Senior Data Engineer

MITRE; Bedford (MA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE, a nonprofit engineering and national security research organization, seeks a Data Engineer to design and operate data platforms for mission-critical data in cloud-based and on‑prem environments.

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree in CS/SE/IT with 5 years of relevant experience, strong Python/SQL skills, Docker & Kubernetes, and eligibility for a Top Secret clearance with US citizenship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related field with 5 years of relevant experience.
• Hands-on proficiency with Data Engineering approaches, including distributed data processing, cloud-based data platforms, data lakehouse architectures, ETL orchestration, data modeling, and data governance.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret US Government security clearance; US citizenship required.
• Requires minimum of 3 days per week on-site.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate secure, scalable data platforms and pipelines in cloud-based and self-hosted environments.
• Develop batch and streaming data-processing solutions for structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.
• Create data models, schemas, interfaces, and storage architectures that support mission and analytical requirements.
• Evaluate and improve data quality, lineage, governance, access controls, and secure data-handling practices.
• Translate sponsor and stakeholder needs into technical requirements and practical engineering solutions.
• Diagnose complex system, performance, reliability, and data-quality problems.
• Evaluate emerging data technologies and recommend their use when they provide meaningful mission or engineering benefits.
• Follow software engineering practices such as automated testing, version control, code review, modular design, observability, and continuous integration.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to applied research, prototypes, and technical publications, as appropriate.

Skills

Python & SQL

Distributed processing

Cloud platforms

Data governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Software Engineering/Information Systems/Information Technology

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies – collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high‑impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose — and help shape the future.

Department Summary

MITRE’s Data Science and Engineering department is looking for qualified applicants to bring their advanced data engineering skills to bear on solving problems of critical national importance. MITRE’s diverse work program provides opportunities to apply your expertise and creative thinking in challenging domains such as national security, intelligence, transportation, and healthcare. Employees may also participate in MITRE’s internal research and development program, which provides funding for innovative applied research that addresses our sponsors’ hardest problems.

Roles & Responsibilities

The successful candidate for this position is a Data Engineer who combines strong foundations in computer science and software engineering with hands‑on experience designing and implementing data systems to solve mission problems. This role requires practitioners with expertise in data modeling, processing, infrastructure engineering, and operational deployment. Our organization values innovation and believes that keeping up with the latest research and technologies is essential.

Expectations for this position are as follows

• Design, build, and operate secure, scalable, and maintainable data platforms and pipelines in cloud‑based and self‑hosted environments.
• Develop batch and streaming data‑processing solutions for structured, semi‑structured, and unstructured data.
• Create data models, schemas, interfaces, and storage architectures that support mission and analytical requirements.
• Evaluate and improve data quality, lineage, governance, access controls, and secure data‑handling practices.
• Translate sponsor and stakeholder needs into technical requirements and practical engineering solutions.
• Diagnose complex system, performance, reliability, and data‑quality problems.
• Evaluate emerging data technologies and recommend their use when they provide meaningful mission or engineering benefits.
• Follow software engineering practices such as automated testing, version control, code review, modular design, observability, and continuous integration.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Contribute to applied research, prototypes, and technical publications, as appropriate.

The candidate should have hands‑on experience in several of the areas specified below, however it is not required that a candidate has experience in all of these areas.

Data Engineering

• Distributed Data Processing and Big Data Architectures, such as Spark, Hadoop, Ray, Dask
• Data Storage and Data Lakehouse Architectures, such as RDBMS, Amazon S3, Iceberg, Delta Lake
• Cloud‑based Data Platforms, such as Databricks, Palantir Foundry, Microsoft Fabric, and Amazon EMR
• Data Pipeline/ETL Development, Integration, and Orchestration, such as Airflow, Dagster, NiFi
• Batch and Streaming Data Processing
• Data Modeling, Schema Design, and Data Quality Assessment
• Data Governance, Access Controls, and Secure Data Handling
• Performance Optimization and Reliability Engineering

Software Development

• Computer Programming and Databases – Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL required
• Software Engineering Best Practices (e.g., version control, testing, modular design)
• Linux-based Development Environments, Git, and Cloud Platforms
• Use of Containerization and Orchestration, such as Docker and Kubernetes

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field with 5 years of relevant experience.
• Hands‑on proficiency with Data Engineering approaches, including distributed data processing, cloud‑based data platforms, data lakehouse architectures, ETL orchestration, data modeling, and data governance.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
• This position requires a minimum of 3 days per week on‑site.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field with 3 years of relevant experience; PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field.
• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s)

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s)

Top Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint

$124,400 - $155,500 - $186,600 Annual

Work Location Type

Onsite

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.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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