Data Engineer

540 is looking for a Data Engineer to develop data transformation and workflow solutions supporting an impactful U.S. Army modernization initiative. You will help deploy and operate a cloud-based replacement for a legacy financial system while developing innovative, cloud-first solutions that strengthen the Army's data management ecosystem.

In this role, you'll design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and cloud-native data solutions, with a focus on data reliability, security, governance, and performance. You'll work with large, complex datasets, contribute to technical design decisions, and collaborate across engineering teams to transform business and mission requirements into working software.

Location: Remote within the continental United States, East Coast working hours with some flexibility afforded. Occasional travel may be required (3-4x annually)
Citizenship & Clearance Requirement: per client requirements, must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain a DoW Secret clearance
Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related engineering field (preferred)
540 Internal Thrive Level: Data Engineer II

WHY 540?

540 is a forward-thinking company that the government turns to in order to #GetShitDone. We do more than talk about it, we break down barriers to innovation and build impactful tech. We’re looking for someone with big ideas, who thrives on innovation and is a self-starter. If you love to learn about and work with new technologies, we want to talk to you.

HOW YOU’LL DRIVE IMPACT

• Design, build, maintain, and troubleshoot reliable data pipelines throughout the software development lifecycle, supporting the modernization of legacy U.S. Army financial systems and migration to AWS cloud environments
• Develop Python-based workflows to ingest, transform, validate, and deliver structured and semi-structured data
• Build and support cloud-native data solutions using AWS services such as Glue, Lambda, S3, and CloudWatch
• Integrate data from multiple systems and sources, including APIs and various file formats, while supporting data accuracy, consistency, and reliability
• Work with large datasets, identify performance bottlenecks, and help improve pipeline efficiency and scalability
• Participate in technical design discussions and contribute to decisions around data integration, storage, performance, and scalability
• Implement automated testing, logging, monitoring, and error handling to support data quality and reliable system performance
• Write clean, reusable, and maintainable code while following established software engineering and DataOps practices
• Collaborate with engineers, architects, and stakeholders to translate business and technical requirements into working software
• Support secure data management practices, including access controls, data governance, and compliance with DoW requirements
• Participate in code reviews and Agile development activities, sharing ideas and contributing to engineering improvements
• Document data transformations, pipeline processes, and technical decisions to support maintainability and downstream users
• Identify opportunities to improve existing workflows, reduce manual processes, and strengthen the reliability of the Army's data ecosystem

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 2+ years of related experience in data engineering, software development, data integration, or a closely related field
• Experience developing Python-based data transformations, scripts, or workflow automation
• Hands-on experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes
• Experience consuming data from APIs and working with file formats such as X12, JSON, flat files, or fixed-width files
• Experience working with AWS cloud services, particularly AWS Glue, AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, and CloudWatch Logs
• Familiarity with working with large datasets, including identifying and troubleshooting data processing or performance issues
• Understanding of data structures, data modeling concepts, and common approaches to organizing and transforming data
• Experience writing and maintaining automated tests using Pytest or similar testing frameworks
• Familiarity with data validation, error handling, logging, and debugging practices
• Understanding of data security, access controls, and data quality principles
• Experience using GitLab for version control and collaborative development
• Comfortable working through the terminal or command-line interface
• Experience using Jira and Confluence in an Agile development environment
• Ability to interpret ambiguous requirements, file specifications, and JSON structures to develop functional data solutions
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Must currently possess or have the ability to obtain an AWS Cloud Practitioner certification (or higher) within 30 days of hire
• Must currently possess or have the ability to obtain a CompTIA Security+ certification (or higher) within 30 days of hire

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience working with DoW systems, data, or other regulated environments
• Familiarity with X12/MILS processing
• Experience with Apache Spark, Kafka, or other distributed data processing frameworks
• Knowledge of data orchestration tools such as Apache Airflow or AWS Step Functions
• Exposure to Infrastructure-as-Code tools, including Terraform or CloudFormation
• Understanding of DevOps and DataOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines
• AWS certifications such as Solutions Architect, Data Analytics, or similar
• Experience developing reusable pipeline components or improving established engineering patterns
• Experience contributing to data architecture decisions, schema design, or pipeline performance optimization
• Familiarity with database performance optimization, indexing, or partitioning strategies
• Experience with data lineage, metadata management, or data cataloging tools
• Experience providing technical guidance, mentoring teammates, or contributing to engineering best practices
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools for coding, testing, documentation, or workflow automation

BENEFITS & PERKS

• Health, dental and vision insurance plans
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401k with employer match
• Company Sponsored Life Insurance, Short and Long Term Disability coverage
• Flexible PTO + all Federal holidays off
• Professional development opportunities (training, certifications, conferences)
• Paid cloud developer accounts
• Referral Bonus - good people know good people
• HQ Office Perks (parking / metro reimbursement, nitro coffee & lunches) 
• Annual Social Events (540 week, hackathon, charity golf tournament, etc.)
• Access to 540’s Washington Capitals & Nationals tickets

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO)

540's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.