Director Data Engineering Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Everforth ECS is seeking an Enterprise Data Engineering & Operations Lead SME to work in the National Capital Region covering the Pentagon, Falls Church, and Fairfax. This position is contingent upon contract award.

The War Data Platform (WDP) is a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's (DoW) AI-First strategy introduced in early 2026. The WDP focuses on operational warfighting data and aims to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield. The WDP extends to Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments, and supports collaboration between Combatant Commands, Joint Staff directorates, Senior Executive Service leaders, and operational analysts.

The Enterprise Data Engineering & Operations Lead SME serves as the senior technical authority for all data engineering and operations activities supporting the WDP Core Integration program. This role provides strategic and operational leadership across all enclave architectures to ensure mission-ready, governed, and scalable data infrastructure for warfighters and defense decision-makers at enterprise scale.

• Leads enterprise data operations and advanced engineering support for WDP Core Integration, coordinating with data platform, product, governance, tooling, and enablement teams to ensure data capabilities are reliable, supportable, secure, and mission-ready across Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments.

• Leads development, publication, and ongoing refinement of the Enterprise Data Engineering and Operations Plan, defining governance structures, operational workflows, data lifecycle models, and cross-domain engineering objectives aligned with WDP Core Integration modernization priorities.

• Oversees engineering of automated end-to-end data pipelines, medallion-layered storage patterns, streaming ingestion, and self-service data exchange capabilities using Databricks, Spark, Kafka, AWS GovCloud services, Azure Government components, and cross-domain transfer technologies.

• Drives enterprise-level performance metrics including pipeline reliability, schema drift mitigation, data quality accuracy thresholds, latency targets, and recovery point objectives.

• Directs Data Operations functions by orchestrating Tier-2 and Tier-3 support, root-cause diagnostics, SLA monitoring, and customer onboarding workflows in support of Combatant Commands, Joint Staff elements, and analytic mission partners across enclaves.

• Guides development of training artifacts, runbooks, and productivity utilities supporting developer enablement and customer adoption of WDP data capabilities.

• Leads Data Tooling optimization by overseeing integration, hardening, and proactive monitoring of data catalogs, governance tools, orchestration systems, and data security capabilities.

• Provides strategic leadership for WDP Core Integration Data Governance by enforcing policy, catalog hygiene, access control documentation, compliance alignment, and data stewardship enablement across mission partner communities.

• Produces architecture artifacts, engineering recommendations, and operational readiness assessments that elevate WDP Core Integration resilience, scalability, and mission impact.

• Current Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

• 15 or more years of progressive, hands-on experience in enterprise data engineering, data architecture, or data platform operations.

• Demonstrated experience leading data engineering programs at enterprise scale, including ownership of pipeline development, data governance frameworks, and tiered operational support models.

• Proven expertise with big data and streaming technologies, including Apache Spark, Apache Kafka, and Databricks.

• Direct experience designing, deploying, and managing multi-layered (medallion architecture) data systems and automated pipeline ecosystems.

• Hands-on experience with federal cloud environments, including AWS GovCloud and/or Azure Government, with demonstrated knowledge of multi-enclave architectures across NIPRNet, SIPRNet, and JWICS.

• Experience defining and enforcing enterprise data governance policies, metadata catalog standards, access control documentation, and regulatory compliance frameworks.

• Familiarity with cross-domain transfer technologies and secure data exchange processes across classified security enclaves.

• Demonstrated ability to manage SLAs, conduct structured root-cause analysis, and lead tiered (Tier-2/Tier-3) operational support organizations.

• Experience coordinating data permissions, onboarding workflows, and capability enablement for diverse mission partner communities including Combatant Commands or Joint Staff elements.

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, with a proven ability to weigh the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and identify the most appropriate solution.

• Highly developed interpersonal and oral/written communication skills, with the ability to effectively and professionally interact with a diverse set of stakeholders (from peers to end-users to executive management).