Data Engineer

Fantom Corporation is a mission-focused organization supporting critical programs across the defense and intelligence community. We partner with our customers to deliver high-impact technical solutions while fostering a culture built on trust, expertise, and long-term career growth.

We are seeking a Data & Software Engineer to join a small, agile team developing advanced data solutions for a custom application supporting mission-critical operations. This role is focused on designing, building, and optimizing scalable data pipelines and ETL workflows while leveraging modern cloud technologies, distributed data processing frameworks, and AI/ML capabilities.

The ideal candidate has strong Python programming skills, experience building production-grade data pipelines, and expertise with Apache Spark, AWS cloud services, relational databases, and modern data engineering best practices.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable, end-to-end data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows supporting enterprise applications
• Build and optimize distributed data processing solutions using Apache Spark and PySpark
• Develop robust Python applications and automation scripts to support data engineering initiatives
• Deploy and manage data pipelines using workflow orchestration platforms such as AWS Step Functions or Apache Airflow
• Containerize and deploy data applications within AWS cloud environments using Docker, Podman, or similar technologies
• Design, optimize, and maintain PostgreSQL and MySQL databases, including schema design, indexing, and query optimization for analytical workloads
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements, assess technical feasibility, and design scalable data solutions
• Troubleshoot and resolve data quality issues, pipeline failures, and performance bottlenecks
• Implement and support data governance, security, privacy, and compliance best practices
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams, and engineering standards
• Support large-scale data migration and platform modernization initiatives
• Integrate AI/ML services, machine learning models, and advanced analytics capabilities into enterprise data platforms
• Utilize Git and CI/CD pipelines to support automated testing, deployment, and version control

Required Qualifications

• Must be fully cleared with a recent polygraph
• Must be willing and able to work fully onsite at the location listed in this posting
• 5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer, Software Engineer, or similar technical role
• Demonstrated experience building production-scale data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows
• Advanced programming experience with Python, including libraries such as Pandas and NumPy
• Strong experience with Apache Spark and PySpark for distributed data processing
• Experience with workflow orchestration tools such as Apache Airflow or AWS Step Functions
• Experience deploying containerized applications using Docker, Podman, or similar technologies
• Experience developing cloud-native applications within AWS environments
• Hands-on experience with AWS services including Amazon S3, AWS Lambda, and AWS Step Functions
• Strong experience with PostgreSQL and MySQL, including schema design, performance tuning, and query optimization
• Advanced SQL skills supporting large-scale analytical workloads
• Experience with Git and CI/CD practices for data engineering and software deployment
• Understanding of data governance, privacy, security, and compliance principles
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills
• Experience collaborating directly with stakeholders to gather requirements and deliver technical solutions with minimal oversight
• #CJ

Desired Qualification

• Experience designing and implementing Lakehouse architectures using Apache Iceberg
• Experience configuring and supporting enterprise data platform technologies, including:
  • Apache Ranger
  • Trino
  • Apache Polaris or Unity Catalog OSS
  • Apache Superset
  • Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or AWS CloudFormation)
  • Proficiency with Bash scripting for automation and operational support
  • Experience tracking data lineage using OpenLineage or similar tools
  • Working knowledge of Java
  • Experience implementing data quality frameworks, automated testing, and validation strategies
  • Experience supporting enterprise data modernization and large-scale migration initiatives
  • Experience integrating AI/ML services, including OCR, NLP, speech-to-text, language detection, translation services, topic modeling, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines
  • Experience processing geospatial data using technologies such as H3, PostGIS, or similar frameworks
  • Experience with NoSQL databases such as DynamoDB
  • Experience developing engineering standards, documentation, and reusable design patterns