Freelance Geospatial Data Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Data Architect

Responsibilities and Duties

• Serve as the lead Data Architect for enterprise geospatial data platforms, services, and analytics environments.
• Design and maintain enterprise data architectures that support geospatial operations, spatial analytics, and mission-critical decision-making.
• Develop data strategies, roadmaps, standards, and governance frameworks supporting organizational and customer objectives.
• Architect and oversee the integration of structured, unstructured, and geospatial data from multiple internal and external sources.
• Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models that support enterprise applications, reporting, analytics, and geospatial services.
• Lead data modernization initiatives, including migration of legacy data environments to cloud-based and hybrid architectures.
• Establish data management standards, metadata requirements, and data quality processes to ensure accuracy, integrity, and usability of enterprise data assets.
• Collaborate with GIS specialists, engineers, developers, analysts, and program stakeholders to define data requirements and technical solutions.
• Design and optimize data warehouses, data lakes, geospatial repositories, and enterprise reporting environments.
• Support the architecture and implementation of geospatial databases and spatially enabled data platforms.
• Ensure data architectures support interoperability, scalability, security, and compliance requirements.
• Develop and maintain data flow diagrams, data dictionaries, architecture artifacts, and technical documentation.
• Provide architectural guidance for data integration technologies, APIs, ETL/ELT processes, and data exchange solutions.
• Support advanced analytics, business intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI), and geospatial intelligence initiatives through effective data architecture design.
• Lead data governance and stewardship efforts to ensure consistency, accessibility, and lifecycle management of organizational data assets.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend innovative approaches to improve data management, analytics, and geospatial capabilities.
• Support cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory compliance initiatives affecting enterprise and geospatial data environments.
• Conduct technical reviews and provide recommendations regarding data architecture, performance optimization, and system enhancements.
• Develop executive briefings, technical reports, and strategic recommendations for leadership and customer stakeholders.
• Mentor technical teams and provide subject matter expertise on enterprise data architecture and geospatial data management best practices.

Basic Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Geospatial Science, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience supporting IT programs, systems, or enterprise data management initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing enterprise data architectures, data models, and data integration solutions.
• Experience supporting data governance, metadata management, data quality, and master data management initiatives.
• Experience designing and managing enterprise databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and analytics platforms.
• Knowledge of relational, non-relational, and spatial database technologies.
• Experience supporting geospatial data environments and integrating geospatial data with enterprise business systems.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and modern data architecture approaches in Azure, AWS, or hybrid environments.
• Strong understanding of data security, privacy, access controls, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting business intelligence, analytics, and reporting solutions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic planning capabilities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to executive leadership, technical teams, and non-technical stakeholders.
• U.S. Citizen. Ability to obtain and maintain a DHS Suitability determination, Public Trust, Secret, or higher security clearance as required by the contract.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), or other Federal Government geospatial programs.
• Experience with Esri ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, ArcSDE, QGIS, or similar GIS platforms.
• Experience designing and managing spatial databases using SQL Server, Oracle Spatial, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, or equivalent technologies.
• Knowledge of Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) standards, National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), and geospatial data-sharing frameworks.
• Experience supporting cloud-based geospatial analytics and location intelligence solutions.
• Familiarity with ETL/ELT tools, data integration platforms, and API-driven data exchange architectures.
• Experience supporting big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or advanced analytics initiatives.
• Knowledge of federal cybersecurity frameworks, including NIST RMF, FISMA, and Zero Trust principles.
• Experience supporting mission-critical geospatial operations related to critical infrastructure, emergency management, public safety, or cybersecurity.
• Relevant certifications such as Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), AWS Certified Data Analytics, Azure Data Engineer Associate, Esri Technical Certification, PMP, GISP, or equivalent certifications.