Senior Data Engineer

540 is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to support a mission-critical federal health data modernization initiative. The team is bringing together information from diverse defense and federal systems to build scalable data pipelines, APIs, and data products that improve how critical health data is integrated, accessed, and used.

In this role, you’ll serve as a senior technical contributor, delivering scalable, production-ready data capabilities while establishing reusable patterns for data ingestion, integration, and delivery. You’ll solve complex data challenges, guide engineering teams, and help shape the technical foundation of a growing data platform ecosystem supporting federal health missions.

Location : Remote within the continental United States. Periodic travel may be required Citizenship & Clearance Requirement : per client requirements, candidates must be U.S. Citizens with an active DoW Secret (or higher) clearance Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field (preferred) 540 Internal Thrive Level: Senior Data Engineer

WHY 540?

540 is a forward-thinking company that the government turns to in order to #getshitdone. We don’t just talk about innovation – we deliver it. We break down barriers, build impactful technology, and solve mission-critical problems.

HOW YOU’LL DRIVE IMPACT

Design, develop, and maintain scalable, production-ready data pipelines and data products using Spark (Python/SQL) in a Databricks environment

Lead the integration and transformation of complex data from diverse DoW and federal health systems and sources into reliable, reusable data products

Design scalable approaches for data ingestion, integration, and exchange, including API-based integrations and services

Establish and promote reusable data engineering patterns, standards, and best practices that improve consistency, scalability, and maintainability across data products

Provide technical guidance on data architecture, pipeline design, data modeling, integration approaches, and engineering practices

Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize production workflows and data pipelines, identifying performance, reliability, and scalability improvements

Define and implement data validation, quality, and governance practices that improve the reliability and usability of data products

Troubleshoot complex technical and data integration challenges, identify root causes, and drive sustainable solutions

Collaborate with engineers, architects, analysts, and customer stakeholders to translate complex data needs into scalable technical solutions

Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers, helping teams navigate complex or unfamiliar technical challenges

Proactively identify opportunities to improve engineering tools, processes, and patterns and help drive their adoption across the team

Take ownership of complex technical areas and help maintain engineering quality, consistency, and cohesion as the platform and portfolio of data products grow

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

10+ years of data engineering, software engineering, or related technical experience

Extensive hands-on experience designing, building, and operating production data pipelines and data products

Advanced proficiency with Python and SQL

Strong experience with Apache Spark and distributed data processing

Experience working with Databricks or similar modern data platforms

Experience designing and maintaining ETL/ELT processes for complex, large-scale datasets

Experience integrating data across disparate systems and consuming or developing API-based data integrations

Strong understanding of data modeling, data architecture, data quality, and data governance principles

Experience troubleshooting and optimizing complex production data pipelines for performance, reliability, and scalability

Experience working with Git-based development workflows and modern software engineering practices

Experience working in terminal / command-line environments

Demonstrated experience providing technical guidance, mentoring engineers, and influencing engineering practices

Strong client and stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts and recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences

Ability to independently navigate ambiguity, identify technical risks, and drive complex engineering challenges toward resolution

Experience spotting security, privacy and compliance issues and working with security/compliance/legal stakeholders

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

AWS cloud experience

Experience working with very large datasets, including datasets with billions of records

Experience with Palantir Foundry

GitLab experience

Experience working with Advana or similar DoW data environments

Experience working with federal health, financial, or other regulated and sensitive data

Experience using AI/ML to accelerate work, including automating routine tasks, accelerating development and debugging

BENEFITS & PERKS

Flexible PTO + all Federal holidays off

Health, dental and vision insurance plans

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

401k with employer match

Company-sponsored life insurance, short- and long-term disability 

Professional development (training, certifications, conferences)

Paid cloud developer accounts

Referral bonuses

HQ office perks (parking / metro reimbursement, nitro coffee & lunches) 

Annual social events (540 Week, hackathon, charity golf tournament, etc.)

Access to 540’s Washington Capitals & Nationals tickets

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO)

540's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.