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Cherokee Federal · 8 hours ago

Data Engineer

Washington, DC

Full-time

Hybrid

Mid, Senior Level

$100K/yr - $130K/yr

3+ years exp

Cherokee Federal is a division of tribally owned federal contracting companies focused on serving the government’s mission. The Data Engineer will play a key role in building and optimizing data pipelines for enterprise APIs and AI/ML workflows, ensuring data integrity and compatibility across systems.

GovernmentNon ProfitProfessional ServicesPublic Relations

No H1B

Security Clearance Required

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Data Source Discovery & Validation: Identify, decompose, and validate legacy data sources (e.g., COBOL-based batch outputs, flat files) and modern databases for API integration

Pipeline Development: Design, build, and optimize ETL/ELT pipelines using tools such as Apache Airflow, Spark, dbt, Kafka, Databricks, or Flink to support UAPI and AI workflows

Data Modeling & Mapping: Create and maintain canonical/object models aligned to domain data standards; map and document relevant data elements for API consumption

Data Quality & Governance: Ensure data integrity, backward compatibility, and compliance with IRS standards; implement data versioning and governance practices

Testing & Monitoring: Develop automated unit, integration, and regression tests for data flows; configure synthetic monitoring and alerts using tools like Datadog, New Relic, or Prometheus

Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with API engineers, AI/ML teams, and stakeholders to define data contracts and support consumer onboarding

Documentation: Produce clear, comprehensive documentation for data pipelines, mappings, lineage, and governance artifacts

Performance & Scalability: Optimize data workflows for performance, scalability, and reliability across distributed systems and cloud environments

Innovation & AI Enablement: Support AI-driven API development by providing high quality datasets for model training, inference, and feedback loops

Qualification

ETL/ELT pipelinesApache AirflowSQLPythonCloud platformsData modelingData governanceCommunication skillsCollaborationMentoring

Required

U.S. Citizenship is required

Ability to obtain a DoD Secret Security Clearance and IRS suitability/Public Trust

3-5+ years of relevant experience

Experience leading data pipeline projects and mentoring junior engineers

Proficient in building and optimizing ETL/ELT pipelines using tools like Apache Airflow, Spark, dbt, Kafka, Databricks, or Flink

Strong skills in SQL, Python or Scala, and working with data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift) and data lakes (e.g., Delta Lake, Lakehouse architecture)

Familiar with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and orchestration, with experience in CI/CD and data versioning (e.g., DVC)

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with customers, engineers, and leadership

Preferred

Candidates with an active IRS suitability/Public Trust are preferred

Bachelor degree strongly preferred; Computer Science or related technical degree preferred OR equivalent experience

Preferred (but not required) experience in one or more of the following: Real-time data processing, cataloging, data governance, privacy/compliance (GDPR, HIPAA), and cross functional collaboration with analytics, ML, or BI teams

Benefits

Medical

Dental

Vision

401K

And other possible benefits as provided

Company

Cherokee Federal

Cherokee Federal, a division of Cherokee Nation Businesses, is a trusted team of government contracting professionals who can rapidly build innovative solutions.

Founded in 1969

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

5001-10000 employees