AI Data Engineer

Title: AI Data Engineer Location : Rockville, MD or McLean, VA Target Start Date : ASAP Type: contract Pay Rate: DOE The AI Data Engineer is responsible for designing and implementing data pipelines and retrieval systems that power a modern generative AI platform. This role focuses on ingesting, transforming, and indexing domain data to enable accurate, context-aware responses from AI applications. The engineer partners with platform and application teams to continuously improve data quality, retrieval performance, and overall system effectiveness. Key Responsibilities Data Engineering & ETL • Design and build scalable ETL pipelines for structured and unstructured data sources • Develop robust ingestion workflows for document parsing, transformation, and loading • Implement data validation and quality checks to ensure accuracy and completeness • Build and operate data pipelines using cloud-based services and distributed architectures RAG Pipeline Development & Search Optimization • Design and optimize retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, including chunking, embedding generation, and retrieval logic • Tune search relevance using vector databases and search technologies • Evaluate retrieval effectiveness using benchmarks and establish measurable quality metrics • Experiment with embedding models, hybrid search approaches, and ranking strategies to improve results Quality & Testing • Implement testing strategies for data pipelines, including validation of ingestion accuracy and transformation logic • Develop automated tests to detect regressions in retrieval quality • Build and maintain evaluation benchmarks measuring precision, recall, and relevance • Promote test-driven development (TDD) practices across pipeline and integration work Generative AI & Emerging Technologies • Stay current with advancements in RAG architectures, embedding models, and retrieval techniques • Identify opportunities to enhance retrieval quality using emerging methods (e.g., reranking, hybrid search) • Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure data systems support high-quality AI outputs Security & Compliance • Follow security policies and best practices for data handling and infrastructure • Implement secure coding practices, especially when working with sensitive data • Participate in threat modeling and security reviews • Support compliance requirements in regulated or security-conscious environments Welcome to ConsultNet, a premier national provider of technology talent and solutions. Our expertise spans across project services, contract-to-hire, direct search, and managed services onshore, nearshore, and hybrid. For over 25 years, we have connected thousands of consultants with meaningful roles through a personal, communication-driven approach, partnering with a diverse client base to build high-performing teams and create lasting impact. Our comprehensive service offerings cover a wide range of technology and engineering positions across key markets nationwide. Learn more at www.consultnet.com . We champion equality and inclusivity, proudly supporting an Equal Opportunity Employer policy. We welcome applicants regardless of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other status protected by law.