Data Engineer - Data Architecture Data Science & Machine Learning

Position Overview

Senior Data Engineer

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer with deep expertise in database design, optimization, and data access strategies to support our growing data science and machine learning initiatives within the Visualization and Decision Support Division of Penn State ARL. In this role, you will architect and optimize data systems that empower our data scientists to efficiently research, train, and deploy both traditional and ML-based algorithms and applications.

The ideal candidate is a Postgre

SQL expert who also brings hands‑on experience with other modern data storage technologies––such as No

SQL, graph, and time‑series databases––and can guide the organization in choosing the right tools and structures for each data use case.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

Located in either State College, PA or Reston, VA.

ARL is an authorized DoD Skill Bridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

• Design and maintain scalable, high-performance database solutions to support data science workflows and ML experimentation
• Partner with data scientists to understand data access patterns and develop storage strategies that accelerate analysis and model training
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on Postgre
  
  SQL— including schema design, indexing, partitioning, and query optimization
• Evaluate and integrate alternative database technologies (e.g., Mongo
  
  DB, Neo4j, Redis, Cassandra) where they provide clear advantages
• Lead efforts to optimize data pipelines for both structured and unstructured data used in algorithm development
• Ensure data integrity, security, and governance across storage systems
• Implement monitoring, automation, and performance‑tuning tools for all database environments
• Advise on data lifecycle management—balancing accessibility for R&D with efficiency and compliance requirements

• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, database architecture, or related technical roles
• Expert‑level proficiency in Postgre
  
  SQL (query tuning, schema design, indexing, partitioning, replication)
• Strong understanding of data modeling, normalization vs. denormalization tradeoffs, and query optimization
• Experience with non‑relational databases (e.g., Mongo
  
  DB, Cassandra, Neo4j, Redis, or Dynamo
  
  DB)
• Familiarity with machine learning workflows and how data is consumed for training, evaluation, and deployment
• Experience with cloud database services (AWS RDS/Aurora, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure Database)
• Proficiency in SQL and one or more scripting languages (Python preferred)
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills—comfortable working closely with data scientists, ML engineers, and software developers

• Experience architecting hybrid data ecosystems spanning relational, No
  
  SQL, and analytical databases
• Knowledge of data lake, warehouse, and feature store architectures (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift, Big Query, Feast)
• Familiarity with ETL/ELT frameworks and data orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, dbt)
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field

Work location can be State College, PA or Reston, VA.

Minimum education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Science.

Relevant experience: 5+ years for Advanced Professional, 14+ years for Senior Professional, 19+ years for Principal Professional (research and development engineer).

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

All positions at ARL require candidates to possess the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation.

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with ARL will require successful completion of a pre‑employment drug screen.

The salary range for this…