting AWS data services to meet reporting needs.
• Experience delivering analytics solutions for non-technical users.
• Hands-on AWS data services: S3, Athena, Glue, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, OpenSearch, Lambda, IAM, CloudWatch.
• Strong SQL skills for relational queries over XML/JSON.
• Experience with XML-heavy data stores and transformation at scale.
• Ability to compare AWS services by cost, performance, and business needs.
• Familiarity with BI tools such as QuickSight or equivalent.
• Proficiency with Git and GitHub workflows.
• Experience with CI/CD using AWS tools.
• IaC with CDK, CloudFormation, or Terraform.
• Ability to communicate architecture decisions to non-technical stakeholders.
• Translating business reporting needs into robust data models.

Responsibilities

• Lead healthcare data platform modernization initiatives.
• Migrate XML object store to a scalable AWS data architecture for SQL-based reporting.
• Evaluate AWS data strategies and optimal storage architectures.
• Design and build a SQL-friendly reporting layer for business users.
• Architect migration paths for XML data from MSSQL to AWS platforms.
• Maintain AWS data catalog, schemas, and metadata for discoverability.
• Optimize performance and cost across AWS services through partitioning and formats.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate reporting requirements into data models.
• Coordinate dataflow from EDI pipelines into the new data layer.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines using AWS-native tooling and IaC practices.
• Document architecture decisions and data dictionaries clearly.

Skills

AWS cloud

SQL

Data modeling

XML processing

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or Engineering

Tools

MSSQL

S3

Athena

Aurora

DynamoDB

Redshift

OpenSearch

QuickSight

GitHub

CodePipeline

CodeBuild

CodeDeploy

CDK

CloudFormation

Terraform

Terraform

Job description

Syms Strategic Group (SSG) is seeking a talented Data Platform Engineer
Location: Remote
Department: Veterans Affairs (VA)
Type: Full Time
Min. Experience: Experienced
Security Clearance Level: Public Trust (MBI)
Salary Range: $85,389 - $116,975
If you have previously applied to Syms Strategic Group (SSG), there is no need to reapply. Applications are still under review.
Military Veterans are highly encouraged to apply!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the next phase of the healthcare data platform modernization
• Implement the evolution from a Microsoft SQL eXtensible Markup Language (MSSQL XML) object store toward a scalable, cloud-native AWS data architecture that enables business stakeholders and analysts to run performant, SQL-based reports and queries against healthcare data seamlessly
• Evaluate and decide the right AWS data strategy for the platform
• Evaluate and recommend the optimal AWS-native data storage and query architecture for the XML object store data, assessing options such as S3 + Athena, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, and OpenSearch based on query patterns, reporting needs, cost, and scalability
• Design and build the reporting and query layer that allows business stakeholders and non-technical users to run relational SQL queries against healthcare data using familiar tooling
• Architect the migration path for XML object store data from MSSQL into the target AWS platform, defining storage formats, partitioning strategies, and data organization for optimal query performance
• Build and maintain AWS data catalog, schemas, and metadata management so that object store data is discoverable and queryable by business users
• Optimize query performance and cost across chose AWS services – partitioning, compression, file formats, and query pattern tuning
• Work directly with business stakeholders and analysts to understand reporting requirements and translate them into durable, performant data models and query patterns
• Collaborate with back‑end C#/.Net engineer to ensure data flows cleanly from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) processing pipelines into the new data layer
• Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines for data infrastructure using AWS-native tooling (CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy)
• Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices using AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), CloudFormation, or Terraform
• Document architecture decisions, data flows, and data dictionaries clearly for both technical and non-technical audiences

Required Skills and Experience

• 8+ years’ experience in software or data engineering with a strong AWS focus
• Proven experience architecting and executing cloud data platform migrations in production enterprise or healthcare environments
• Track record of evaluating and selecting AWS data services to meet business reporting and query requirements
• Experience delivering reporting or analytics solutions that serve non-technical business users
• Deep hands‑on AWS experience across data-oriented services – S3, Athena, Glue, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, OpenSearch, Lambda, IAM, and Cloudwatch
• Strong SQL skills with the ability to design relational query layers over semi‑structured or non‑relational data (XML, JSON)
• Experience working with XML‑heavy data stores – parsing, querying, and transforming XML at scale
• An ability to evaluate trade‑offs across AWS data services and make architecture recommendations based on cost, performance, and business requirements
• Familiarity with AWS analytics and reporting services, including Athena, QuickSight, RedShift, or equivalent Business Intelligence (BI) tooling
• Proficiency with Git and GitHub - branching strategies, pull requests, and collaborative workflows
• Familiarity with CI/CD practices and AWS-native tooling (CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy)
• IaC experience (AWS CDK, CloudFormation, or Terraform)
• Strong ability to communicate technical architecture decisions and trade‑offs to non-technical stakeholders
• Experience gathering and translating business reporting requirements into technical data models
• Comfort driving ambiguous architecture decisions to resolutions with limited direction
• Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and JIRA
• Strong documentation habits – architecture diagrams, data dictionaries, migration runbooks

Professional Certifications

None but AWS certifications are a bonus

Years of Professional Experience

n/a

Desired experience

Electronic Data Interchange X.12 (EDI) Medical Claims

• X.12, Medical Claims (837, 835, 277CA, etc), Health Level (HL7), Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)

Familiarity with C#/.Net back‑end services for integration touchpoints
Experience with Entity Framework migration or deprecation projects
Experience with healthcare payer/Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) systems, clearinghouses, or pharmacy operations
Knowledge of HIPAA compliance requirements in cloud data architecture

Formal Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent practical experience considered

Citizenship Requirement

U.S. Citizenship required for this specific opportunity

Security Clearance Requirements

Must possess or qualify for a Public Trust (MBI)

CRITICAL NOTES:

1. SSG will not make assumptions regarding your qualifications. Your answers to the mandatory screening questions must be supported by the information on your resume. Applications with inconsistencies will not be considered.
2. Recruiters or Third parties will not be considered.
3. This is a 100% U.S. based remote position. However, candidates from CA, CO, IL, MN, NJ, NY, OR, or WA will not be considered.
4. This is a W-2 position
5. All interviews will be conducted on Microsoft Teams with your camera on; there will be no exceptions
6. As part of our screening process, you will be requested to provide a link to your LinkedIn profile

U.S Citizenship is required for this specific opportunity. Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information and be able to obtain a government-granted security clearance. Individuals may also be subject to a background investigation including, but not limited to criminal history, employment and education verification, drug testing, and creditworthiness.
Syms Strategic Group, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or genetic information.