Research Data Engineer

TEKsystems; Kirkland (WA); Remote; USD 96,000 - 124,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Job summary

TEKsystems is seeking a Research Data Engineer to support AI research data workflows and the development of agentic AI systems. The role sits at the intersection of data engineering, analytics, and vendor operations, focusing on building datasets, improving data quality, and automating pipelines for researchers.

You will collaborate with researchers and engineers, tackle ambiguous problems, and drive initiatives from investigation through execution.

Qualifications

• Strong Python and SQL skills.
• Experience with large-scale data analysis and engineering.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Experience building automation, tooling, or data pipelines.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Analyze large-scale datasets to identify quality issues, coverage gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Build scalable pipelines, automation, dashboards, and tooling to support AI data generation and evaluation.
• Establish data quality metrics, reporting frameworks, and operational processes.
• Collaborate with external vendors to improve data collection workflows and output quality.
• Support research environments, evaluation systems, and experimentation workflows.
• Debug data, tooling, infrastructure, and environment-related issues.
• Investigate long-tail domains, edge cases, and system failure modes.
• Partner closely with researchers, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders to accelerate AI development.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data analysis

Automation

Data pipelines

Communication

Independence

Tools

Linux

Cloud infrastructure

VMs

Containers

Job description

Description

This client Research Data Engineer to support the development of Computer Use Agents (CUA) and next-generation AI systems.

This role sits at the intersection of data engineering, analytics, AI research, and vendor operations. The ideal candidate will help build and evaluate large-scale training datasets, improve data quality, automate workflows, develop research tooling, and support experimental environments used by researchers developing agentic AI systems.

The successful candidate thrives in ambiguity, enjoys solving open-ended problems, and can independently drive initiatives from investigation through execution.

Responsibilities

• Analyze large-scale datasets to identify quality issues, coverage gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Build scalable pipelines, automation, dashboards, and tooling to support AI data generation and evaluation.
• Establish data quality metrics, reporting frameworks, and operational processes.
• Collaborate with external vendors to improve data collection workflows and output quality.
• Support research environments, evaluation systems, and experimentation workflows.
• Debug data, tooling, infrastructure, and environment-related issues.
• Investigate long-tail domains, edge cases, and system failure modes.
• Partner closely with researchers, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders to accelerate AI development.

Required Qualifications

• Strong Python and SQL.
• Experience with large-scale data analysis and engineering.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Experience building automation, tooling, or data pipelines.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI/ML, reinforcement learning, agentic AI, or evaluation systems.
• Experience with Linux, cloud infrastructure, VMs, or containers.
• Experience supporting research teams, experimentation platforms, or AI data initiatives.
• Experience working with external vendors or operational partners.
• Research experience in machine learning, computer science, statistics, or related fields.

Skills

• Python, SQL, CUA, Data Science

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Redmond, WA.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $70.00 - $90.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 18, 2026.

About TEKsystems

We're partners in transformation. We help clients activate ideas and solutions to take advantage of a new world of opportunity. We are a team of 80,000 strong, working with over 6,000 clients, including 80% of the Fortune 500, across North America, Europe and Asia. As an industry leader in Full-Stack Technology Services, Talent Services, and real-world application, we work with progressive leaders to drive change. That's the power of true partnership. TEKsystems is an Allegis Group company.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

About TEKsystems And TEKsystems Global Services

Were a leading provider of business and technology services. We accelerate business transformation for our customers. Our expertise in strategy, design, execution and operations unlocks business value through a range of solutions. Were a team of 80,000 strong, working with over 6,000 customers, including 80% of the Fortune 500 across North America, Europe and Asia, who partner with us for our scale, full-stack capabilities and speed. Were strategic thinkers, hands-on collaborators, helping customers capitalize on change and master the momentum of technology. Were building tomorrow by delivering business outcomes and making positive impacts in our global communities. TEKsystems and TEKsystems Global Services are Allegis Group companies. Learn more at TEKsystems.com.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team.