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Data Engineer Contract Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Software Guidance & Assistance

Data Engineer

Rockville, MD

$116.70K - $140.20K/yr

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Data Engineer for a CONTRACT assignment with one of our premier Regulatory clients in Rockville, MD or Tysons, VA. The Data Engineer ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Reston, VA

$77.60K - $176K/yr

R0236455 Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Data Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$62K - $141K/yr

Share Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Washington, DC

$62K - $141K/yr

As a data engineer, you know that organizing data can yield pivotal insights when it's gathered ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Data Engineer

Fort Belvoir, VA · On-site

$77.60K - $176K/yr

Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and artificial ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

RIVIDIUM

Data Engineer

Alexandria, VA · Hybrid

$122.30K - $146.80K/yr

RiVidium Inc. is seeking a Data Engineer to support our planned MODES III team supporting Military ... This position is contingent upon contract award. Key Responsibilities * Build, maintain, and ...

New

540

Software Engineer (Contract)

Arlington, VA · Remote

This role is offered as a contract engagement and is ideal for engineers who value flexibility ... Design and maintain data models and persistence layers (Postgres or MySQL) * Collaborate with ...

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Data Engineer

Fort Belvoir, VA · On-site

$77.60K - $176K/yr

Share Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Mclean, VA

$62K - $141K/yr

R0241355 Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site

$62K - $141K/yr

Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and artificial ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Data Engineer

Alexandria, VA · On-site

$62K - $141K/yr

As a data engineer, you know that organizing data can yield pivotal insights when it's gathered ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Fort Belvoir, VA

$77.60K - $176K/yr

R0239353 Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Mclean, VA

$62K - $141K/yr

Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and artificial ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$62K - $141K/yr

Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and artificial ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Alexandria, VA · On-site

$62K - $141K/yr

Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology like IoT, machine learning, and artificial ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

ManTech

Data Engineer

Washington, DC

$114.60K - $190.20K/yr

MANTECH seeks a motivated, career, and customer-oriented Data Engineer for a new initiative within ... Contract Wage Determination, relevant work experience, skills and competencies that align to the ...

ManTech International

Data Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site

$114.60K - $190.20K/yr

MANTECH seeks a motivated, career, and customer-oriented Data Engineer for a new initiative within ... Contract Wage Determination, relevant work experience, skills and competencies that align to the ...

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Data Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$77.60K - $176K/yr

Share Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology and collection methodologies means ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

Peraton

Data Engineer

Herndon, VA

$104K - $166K/yr

Collaborate with detection engineers, analysts, and data consumers to translate analytic ... and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime ...

Booz Allen Hamilton

Data Engineer

Chantilly, VA

$77.60K - $176K/yr

R0239070 Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology and collection methodologies ... as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected ...

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All JobsData Engineer Contract JobsData Engineer Contract Jobs in Reston, VA

Data Engineer Contract information

See Reston, VA salary details

$46.3K

$135K

$184.7K

How much do data engineer contract jobs pay per year?

As of May 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for data engineer contract in Reston, VA is $134,951.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $119,100.00 and $143,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Data Engineer Contract job?

A Data Engineer Contract job is a temporary or project-based role where a data engineer is hired for a specific duration to design, build, and maintain data pipelines and infrastructure. Contract data engineers often work with big data technologies, ETL processes, and cloud platforms to ensure data is efficiently processed and accessible. These roles can be short-term (a few months) or long-term (a year or more), depending on the project's needs. Contractors may work independently or as part of a larger data team, and they are typically paid hourly or per project rather than receiving a fixed salary and benefits like full-time employees.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Data Engineer Contract position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Data Engineer Contract, you need expertise in data modeling, ETL processes, and proficiency with programming languages such as Python or SQL, often supported by a degree in computer science or related field. Familiarity with big data platforms like Hadoop or Spark, experience with cloud services (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and certifications in relevant technologies are highly valued. Strong problem-solving skills, effective communication, and the ability to work independently are crucial soft skills. These abilities ensure data engineers can efficiently design scalable pipelines, troubleshoot issues, and collaborate across teams to support data-driven decision-making.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a Data Engineer on a contract basis?

