Platform Data Engineer - US Defense Public Sector

McKinsey & Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 176,000 - 179,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Performance bonuses

Retirement contributions

Job summary

McKinsey & Company is looking for a skilled Data Engineer based in Chicago, Illinois. The role involves working with senior leaders and a cross-functional team to customize platforms for Defense clients, focusing on Python development and cloud infrastructures.

Candidates should have strong experience in data engineering, particularly with AWS services, and hold a SECRET Security Clearance. McKinsey offers a competitive salary range from $176,000 to $179,500 along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience as a data engineer with AWS focus.
• Must possess US citizenship and SECRET Security Clearance.
• Experience with high coding standards and error handling.

Responsibilities

• Develop Python code and manage CI/CD pipelines.
• Work on multi-cloud infrastructures with Docker.
• Create data ingestion pipelines for GenAI applications.

Skills

Python development

Data engineering

AWS services

Docker

Neo4j

Data pipeline performance

Collaboration and communication

Tools

Cloud infrastructures (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Relational databases

Job description

Responsibilities

You will work with a cross‑functional team that includes senior firm leaders, CST leaders, practice leaders and cutting‑edge engineers. Your team is led by senior leaders and is scaling to a large team of full‑stack engineers, data engineers, data scientists, and designers. You will focus on customization and additional features required to deploy this platform for Defense and other Government clients. Your expertise in Python development, including data workflows, knowledge graphs, and/or generative AI will serve you well. You will work closely with software engineers, data scientists, UI/UX designers, and other technologists.

Your work will include but not be limited to: creation of Python code, tests, creation and modification of CI/CD pipelines, working with multiple cloud infrastructures (AWS, Azure, GCP) and Docker containers; and developing data ingestion pipelines and data processing capabilities that ingest data into a data system used by GenAI applications.

Qualifications

• US citizenship required
• Defense experience and experience working with data at various classification levels required
• SECRET Security Clearance required; TS+ clearance preferred
• 3+ years of professional experience as a data engineer, with a strong focus on cloud‑based data engineering using AWS services; other clouds (Azure, GCP) a plus
• Previous enterprise platform experience preferred
• Significant previous experience with Neo4j and strong understanding of knowledge graphs, as well as strong experience with relational databases
• Practicing high coding standards with clean code, modularity, error handling, testing automation and more
• Hands‑on experience with Docker
• Solid and demonstrable background in data pipeline performance and diagnostics
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to analyze and resolve complex data engineering challenges
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a cross‑functional team environment

Compensation & Benefits

For new joiners for this role in the United States, a reasonable estimated salary range is $176,000 - $179,500 USD. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey's discretion and based on performance. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance, and paid time off.

Equal Opportunity

FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.