Data Engineer DEA

As a Data Engineer at Expression, you will help design, build, and improve the data platform that enforces quality and governance to provide timely, trustworthy analysis across enterprise systems. You will work closely with senior engineers, analysts, and stakeholders in a highly collaborative environment, contributing to well-designed data solutions while continuing to grow your technical depth and system ownership.

The ideal candidate is hands‑on, curious, and dependable. You are comfortable working on complex data problems, communicating clearly with teammates, and improving systems through thoughtful execution and iteration.

Location:

• Hybrid at DEA Office Onsite (2675 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22031) - 3 days /week

Security Clearance:

• Secret or Top Secret Clearance Required
• DOJ Cleared preferred

Responsibilities:

• Build end-to-end data solutions that include ingest, logging, validation, cleaning, transformation, and security.
• Contribute to the development and improvement of scalable ETL/ELT processes under guidance from senior engineers.
• Implement and evolve data models and storage patterns that support analytics and operational use cases.
• Apply data quality checks, monitoring, and documentation to ensure data is accurate, reliable, and well understood.
• Collaborate with internal teams and clients to understand data requirements and support analytics use cases.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of Expression's VOR Data Platform, including tooling, standards, and automation.
• Participate in research, prototypes, and proof‑of‑concept work to evaluate new data and analytics technologies, including emerging AI‑driven tools.
• Follow established engineering practices and contribute ideas to improve reliability, performance, and developer experience.

Required Qualifications:

• 3–5 years of combined experience and education in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• Hands‑on experience building and maintaining ETL/ELT data pipelines and working with data warehouses, data lakes, or analytics platforms.
• Experience working with SQL and familiarity with performance tuning and optimization concepts.
• Exposure to data visualization or BI tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Superset, or similar.
• Strong Python development experience
• Familiarity with modern data tooling and workflows; experience using AI‑assisted development tools is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, remote‑first environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with cloud‑based data solutions on AWS or Azure.
• Experience working with relational and No
  
  SQL databases such as Postgre
  
  SQL, Elasticsearch, Mongo
  
  DB, or similar technologies.
• Familiarity with data modeling best practices and data quality frameworks.
• Experience working in agile or iterative development environments.
• Interest in learning and applying generative AI tools within data engineering workflows.

Expression offers competitive salaries and benefits, such as:

• 401k matching
• PPO and HDHP medical/dental/vision insurance
• Education reimbursement up to $10,000/yr
• Complimentary life insurance
• Generous rollover PTO and 11 days of holiday leave
• Onsite gym facility and trainer
• Commuter Benefits Plan
• In‑office Cold Brew Coffee

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Washington DC, Expression provides data fusion, data analytics, AI/ML, software engineering, information technology, and electromagnetic spectrum management solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of State, and national security community. Expression's culture focuses on creating immediate and sustainable value for our clients via agile delivery of tailored solutions built through constant engagement with our clients.

Expression was ranked #1 on the Washington Technology 2018's Fast 50 list of fastest‑growing small business Government contractors and a Top 20 Big Data Solutions Provider by CIO Review.

We make sure to provide everyone with the tools and opportunities to grow while working on some of the newest technologies in the industry. We get excited about celebrating our professionals' milestones, accomplishments, promotions, overcoming challenges, and many other aspects that make an engaging collaborative environment.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled