Geospatial Data Scientist & Quality Assurance Engineer

NewGen Technologies; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

NewGen Technologies in Herndon, VA seeks a Geospatial Data Scientist & Quality Assurance Engineer to lead testing of a cloud-based geospatial data lake. You will plan and execute tests across ingestion, transformation, storage, APIs, and GIS clients, working closely with government customers and the cloud team to track defects and ensure readiness for release.

Responsibilities include planning test strategies, performing integration and end-to-end testing, validating data quality and REST APIs,

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI CI Poly Clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Information Systems, GIS, Geography, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience); typically 3+ years of software testing/QA, including data-intensive or geospatial systems
• Hands-on experience planning/executing integration, end-to-end, regression, and UAT testing; writing test plans, cases, and reports from requirements or user stories
• Proficiency with defect/test management tools (Jira, Xray, Zephyr, TestRail, or similar) and REST API testing (Postman, curl, or scripted tests)
• Working knowledge of SQL for data validation and back-end verification
• GIS fundamentals: coordinate reference systems, projections, datums, vector/raster data models; common formats (GeoJSON, Shapefile); desktop GIS (Esri ArcGIS Pro and/or QGIS)
• Familiarity with AWS-hosted applications and services (Lambda, ECS, SQS/SNS, Aurora PostgreSQL) sufficient to isolate failures; multi-environment release pipelines and Git
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with government/end‑user customers, run test events, and communicate technical issues to non‑technical audiences; strong technical writing

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute test strategies, plans, cases, and traceability matrices mapped to requirements/user stories across ingestion, transformation, storage, API, and GIS client layers of the geospatial data lake
• Identify, reproduce, document, and triage defects with developers and government stakeholders; track to resolution, verify fixes, and report defect trends and release readiness to program leadership and customers
• Plan, coordinate, and lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) events with government customers, acting as the end-user advocate within the development team
• Validate geospatial data quality (geometry, validity, coordinate reference systems/projections, attribute completeness, spatial query accuracy) and test REST APIs/data service for correctness, error handling, security controls, and performance
• Build and maintain data dictionaries, user guides, release notes, and test reports; design and deliver end-user training; and support documentation required for accreditation, audits, and release approvals

Skills

Test planning

QA/testing

REST API testing

SQL validation

GIS fundamentals

AWS services

Govt liaison

Technical writing

DoD accreditation

PostGIS

Education

Bachelor's degree in Data Science / GIS / Engineering

Tools

Jira

Xray

Zephyr

TestRail

Postman

Job description

Geospatial Data Scientist & Quality Assurance Engineer

• Herndon, VA
• Information Technology

Serve as the primary test and quality lead for a cloud-based geospatial data lake and its components (ingestion pipelines, data services/APIs, search interfaces, and GIS client integrations). Work directly with government customers and the cloud development team to plan and execute testing, find and track defects through resolution, lead user acceptance testing, and ensure the product is usable, documented, and effective for mission users.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute test strategies, plans, cases, and traceability matrices mapped to requirements/user stories across the ingestion, transformation, storage, API, and GIS client layers of the geospatial data lake
• Identify, reproduce, document, and triage defects with developers and government stakeholders; track to resolution, verify fixes, and report defect trends and release readiness to program leadership and customers
• Plan, coordinate, and lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) events with government customers, acting as the end-user advocate within the development team
• Validate geospatial data quality (geometry, validity, coordinate reference systems/projections, attribute completeness, spatial query accuracy) and test REST APIs/data service for correctness, error handling, security controls, and performance
• Build and maintain data dictionaries, user guides, release notes, and test reports; design and deliver end-user training; and support documentation required for accreditation, audits, and release approvals

Requirements

• Active TS/SCI CI Poly Clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Information Systems, GIS, Geography, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience); typically 3+ years of software testing/QA, including data-intensive or geospatial systems
• Hands-on experience planning/executing integration, end-to-end, regression, and UAT testing; writing test plans, cases, and reports from requirements or user stories
• Proficiency with defect/test management tools (Jira, Xray, Zephyr, TestRail, or similar) and REST API testing (Postman, curl, or scripted tests)
• Working knowledge of SQL for data validation and back-end verification
• GIS fundamentals: coordinate reference systems, projections, datums, vector/raster data models; common formats (GeoJSON, Shapefile); desktop GIS (Esri ArcGIS Pro and/or QGIS)
• Familiarity with AWS-hosted applications and services (Lambda, ECS, SQS/SNS, Aurora PostgreSQL) sufficient to isolate failures; multi-environment release pipelines and Git
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with government/end‑user customers, run test events, and communicate technical issues to non‑technical audiences; strong technical writing

Desired Skills

• Test automation
• PostGIS and spatial SQL
• Performance/load testing (JMeter, Locust, k6)
• Experience supporting software in DoD/IC accreditation environments (RMF, ATO documentation)
• Certifications such as ISTQB (Foundation or Advanced), CSTE, AWS Cloud Practitioner, or Esri technical certification
• DoD 8140 baseline certification (e.g. CompTIA Security+)

About Us

For more than 20 years, NewGen Technologies has solved our clients’ toughest IT challenges with integrity, security, and outstanding service by delivering both technology and talent. We have helped secure borders, have used artificial intelligence (AI) to fight terror, aided the identification of criminals, and have helped to prevent crime through the introduction of biometrics. Our team of Highly Cleared Specialists have hard-to-find skills and expertise in a wide spectrum of technologies to provide solutions that transform business processes and solve problems of national significance. #CJ