Senior FDE Data Engineer

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior FDE Data Engineer based in United States.

This role sits at the intersection of data engineering, platform deployment, and mission-critical field integration. You will act as a forward-deployed engineer, bringing a full-stack data platform into real-world, classified defense environments and ensuring it runs reliably under operational conditions. The work blends hands-on engineering, system design, and real-time problem solving alongside end users in the field. You will deploy, integrate, and harden data infrastructure across Kubernetes-based environments while adapting to highly variable mission constraints. A key part of the role is translating field realities back into product improvements that strengthen future deployments. You will also contribute to enabling junior engineers and improving team-wide technical judgment. Most of the work is remote, with periodic on-site engagements when mission needs require direct integration or support.

• Deploy and operationalize a full-stack data platform in mission-critical environments, including storage, streaming, governance, and Kubernetes-based infrastructure. You ensure systems such as data stores, Kafka-based pipelines, and policy layers are correctly configured, integrated, and production-ready.
• Build and maintain end-to-end data pipelines that support ingestion, transformation, cross-domain movement, and classification boundary handling. You ensure reliable data flow across disconnected or constrained environments.
• Integrate the platform with existing systems including legacy databases, identity providers, object stores, and enterprise tooling. You adapt solutions to fit heterogeneous and sometimes constrained technical ecosystems.
• Own day-2 operations including observability, incident response, performance tuning, backups, upgrades, and system reliability in production. You ensure systems remain stable after deployment and during active mission use.
• Produce accreditation and compliance artifacts such as security documentation, policy mappings, and operational evidence required for classified or regulated environments.
• Serve as a technical bridge between field users and internal engineering teams, capturing real-world feedback, identifying failure modes, and driving platform improvements.
• Train users and internal stakeholders through documentation, knowledge transfer, and working sessions, ensuring long-term operational independence.
• Mentor and support junior forward-deployed engineers by reviewing designs, pairing on complex problems, and strengthening technical decision-making across the team.

Requirements:

• Strong background in data engineering, distributed systems, or platform engineering with experience across storage, streaming, orchestration, and analytics systems. You are comfortable working across the full data stack rather than a single layer.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes in production environments, including deployments, debugging, networking, and storage concepts.
• Experience with data technologies such as Apache Iceberg, Postgres (including extensions), object storage (S3-compatible or Ceph), and OLAP/query engines like Trino, Spark, or ClickHouse.
• Strong knowledge of streaming and integration systems such as Kafka (or similar), CDC pipelines, and connectivity to legacy systems like relational databases and APIs.
• Proficiency with data pipelines and orchestration tools such as Airflow, Dagster, or Argo Workflows, including monitoring and recovery practices.
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code and GitOps practices (Terraform, Pulumi, ArgoCD, Flux, or similar).
• Strong Linux, networking, and container fundamentals, including debugging system-level issues in production environments.
• Ability to operate autonomously in ambiguous, high-stakes environments, communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and deliver under real-world constraints.
• Active U.S. government security clearance required (TS/SCI preferred or ability to obtain). U.S. citizenship is required.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary range: $148,750 – $201,250 USD
• Eligibility for additional compensation elements depending on role structure (e.g., equity where applicable)
• Exposure to mission-critical, real-world defense environments and high-impact technical challenges
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge distributed data platforms and Kubernetes-native infrastructure
• Travel opportunities (approximately 10–25%) for mission-based engagements and field deployments
• Work within a highly technical, mission-driven engineering organization