Entry-Level Data Engineer: ETL & Data Quality

Bow Wave LLC; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Bow Wave LLC is seeking a junior Data Engineer to assist with designing and maintaining ETL pipelines for ingesting, transforming, and loading datasets under guidance. You will help analyze data structures, ensure data quality, and support migration tasks alongside experienced engineers.

The role requires foundational SQL and Python skills, exposure to ETL tools, and understanding of data warehousing concepts, with a focus on learning and collaboration in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Fundamental exposure to data analysis, ETL concepts, or data migration activities via coursework, internships, personal projects, or early professional experience.
• Working knowledge of SQL, including writing basic queries, joins, and aggregations.
• Familiarity with Python for data manipulation or automation tasks (introductory level acceptable).
• Introductory experience with ETL or workflow tools such as Apache Airflow, Talend, or similar platforms.
• Understanding of basic data warehousing concepts, such as staging, fact/dimension models, or schema structure.
• Exposure to cloud-based data storage or compute platforms (e.g., AWS S3/Redshift, Google BigQuery, Azure Storage).

Responsibilities

• Assist in designing, developing, and maintaining basic ETL pipelines for ingesting, transforming, and loading datasets under the guidance of more experienced engineers.
• Support analysis of data structures, mappings, and data quality checks to identify issues or gaps.
• Help ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity by running validation queries, profiling datasets, and supporting data cleanup efforts.
• Contribute to data migration tasks, such as mapping source data to target systems and running migration scripts.
• Collaborate with analysts, data scientists, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into simple data transformations or pipeline updates.
• Monitor pipeline performance and assist in troubleshooting operational issues, escalating complex problems as needed.
• Help document data flows, transformation logic, and operational processes to support maintainability and knowledge sharing.

Skills

SQL

Python basics

ETL concepts

Data migration

Data profiling

Data warehousing concepts

Cloud platforms exposure

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Apache Airflow

Talend

Job description

Bow Wave LLC is seeking a junior Data Engineer to assist with designing and maintaining ETL pipelines for ingesting, transforming, and loading datasets under guidance. You will help analyze data structures, ensure data quality, and support migration tasks alongside experienced engineers.

The role requires foundational SQL and Python skills, exposure to ETL tools, and understanding of data warehousing concepts, with a focus on learning and collaboration in a fast-paced environment.