Data Engineer

Job description

Anika Systems is an outcome-driven technology solutions firm that guides federal agencies in solving complex business challenges and preparing for the future. Our services span AI Strategy, Data Intelligence, AI & Machine Learning, Intelligent Automation, Enterprise Platforms and Engineering, with a specialized focus on National Security and Federal Financial programs. We are dedicated to delivering forward-thinking solutions that accelerate the critical missions of our government clients. This position is 100% remote.

Position Summary

We are in search of a highly collaborative and experienced Data Analyst to support the Office of Chief Data Officer (OCDO) and the Office of Performance Quality (OPQ) for a federal government contract. In this role, you will design and maintain robust data pipelines, perform in-depth analysis of large-scale datasets, and deliver actionable insights that drive mission decisions. You will work within a Databricks environment leveraging SQL, PySpark, and Python, to transform raw agency data into reliable, governed, and analytics-ready assets. The ideal candidate combines strong engineering fundamentals with analytical acumen and is comfortable operating within complex federal data environments.

Candidates must be a U. S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a government suitability clearance.

Key Responsibilities

Data Engineering & Pipeline Development

- Design, build, and maintain scalable ETL/ELT data pipelines using PySpark and Python within Databricks environments.

- Develop and optimize SQL queries, and data models to support analytical and reporting workloads.

- Automate data ingestion workflows from disparate agency sources including APIs, flat files, relational databases, and streaming feeds.

- Monitor pipeline health, resolve data quality issues, and implement alerting and logging to ensure reliability of data products.

- Collaborate with data architects to design and enforce data schemas, partitioning strategies, and performance optimization practices.

Data Analysis & Reporting

- Conduct exploratory data analysis to identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities for improvement.

- Develop self-service analytics dashboards and reports using Databricks SQL, Tableau, or Power BI.

- Write complex, performant SQL queries against large datasets to answer ad hoc analytical requests from program managers and leadership.

- Translate business questions into clearly scoped analytical tasks and deliver findings as data visualizations, written summaries, or briefings.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Support

- Work closely with data scientists, program analysts, IT engineers, and agency stakeholders to understand data needs and deliver tailored solutions.

- Document pipelines, data models, and analytical notebooks to support knowledge transfer, peer review, and audit readiness.

- Participate in Agile sprint ceremonies, contribute to backlog grooming, and deliver iterative data products aligned with program priorities.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field.

- 3+ years of experience in data engineering, data analytics, or a closely related discipline.

- Demonstrated experience on federal government programs or supporting a federal agency data environment.

- Strong proficiency in SQL — including complex joins, window functions, CTEs, and query performance tuning against large datasets.

- Hands-on experience with PySpark for distributed data processing, transformations, and optimization techniques.

- Proficiency in Python for scripting, data manipulation, and automation.

- Direct experience working within Databricks, including notebooks, jobs, clusters, and Unity Catalog.

- Familiarity with data lakehouse concepts including Delta Lake, bronze/silver/gold architecture, and medallion design patterns.

- Experience with version control systems (Git/GitHub/GitLab) and collaborative development workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

- Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark or Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate/Professional.

- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS GovCloud, Microsoft Azure Government, or Google Cloud for Government.

- Familiarity with CI/CD practices for data pipelines, including automated testing and deployment using tools like Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.

- Working knowledge of data visualization platforms (Tableau, Power BI) and experience connecting them to Databricks SQL endpoints.

- Familiarity with Unity Catalog for data access control, lineage, and governance within Databricks.