Senior Data Engineer; Enterprise Operations

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators.

Join us and take your place in space. Aerospace is the trusted partner to the nation's space enterprise, solving the hardest problems with innovative solutions. Within Aerospace’s Office of the CIO, the newly constructed Data and AI Services team provides advanced modeling, machine learning, and predictive analytics capabilities that inform enterprise services operations and facilitate strategic decision-making across the corporation.

Our Data Engineering team will build and maintain the data infrastructure, pipelines, and platforms. We are looking for a Senior Data Engineer. This role will design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines and infrastructure that enable reliable, timely, and secure access to data across the enterprise. This position offers the opportunity to work closely with data scientists, software engineers, and mission teams to ensure that high-quality data is available to support advanced analytics, AI/ML initiatives, and critical business operations.

• Design, build, and maintain robust, scalable ETL/ELT pipelines to ingest, transform, and deliver data from diverse sources across the enterprise
• Partner with data scientists, software engineers, and business stakeholders to understand data requirements and deliver reliable, high-quality data solutions
• Architect and optimize data storage solutions, including relational databases, data lakes, and data warehouses, to support analytics and reporting needs
• Implement data quality checks, monitoring, and alerting to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of data across pipelines
• Lead efforts to improve pipeline performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency across cloud and on-premise environments
• Mentor junior data engineers and promote best practices in data engineering, including code quality, testing, and documentation (Fosters Innovation, Leads Change)
• Collaborate cross-functionally to support the integration of new data sources and emerging technologies, driving continuous improvement in the data platform (Operates Strategically)

Minimum Requirements for Senior Data Engineer (Data Technical Lead Staff IV):

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, or a related STEM field
• 8-10 years of experience in data engineering, software engineering, or a related technical field
• Strong proficiency in SQL and at least one programming language such as Python, Java, or Scala
• Hands‑on experience building and maintaining data pipelines using tools such as Apache Airflow, Spark, or Kafka
• Experience with cloud data platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, or GCP), including services for storage, compute, and data processing
• Strong understanding of data modeling, data warehousing concepts, and database design principles
• Willing to travel occasionally to work locations or customer sites domestically, approx. 10%
• A minimum of 10 or more years data engineering, software engineering, or a related technical field
• Familiarity with streaming data architectures and real-time data processing
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a…