Junior Data Engineer

Who is Element?

We serve as a partner at the intersection of innovation and our clients' needs, efficiently crafting meaningful user experiences for government and commercial customers. By breaking complex problems down into their fundamental elements, we create modern digital solutions that drive efficiency, maximize taxpayer dollars, and deliver essential outcomes that serve the people.

Why Work at Element?

Position Summary

We are looking for a motivated and driven Junior Data Engineer. This individual will support the development, testing, and maintenance of data pipelines and automated data processes. Working under the guidance of senior engineers, this role helps integrate, transform, and validate data, troubleshoot pipeline issues, and improve the reliability of data workflows.

This position is suited to an early-career professional who is building skills in data engineering, programming, SQL, and cloud-based data platforms. The Junior Data Engineer collaborates with engineering and project teams to deliver data solutions that meet customer and organizational requirements while following established security and development practices.

Key Responsibilities

Data Engineering and Development

• Assist with building, testing, and maintaining data pipelines and integrations under the guidance of senior engineers.
• Write and maintain scripts to automate routine data-processing and engineering tasks.
• Support the development of reusable data solutions that meet project and customer requirements.
• Help configure and maintain data workflows across development, test, and production environments.
• Monitor assigned workflows and report data-processing or reliability issues to senior engineers.
• Follow established procedures for data storage, backup, and recovery.

Testing and Quality Assurance

• Write and run unit tests, integration tests, and data validation checks under the guidance of senior engineers.
• Test data systems and solutions against established requirements, and document results and issues.
• Investigate data-processing errors and software defects, help resolve them, and escalate issues when needed.
• Maintain testing and troubleshooting documentation, including test cases, results, and known issues.

Systems Administration and Technical Support

• Assist with configuring and maintaining data engineering tools and development environments under the guidance of senior engineers.
• Monitor assigned data-platform services and report operational issues for investigation.
• Support testing and deployment of data solutions by following established procedures.
• Follow organizational requirements for system access, configuration, and security, and escalate issues that require administrative changes.

Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with senior data engineers, developers, IT personnel, and project teams to support technical work and customer deliverables.
• Follow established engineering standards, development practices, security requirements, and project guidelines.
• Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and knowledge-sharing activities to build skills and contribute to team practices.
• Identify and suggest improvements to data workflows, repetitive processes, and system reliability.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or Associates degree plus two years' experience.
• 0-2 years of experience in data engineering, software development, database management, and/or data analytics. Relevant internships, academic projects, and practical training may be considered.
• Foundational knowledge of programming or scripting languages such as Python, SQL, Java, or similar technologies.
• Basic understanding of databases, data structures, data processing concepts, and software development practices.
• Familiarity with data validation, software testing, troubleshooting, and debugging techniques.
• Understanding of operating systems, software configuration, and basic networking concepts.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail and a commitment to data accuracy.
• Ability to follow technical guidance, document work clearly, and collaborate effectively within a team.
• Ability to learn new tools, technologies, and processes in a dynamic project environment.
• Must live in the Continental US.
• Be either a US citizen or Permanent Resident due to the work we do.
• Depending on agency requirements, you may need to possess or obtain a Public Trust designation or security clearance. Regardless of the specific requirement, all positions require the successful completion of a background check, background investigation, and the standard onboarding process.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience supporting data engineering solutions in a government contracting, healthcare CMS (Center of Medicare & Medicaid) or in the health industry, or other regulated environment.
• Exposure to ETL/ELT processes, data pipelines, APIs, and data integration techniques.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Exposure to version control tools such as Git and collaborative software development workflows.
• Familiarity with automated testing, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), and infrastructure automation.
• Exposure to data security, access controls, backup procedures, and data governance practices.
• Qualified individuals living in HUBZone-certified areas are strongly encouraged to apply. To find out if you live in a HUBZone go to: https://maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map#center=44.722800,-103.249700&zoom=4.

Our People

We invest in the lives of our employees, both in and out of the workplace, by providing competitive pay and benefits packages.

Location

Be in your Element. We are a remote first company based out of Washington, DC. As a HUBZone-certified business we are committed to supporting local economic development.

We believe in a world where solutions we build improve the lives of those who use them.