As a Data Engineer contractor, your day-to-day tasks often include designing, building, and maintaining data pipelines, implementing ETL processes, and preparing datasets for analytics or machine learning teams. You may be asked to collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and other engineers to understand data requirements and resolve technical issues. Contractors also frequently assess data quality, optimize performance, and document their work for seamless team integration. The role is fast-paced and may require you to quickly adapt to new projects or technologies, making it ideal for those who enjoy dynamic, project-based environments.
More about Data Engineer Contract jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Data Engineer jobs in Reston, VA? The most popular types of Data Engineer jobs in Reston, VA are:
What are popular job titles related to Data Engineer Contract jobs in Reston, VA? For Data Engineer Contract jobs in Reston, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Data Engineer Contract jobs in Reston, VA look for? The top searched job categories for Data Engineer Contract jobs in Reston, VA are:
What cities near Reston, VA are hiring for Data Engineer Contract jobs? Cities near Reston, VA with the most Data Engineer Contract job openings:
Data Engineer Contract jobs near you
Infographic showing various Data Engineer Contract job openings in Reston, VA as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Contract. Highlights an 100% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $134,951 per year, or $64.9 per hour.
Data Engineer

Data Engineer

Software Guidance & Assistance

Rockville, MD

$116.70K - $140.20K/yr

Other

Posted 25 days ago

Job description

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Data Engineer for a CONTRACT assignment with one of our premier Regulatory clients in Rockville, MD or Tysons, VA.
The Data Engineer works with moderate supervision across two equally weighted domains: (1) large-scale data pipeline development processing market events in a cloud environment, and (2) design and development of agentic AI systems including LLM-powered regulatory data assistants, MCP servers, and agent harness architectures. This position contributes to overall product quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
Responsibilities :
  • Build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines using Apache Spark, Hive, and Trino across S3-based data lake environments
  • Develop and optimize SQL for large-scale surveillance datasets including window functions, multi-table joins, and complex aggregations
  • Build and engineer big data systems (EMR-on-EC2, EMR-on-EKS) and develop solutions on analytical platforms (SageMaker, Domino, Dataiku)
  • Participate in data quality monitoring, anomaly detection, and production incident investigation
  • Develop AI agent systems using AWS Bedrock and agent frameworks (Strands Agents SDK, LangChain/LangGraph, or equivalent)
  • Build agent harness architectures combining LLM reasoning with deterministic execution - skill/RAG-based SQL generation and structured output validation
  • Implement agent memory, context management, and tool integration (MCP servers, API connectors, data catalog lookups) across the data lake
  • Build evaluation frameworks for agent accuracy - paraphrase robustness, routing precision, and structural consistency
  • Stay informed of advances in LLM frameworks (LangGraph, Google ADK, AWS Strands) and emerging AI capabilities
  • Write clean, well-tested code; contribute to CI/CD Jenkins pipelines and infrastructure-as-code on AWS
  • Ensure secure handling of RCI and sensitive regulatory data across both data pipelines and agent outputs - auditable execution traces
  • Adhere to FINRA and team standards for secure development practices and technology policies
  • Partner across teams, communicate technical information at the appropriate level, and maintain documentation on Confluence/Wiki
  • Actively learn from senior team members; contribute to process improvement in line with FINRA's values of collaboration, expertise, innovation, and responsibility
Required Skills :
Data Engineering & Big Data Technologies
  • Experience building data pipelines using Apache Spark (PySpark preferred) and SQL
  • Experience with SQL query engines (Hive, Trino/Presto, or similar) and cloud data platforms (AWS S3, EMR, Lambda)
  • Understanding of common issues like data skew and strategies to mitigate it, working with large data volumes, and troubleshooting job failures due to resource limitations, bad data, and scalability challenges
