Full Time Startup Data Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA

Shift5 is building the data platform for onboard operational technology (OT). We deliver cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance capabilities that enable defense and commercial fleets to operate with greater readiness, resilience, and mission assurance.

We are seeking a Data Engineer to join our growing Product Engineering team. In this role, your primary responsibility will be to design, build, and maintain data processing, storage, and integration pipelines. You will report to our Off Vehicle Manager, Software Engineering, and operate in a team-based environment with engineers, product managers, program managers, and designers to conceive, implement, and shape major features. You'll be a major factor in generating high-impact products that literally save lives.

• Design & Build Pipelines: Design, build, and maintain robust, scalable batch and streaming data processing, storage, and integration pipelines.
• Feature Ownership: Interpret requirements and design specifications, taking full ownership of building features from the ground up.
• Write Quality Code: Write clean, well-documented, scalable, extensible, and testable code to ensure application quality and maintainability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with data scientists and engineers to create semantic data models representing complex vehicular systems, and integrate applications cleanly across other Shift5 componentry.
• Support Stakeholders: Build scalable data products for data scientists, transportation engineers, and executives to drive insights and decision-making.
• Cloud Optimization: Create efficient, reliable, cost-effective, dynamically scalable, and observable solutions utilizing AWS cloud services.
• Data Analysis & Quality: Analyze complex data sets to create data ontologies, verify data quality/integrity, and ensure data accuracy throughout pipelines.
• Field Support: Support the design process and occasionally travel to customer sites (estimated a few times per year) to collaborate with Field Engineers on data integration and deployment.

• High-Impact Delivery: You successfully deliver scalable, observable, supportable, and reliable data processing applications that empower customers to run smarter, safer fleets.
• End-to-End Ownership: You confidently steer features from initial requirements gathering and design through planning and implementation in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative Impact: You actively shape product design alongside multidisciplinary teams, contributing directly to a culture of high performance and mission readiness.
• Adaptability: You efficiently multitask and smoothly accommodate changing priorities on demand to meet the dynamic needs of a scaling company.

• Engineering Experience: 2+ years of software/data engineering experience with a deep understanding of software engineering practices and concepts.
• Core Languages: 2+ years of experience with a major programming language (GoLang, Java, or Python).
• Databases & Big Data: 2+ years of relational database experience (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, etc.) alongside 2+ years of experience with Big Data (Hadoop, Spark) and Data Modeling.
• Cloud & Containers: 2+ years of experience with containerization and cloud services (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud monitoring tools.
• Data Pipelines: Expertise with batch and streaming data pipelines using technologies such as Apache Airflow or Benthos.
• Modern Data Stack: Familiarity with modern data stack components including data ingestion, transformation, and orchestration.
• U.S. citizenship required and ability to obtain a security clearance.
• Data Architecture: Experience and understanding of data lakes/warehouses (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift).
• DevOps Practices: Proficiency with CI/CD, source control, design reviews, and integrating observable practices.
• Travel Flexibility: Willingness to travel occasionally to customer and partner sites to support field integration and deployment efforts.

• Base Salary: $130,000 - 170,000
• Bonus program and equity in a fast-growing startup
• Competitive salary and stock options in a fast-growing startup
• Employer-paid medical, dental and vision coverage
• Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions
• Life Insurance
• Uncapped paid time off policy
• Flexible work & remote work policy
• Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA)

Shift5 is committed to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics. Shift5 is an Equal Opportunity Employer.