Data Engineer – Data Architecture Data Science & Machine Learning

Position: Data Engineer – Data Architecture for Data Science & Machine Learning

Data Engineer – Data Architecture for Data Science & Machine Learning

Senior Data Engineer with deep expertise in database design, optimization, and data access strategies to support data science and machine learning initiatives within the Visualization and Decision Support Division of Penn State ARL.

Application Instructions

CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student) – please login to Workday to complete the internal application process.
External applicants – click “Apply” and complete the application process.

Position Specifications

Location:

State College, PA or Reston, VA. Estimated salary range: $ – $. Remote and hybrid work approval is not guaranteed.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain scalable, high-performance database solutions for 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 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 to balance accessibility for R&D with efficiency and compliance requirements.

Required Skills / Experience

• 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, normalisation vs. denormalisation trade-offs, and query optimisation.
• Experience with non-relational databases (Mongo
  
  DB, Cassandra, Neo4j, Redis, or Dynamo
  
  DB).
• Familiarity with machine learning workflows and data consumption 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.

Preferred Skills / Experience

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

Minimum Education , Work Experience & Required Certifications

• Research and Development Engineer – Principal Professional:
  Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science; 19+ years of relevant experience.
• Research and Development Engineer – Advanced Professional:
  Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science; 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Research and Development Engineer – Senior Professional:
  Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science; 14+ years of relevant experience.

Background Checks / Clearances

Employment will require a successful background check and ability to obtain a government security clearance. U.S. citizenship is required. Background investigations and pre-employment drug screening will be conducted as per university policies.

Salary & Benefits

Salary range: $ – $ (may be impacted by geographic differential). Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plans, paid time off, and a 75% tuition discount.

EEO Statement

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

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