Data Engineer - Expert
- Pay
- $165,000 – $200,000 per year
- Location
- Herndon, VA · On-site
- Job type
- Full-time
- Level
- Executive
- Experience
- 7+ years
- Education
- Bachelor's degree
- Listed
- 31 days ago
Skills & highlights for this role
- TS/SCI clearance
- US citizenship
- full-scope polygraph
- Apache Spark
- Apache Kafka
- Apache Flink
- Kubernetes
- Terraform
- Delta Lake
Also useful
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
- CISSP
- Databricks Certified Professional Data Engineer
About the role
Dark Wolf constructs and deploys data management and analytics solutions for the defense and intelligence communities. We're proud to boast a world-class engineering team that thrives on rolling up their sleeves to solve your mission's biggest challenges.
Dark Wolf is seeking an Expert Data Engineer to lead the architectural development, scaling, and governance of enterprise-grade data platforms. You will be responsible for designing high-throughput data meshes, establishing automated data quality frameworks, optimizing distributed compute clusters, and ensuring high resilience across air-gapped and multi-cloud networks.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the architectural design and implementation of distributed, high-throughput batch and streaming data platforms.
- Optimize distributed execution engines (Spark, Trino/Presto) to handle petabyte-scale datasets under strict SLAs.
- Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to provision data platform assets across multi-cloud infrastructure.
- Establish zero-trust security controls, data lineage tools, and automated compliance scanning for regulated data environments.
- Act as a Technical Pod Lead, driving Agile sprint deliverables, establishing technical standards, and mentoring data engineering staff.
Qualifications
- Clearance: Must be a US Citizen holding an active TS/SCI security clearance with an active Full-Scope Polygraph.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field (Master's degree preferred).
- Experience: 7-10+ years of data engineering experience.
Technical Competencies
- Data Processing Frameworks: Expert-level mastery of Apache Spark, Flink, Kafka, Ray, and workflow orchestration engines.
- Database Systems: Deep understanding of distributed systems internals, LSM trees, column-family stores, and lakehouse storage formats (Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi).
- Data Modeling: Enterprise data strategy, conceptual-to-physical data modeling, and streaming data schema contracts.
- Programming & Scripting: Mastery of Python, Scala, SQL, and Go for high-performance data platform development.
- Containerization: Advanced Kubernetes cluster management, custom operators for data platforms, and service mesh integration.
- Agile Frameworks: Proven experience acting as a Technical Lead or Scrum Master directing engineering pods.
- Multi-Cloud Architecture: Advanced experience architecting multi-cloud and hybrid cloud data platform solutions (IaC via Terraform).
- Security Scanning Tooling: Deep understanding of DevSecOps pipelines, automated compliance testing, and secret rotation management.
Desired Qualifications
- Advanced Certifications: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, CISSP, or Databricks Certified Professional Data Engineer.
- Proven track record architecting data solutions for deployment in air-gapped or high-assurance defense networks.
Position Clearance Requirement
- US Citizenship with an active TS/SCI security clearance with Full-Scope Polygraph
- Location: Chantilly/Herndon, VA.
Target Salary Range
$165,000.00 - $200,000.00 (Commensurate with specialized expertise and technical skillset).
Equal opportunity and legal notices
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity, confirm US Citizenship, and complete the required employment eligibility verification upon hire.
We are strictly looking for direct, full-time W2 employees. We do not engage with third-party staffing agencies, C2C, or 1099 independent contractors for this role.
From Dark Wolf Solutions's careers page, first listed on Rolev.ai on October 10, 2026. Rolev.ai is not the employer.
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All Data Engineer jobsCommon questions
What is the salary for the Data Engineer - Expert role at Dark Wolf Solutions?
The Data Engineer - Expert posting at Dark Wolf Solutions states compensation of $165,000 – $200,000 per year. It is listed as a full-time position. Final pay may depend on location, experience, and interview evaluation on Dark Wolf Solutions's official career site.
Where is the Data Engineer - Expert job at Dark Wolf Solutions located?
This Data Engineer - Expert position at Dark Wolf Solutions is located in Herndon, VA (On-site). Always check Dark Wolf Solutions's application page for specific state eligibility or relocation policies.
What qualifications are required for Data Engineer - Expert at Dark Wolf Solutions?
For the Data Engineer - Expert role, Dark Wolf Solutions highlights 7+ years of relevant experience; a bachelor's degree; experience with Apache Spark, Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Kubernetes, Terraform, Delta Lake. Rolev.ai can score your existing resume against these requirements and show any skill gaps before you apply.
How do I apply for the Data Engineer - Expert position at Dark Wolf Solutions?
This listing links directly to Dark Wolf Solutions's Greenhouse application page. You can apply directly on Dark Wolf Solutions's site, or use Rolev.ai to check your resume fit, generate a zero-hallucination tailored resume and cover letter for this posting, and autofill the Greenhouse application form in 1 click with the Rolev.ai Chrome extension. You always review the form and press Submit yourself.