  • Real-world experience with debugging and mitigation strategies
Generative AI & Agentic Systems
  • Practical experience building LLM-powered agent systems that use tools and produce structured outputs (not just chatbot interfaces)
  • Hands-on experience with at least one agent framework: LangChain, LangGraph, AWS Strands, or equivalent
  • Working knowledge of prompt engineering, RAG architectures, and context/memory management
  • Experience with foundation model APIs (Anthropic Claude, Amazon Nova, OpenAI, or similar)
  • Memory Architecture: Understanding of agent memory tiers - working memory, episodic memory, semantic memory - and strategies for context persistence, pruning, and retrieval across sessions
  • Agent Harness Design: Familiarity with harness patterns that wrap LLM reasoning with deterministic guardrails, tool routing, verification loops, and graceful degradation
AI Tool Proficiency
  • Hands-on experience with AI development tools (GitHub Copilot, Q Developer, ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)
  • Experience with spec-driven development - using structured specifications to guide AI code generation, review, and validation
  • Ability to leverage AI pair programming for code suggestions, debugging, refactoring, and automated test generation
Cloud Technologies
  • Experience with AWS services like S3, EMR, EMR on EKS, Lambda, Bedrock, Step Functions, etc.
  • Hands-on experience using S3 with Spark (e.g., dealing with file formats, consistency issues)
  • Familiarity with AWS Bedrock for foundation model invocation, knowledge bases, guardrails, and agent orchestration
  • Exposure to Google Cloud Vertex AI (model garden, grounding, agent builder) or equivalent managed AI platforms
  • Familiarity with AWS monitoring and logging tools (CloudWatch, CloudTrail) for production workloads
Programming - Python
  • Proficiency in Python for data engineering and automation
  • Ability to write clean, modular, and performant code
  • Experience with functional programming concepts (e.g., immutability, higher-order functions)
  • Strong understanding of collections, concurrency, and memory management
SQL Skills (Window Functions, Joins, Complex Queries)
  • Proficiency with SQL window functions, multi-table joins, and aggregations
  • Ability to write and optimize complex SQL queries
  • Experience handling edge cases like NULLs, duplicates, and ordering
Good to Have
  • AWS Bedrock AgentCore (memory, identity, tool gateway)
  • Model Context Protocol (MCP) server development and integration
  • Agent evaluation harnesses and agentic patterns (draft-verification, compile-style generation)
  • Fine-tuning foundation models for domain-specific tasks (LoRA, PEFT, or managed fine-tuning via Bedrock/Vertex AI)
  • Local model execution with Ollama, vLLM, or similar for development and experimentation
  • Vector databases (FAISS, Pinecone, OpenSearch)
  • Docker, Kubernetes, and Amazon EKS for containerized workloads
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD)
  • Experience with monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)
  • AWS certifications (AI Practitioner, Solutions Architect, or Kubernetes certifications like CKA/CKAD)
Education / Experience Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, or related discipline with at least two (2) years of related experience; or equivalent training and/or work experience; past Financial Services industry experience preferred
  • Demonstrated technical expertise in Object Oriented and database technologies/concepts which resulted in deployment of enterprise quality solutions
  • Extensive knowledge of industry leading software engineering approaches including Test Automation, Build Automation and Configuration Management frameworks
  • Strong written and verbal technical communication skills
  • Demonstrated ability to develop effective working relationships that improved the quality of work products
  • Ability to maintain focus and develop proficiency in new skills rapidly
  • Ability to work in a fast paced environment
SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work. Please find us at .
SGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of Race, Color, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Religion, National Origin, Disability, Veteran Status, Age, Marital Status, Pregnancy, Genetic Information, or Other Legally Protected Status. We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, and our services, programs, and activities. Please visit our company to request an accommodation or assistance regarding our policy.

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