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Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work additional information on remote work at Penn State seeNotice to Out of State Applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer with deep expertise in database design optimization and data access strategies to support our growing data science and machine learning initiatives within the Visualization and Decision Support Division of Penn State ARL. In this role you will architect and optimize data systems that empower our data scientists to efficiently research train and deploy both traditional and ML-based algorithms and applications.

The ideal candidate is a PostgreSQL expert who also brings hands-on experience with other modern data storage technologiessuch as NoSQL graph and time-series databasesand can guide the organization in choosing the right tools and structures for each data use case.

Located in either State College PA or Reston VA

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You will:

• Design and maintain scalable high-performance database solutions to support data science workflows and ML experimentation
• Partner with data scientists to understand data access patterns and develop storage strategies that accelerate analysis and model training
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on PostgreSQLincluding schema design indexing partitioning and query optimization
• Evaluate and integrate alternative database technologies (e.g. MongoDB Neo4j Redis Cassandra) where they provide clear advantages
• Lead efforts to optimize data pipelines for both structured and unstructured data used in algorithm development
• Ensure data integrity security and governance across storage systems
• Implement monitoring automation and performance-tuning tools for all database environments
• Advise on data lifecycle managementbalancing accessibility for R&D with efficiency and compliance requirements

Required skills/experience includes:

• 5 years of experience in data engineering database architecture or related technical roles
• Expert-level proficiency in PostgreSQL (query tuning schema design indexing partitioning replication)
• Strong understanding of data modeling normalization vs. denormalization tradeoffs and query optimization
• Experience with non-relational databases (e.g. MongoDB Cassandra Neo4j Redis or DynamoDB)
• Familiarity with machine learning workflows and how data is consumed for training evaluation and deployment
• Experience with cloud database services (AWS RDS/Aurora GCP Cloud SQL Azure Database)
• Proficiency in SQL and one or more scripting languages (Python preferred)
• Excellent communication and collaboration skillscomfortable working closely with data scientists ML engineers and software developers

Preferred skills/experience includes:

• Experience architecting hybrid data ecosystems spanning relational NoSQL and analytical databases.
• Knowledge of data lake warehouse and feature store architectures (e.g. Snowflake Redshift BigQuery Feast).
• Familiarity with ETL/ELT frameworks and data orchestration tools (e.g. Airflow dbt).
• Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science Data Engineering or a related field.

Work location can be State College PA or Reston VA

MINIMUM EDUCATION WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

ARLs purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific engineering and technology problems in support of the Navy the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intel Community (IC).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL visit our web site at .

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary Structure - Information on Penn States salary structure

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional addition to comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988 Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security such as those concerning alcohol and drug use crime prevention the reporting of crimes sexual assault and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race color religion age sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability please contact .

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