Data Engineer I Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

As Sr. Data Engineer I, you'll support a high-visibility, enterprise AI-enabled financial compliance initiative for the Department of War.
This mission-critical program modernizes financial system compliance and audit workflows across 180+ DoW systems. You will engineer the data backbone powering AI-assisted validation, semantic search, and enterprise-scale governance.
This is a remote role with preference for candidates local to the DMV area who can attend in-person meetings as required. We know that you can't have great technology services without amazing people. At MetroStar, we are obsessed withour people and have led a two-decade legacy of building the best and brightest teams. Because we know our future relies on our deep understanding and relentless focus on our people, we live by our mission: A passion for our people. Value for our customers. If you think you can see yourself delivering our mission and pursuing our goals with us, then check out the job description below! What you'll do: * Design and maintain scalable data pipelines supporting AI-enabled compliance workflows * Build and optimize Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines for large-scale document and financial datasets * Engineer ingestion pipelines across structured and unstructured data sources * Integrate relational databases and enterprise data systems into secure, production-grade AI architectures * Collaborate with AI/ML engineers, DevSecOps, cybersecurity specialists, financial SMEs, and UX teams within a regulated DoW environment What you'll need to succeed: * Active Secret clearance required * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field * Minimum 5 years of data engineering professional experience * Experience supporting DoD environments preferred * Experience building and maintaining RAG pipelines including document ingestion, chunking, embedding, vector storage, and semantic search * Strong Python proficiency with disciplined typing, functional programming patterns, and async/concurrent execution for data-intensive workloads * Hands-on ETL experience across Excel, XML, YAML, Markdown, and relational databases such as PostgreSQL using SQLAlchemy and schema migrations * Familiarity with LLM integration patterns including prompt engineering, structured response parsing, caching strategies, and evaluation frameworks SALARY RANGE: $128,000 - $138,000 The salary range for this position is determined based on qualifications, skills, and relevant experience. The final salary offered will be determined based on several factors including: * The candidate's professional background and relevant work experience * The specific responsibilities of the role and organizational needs * Internal equity and alignment with current team compensation * This role is also eligible for additional compensation, subject to the terms and policies of MetroStar, which may include: * Performance-based bonuses * Company-paid training and/or certifications * Referral bonuses To apply for this position, please submit your resume via the form below or through our careers page: https://www.metrostar.com/jobs/ Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled; candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible for full consideration. Additional Compensation: This role may also be eligible for bonuses and/or additional incentives based on individual and company performance. Benefits: All full-time employees are eligible to participate in our benefits programs: * Health, dental, and vision insurance * 401(k) retirement plan with company match * Paid time off (PTO) and holidays * Parental Leave and dependent care * Flexible work arrangements * Professional development opportunities * Employee assistance and wellness programs Like we said, we are big fans of our people. That's why we offer a generous benefits package, professional growth, and valuable time to recharge. Learn more about our company culture code and benefits. Plus, check out our accolades. Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit and without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law. What we want you to know: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Not ready to apply now? Sign up to join our newsletter here.