Senior Principal AI Data Engineer

Job Qualifications

Apache Airflow, Database Optimization, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Git, Structured Query Language (SQL)

Regular

Top Secret/SCI

Top Secret SCI + Polygraph

None

Data Science and Data Engineering

Apache Airflow, Database Optimization, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Git, Structured Query Language (SQL)

Apache Airflow, Database Optimization, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Git, Structured Query Language (SQL)

None

10 + years of related experience

Yes

Own your opportunity to work with the largest government agency in the nation. Make an impact by advancing the Department of War’s mission to keep our country safe and secure.

Iron EagleX (IEX), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), delivers agile IT and Intelligence solutions. Combining small-team flexibility with global scale, IEX leverages emerging technologies to provide innovative, user-focused solutions that empower organizations and end users to operate smarter, faster, and more securely in dynamic environments.

Iron EagleX is seeking a Senior Principal AI Data Engineer to support our AI team in Crystal City, VA. In this role, you will design, build, and operate data pipelines that ingest, store, and process high-volume, multi-source data primarily for modern AI/ML processes. You will partner with software, analytics, and product teams to create model-ready datasets (including features, embeddings, and prompts), implement scalable storage layers (such as a data lakehouse and vector stores), and enable low-latency retrieval for query, inference, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).

As a Senior Principal AI Data Engineer, you will turn raw, multi-source data into reliable, high-performance inputs that directly power AI models and advanced analytics. Your work will make it faster and easier for teams across engineering, analytics, and products to develop, deploy, and improve AI capabilities by ensuring datasets are ready and accessible.

• Design, develop, and implement scalable data pipelines and ETL processes using Apache Airflow, with a focus on data for AI
• Build and tune search and retrieval capabilities using Elastic Search/Open Search, including indexing strategies, schema mappings, and relevance/performance optimization.
• Enable low-latency retrieval for AI inference and RAG applications by optimizing data access patterns, caching approaches, and index refresh strategies.
• Collaborate with analytic teams to define requirements, schemas, and interfaces for downstream consumption.
• Use Git for version control, peer code reviews, CI/CD workflows, and reproducible pipeline deployments across environments.
• Operate within Linux environments and perform performance tuning across pipeline components, storage layers, and compute resources.

• Experience with Apache Airflow for workflow orchestration.
• Strong programming skills in Python.
• Experience with Elastic Search/Open Search for data indexing and search functionalities.
• Understanding of vector databases, embedding models, and vector search for AI applications.
• Expertise in event-driven architecture and microservices development.
• Hands-on experience with cloud services (e.g. MinIO), including data storage and compute resources.
• Strong understanding of data pipeline orchestration and workflow automation.
• Working knowledge of Linux environments and database optimization techniques.
• Strong understanding of version control with Git.

• Clearance:
  Current TS/SCI Clearance with current or willingness to obtain CI polygraph
• Experience:
  
  10+ years of related experience
• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Role requirements:
  
  Work is onsite in Crystal City, VA with optional CONUS travel
• Due to US Government Contract Requirements, only US Citizens are…