Data Engineer – Data Architecture Data Science & Machine Learning

Position specifics

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.

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.

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.

Salary range: $ – $ (may be impacted by geographic differential).

Contractor requires successful background checks, government security clearance, U.S. citizenship, and pre-employment drug screening.

Penn State is an equal‑opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.