Senior Data Engineer

Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner seeks to hire a senior data engineer for the Rhode Island Longitudinal Data System Center (RILDS).

A senior data engineer will oversee engineering products from development to deployment, ensuring the availability, usability, quality, privacy, and security of RILDS data and applications.

Data & Application Management – Manage engineering products with autonomy, utilizing advanced programming skills to develop, test, deploy, and update RILDS and related applications. Support the director with managing data access controls, implementing technical solutions, and formulating recovery procedures. Identify opportunities to automate and streamline development tasks while implementing national best practices in data management and cybersecurity. Lead teams and collaborators in engineering projects.

Advance RILDS’ purpose – Import Rhode Island state administrative and other data into RILDS and link these data at an individual level across sectors and over time. Coordinate with data contributing agencies and the analytical team to collect data and establish data models.

Operational Leadership – Assist with product development, including requirements elicitation, resource estimation, and dependency documentation. Monitor project scope and deliverables against product contracts or plans. Maintain deep knowledge of RILDS datasets, partner data, systems, and priorities. Draft, learn, and follow RILDS policies and processes for confidentiality, privacy, and security.

Product Support – Ensure that RILDS and other applications meet the needs of staff and partners. Provide support and training. With the director, prioritize engineering projects, define architecture, evaluate feature requests, and maintain backlog. Perform final quality assurance review of engineering products. Manage engineering portfolio, onboarding and training documentation, and assist with new employee orientation.

Communications – Cultivate relationships with stakeholders, including state agencies, municipal governments, national advocacy organizations, community foundations, and research institutions. Participate in meetings, promote RILDS, and present on RILDS projects, products, and services. Contribute to communications materials, including website and social media.

Other Duties – Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience – Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of four years of professional experience managing relational databases, OR Master’s degree and a minimum of two years of professional experience managing relational databases.

The ideal candidate will have experience with a range of technologies, including Linux, Python, Django, SQL, and AWS, to develop, deploy, and manage scalable applications.

• Experience using programming/scripting languages such as PostgreSQL and/or Python (Django) for data management
• Experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS) (S3, RDS, EC2)
• Proven track record managing relational databases
• Knowledge of common data structures and algorithms
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Project and product management skills
• Ability to respond to changing priorities and ensure timely, accurate deliverables
• Ability to collaborate with diverse populations

This is a non‑union, non‑classified, full‑time position with a pay grade of 14. The senior engineer reports to the RILDS director. The position is limited to funding with limitation dates of 7/1/25 to 6/30/26.

The State of Rhode Island is committed to equal opportunity in employment. The Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education fully endorses a policy of nondiscrimination. For civil rights reporting purposes, the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner may request demographic information, which is optional and confidential. The Office will not use this information in hiring decisions.