Senior Data Engineer

Title: Senior Data Engineer Location : Rockville, Maryland Target Start Date : June 1, 2025 Type: contract Pay Rate: DOE The Data Engineer will design, build, and maintain scalable, cloud-native data infrastructure on AWS to support analytics initiatives. The ideal candidate will have strong experience with AWS data services, pipeline development, and modern data engineering best practices. Experience with Generative AI is a plus and highly valued. Functional Responsibilities The Senior Data Engineer will: • Design, implement, and maintain scalable ETL/ELT pipelines using AWS-native tools (Glue, Lambda, Step Functions). • Build and manage data lakes and data warehouses (S3, Redshift, Athena) for structured and semi-structured data. • Develop and optimize batch and streaming data pipelines using tools like Apache Spark, Kafka, Kinesis, or Flink. • Implement data cataloging, lineage, and governance using tools like Glue Catalog and Lake Formation. • Ensure data quality, integrity, and reliability through validation, alerting, and monitoring (CloudWatch, SNS). • Create and maintain curated data models and data marts to support reporting and machine learning. • Enable self-service analytics by integrating with BI tools such as QuickSight. • Optimize for cost, performance, and scalability across data pipelines and infrastructure. • Collaborate with ML engineers, analysts, and product teams to deliver data-driven solutions. Non-Functional Responsibilities • Ensure security best practices with least-privilege IAM configurations. • Build modular, reusable pipeline components for scalability and maintainability. • Leverage infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform or CloudFormation) for consistent deployments. • Utilize orchestration tools like Apache Airflow and AWS Step Functions. • Deliver systems with high availability (99.9% uptime) and proactive monitoring. • Maintain thorough documentation and onboarding materials for engineering continuity. Experience Requirements • 7+ years of experience in data engineering or related fields. • 3+ years building data platforms on AWS (S3, Glue, Redshift, EMR, Lambda, etc.). • Proven track record in leading technical projects and mentoring junior engineers. • Experience in Agile/Scrum development environments. • Experience migrating legacy systems to modern cloud platforms is a plus. Technical Skills Skill Area Required Skills Cloud Platform AWS (S3, Glue, Aurora MySQL/PostgreSQL, Lambda, EMR, Athena, IAM, CloudWatch) Data Processing Apache Spark, AWS Glue, SQL, Java/Python (especially PySpark) Streaming Data Kafka, AWS Kinesis, Flink (preferred) Orchestration Airflow, Step Functions, Lambda Triggers Data Warehousing Redshift, Snowflake (optional), BigQuery (optional) DevOps/Automation Terraform, CloudFormation, Docker, Kubernetes Security & Governance Lake Formation, KMS, Encryption, IAM policies Logging & Debugging Splunk, CloudWatch, Grafana, Code inspection, Amazon Q BI/Visualization QuickSight, Power BI Preferred Qualifications • AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty (optional) • Experience using dbt for data transformation • Familiarity with data mesh or lakehouse architectures • Experience with ML pipelines (feature stores, model input pipelines) • Proficiency with Linux systems • Background in production support and operations Soft Skills • Strong problem-solving and debugging abilities • Excellent communication and collaboration skills • Ownership mindset and ability to lead cross-functional initiatives • Experience mentoring and coaching engineers Welcome to ConsultNet and the family of companies, Tekne, SaltClick, TechBridge, and OmniMedia. As a premier national provider of technology talent and solutions, our expertise spans across project services, contract-to-hire, direct placement, and managed services both onshore and nearshore. Celebrating more than 25 years of partnership with a diverse client base, we've crafted rewarding opportunities for our consultants, fostering high-performing teams that deliver impactful results. Over the last few years thousands of consultants have found their calling with us in roles that have made a meaningful impact on their lives, enhanced their career, challenged them, and propelled them towards achieving their personal and professional goals. At the ConsultNet family of companies, we believe effective communication is crucial in aligning the right job with your unique skills and professional aspirations. To us, it's all about the personal approach we take and the values we uphold. Our comprehensive service offerings cover a wide range of technology positions across key markets nationwide. Client 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.