Junior Data Engineer

Overview

Everforth ECS is seeking a Junior Data Engineer to work in the National Capital Region covering the Pentagon, Falls Church, and Fairfax.

Please Note:

This position is contingent upon contract award.

The War Data Platform (WDP) is a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's AI-First strategy introduced in early 2026. The WDP separates business and financial data from operational war fighting data, aiming to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield. The WDP extends to Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments, and supports collaboration between Combatant Commands, Joint Staff directorates, Senior Executive Service leaders, and operational analysts.

The Junior Data Engineer supports the construction and day-to-day operation of WDP data pipelines across multiple classification enclaves, contributing to the platform's mission of delivering reliable, analytics-ready data to warfighters and mission partners. This is an entry-level engineering position well-suited for early-career professionals seeking hands-on experience in enterprise data engineering within a classified federal environment.

• Supports construction and operation of War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration data pipelines by developing ingestion, transformation, and movement components across Unclassified and NIPR, Secret and SIPR, and Top Secret and JWICS enclaves.
• Configures structured data flows using Apache Airflow, AWS Glue jobs, Spark scripts, and Kafka topics under guidance from senior engineering personnel.
• Performs data preparation tasks including schema mapping, format conversions, metadata tagging, and movement into bronze, silver, and gold medallion tiers.
• Executes baseline quality checks using profiling tools, validation rules, and drift-monitoring alerts to detect abnormalities within lake environments.
• Applies approved security, IAM, and data-handling patterns under guidance from senior engineers and cybersecurity personnel to support cybersecurity requirements for operational data handling.
• Supports Tier-2 and engineering teams by performing basic log review, triage steps, and documented remediation actions for data ingestion or transformation failures.
• Updates technical documentation, workflow diagrams, and pipeline inventories within SharePoint, Confluence, and Git Lab repositories.
• Tracks performance indicators including data freshness, pipeline run duration, and feature availability, contributing analytical inputs for engineering decision-making.
• Coordinates with developers, platform engineers, and data operations specialists to support routine updates, backlog work, and deployment activities.
• Contributes to operational readiness by executing repeatable engineering tasks that maintain pipeline continuity, strengthen data usability, and support enterprise analytics across mission communities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Current Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
• Up to 3 years of experience in data engineering, software development, or a closely related technical discipline, with foundational exposure to data pipeline construction, ETL workflows, or cloud-based data platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Working knowledge of Python and/or SQL, with familiarity with at least one data orchestration or processing tool such as Apache Airflow, Apache Spark, or AWS Glue.

• Active Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility.
• Prior internship, academic project, or professional experience supporting data engineering or analytics work in a federal, defense, or intelligence community environment.
• Exposure to medallion architecture data lake design patterns, data quality monitoring techniques, or metadata and lineage management practices.
• Familiarity with Dev Sec Ops  practices, Agile or SAFe development methodologies, or version control and collaboration tools such as Git Lab, Git Hub, or Confluence.
• Experience with data visualization or dashboard reporting tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Databricks SQL, or Grafana.
• Experience with or strong interest in designing semantic data interfaces, metadata layers, or API-based data products that enable automated workflows, AI assistants, and emerging agentic AI capabilities.

ECS Federal LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis any characteristic protected by law. 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, or local jurisdiction law.

Everforth ECS is the federal segment of Everforth, a $4B global organization with over 10,000 employees. Our nearly 3,500 professionals deliver advanced technology solutions in data and AI,…