Graduate Associate Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

DATA ENGINEER - DATA SCIENCE TEAM
Location:
Newport News, Virginia, United States
Date: Jun 27, 2026
Req ID: 47069
Team: T56 AI and Digital Innovation
Entity: Newport News Shipbuilding
US Citizenship Required for this Position: Yes
Full-Time
Shift: 1st
Relocation: No relocation assistance available
Virtual/Telework Opportunity: Yes - Occasional or hybrid telework available
Travel Requirements: Yes, 10%-25% of the time
Clearance Required: No - Clearance Not Required to Start
Salary Range: $104,000.00 to $131,000.00
The anticipated salary range represents the estimated base pay for this role. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors, and may vary from the posted range
Meet HII's Newport News Shipbuilding
With more than 25,000 employees - including third-, fourth- and even fifth-generation shipbuilders - HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division is the largest industrial employer in Virginia. We're the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. Our diverse and innovative team of professionals ranges from skilled trades to project managers, engineers and software developers to solution architects, technical subject matter experts, and system users. We collaborate together at the forefront of technology, manufacturing, and integration of the most powerful and survivable naval ships in the world. Want to be part of the team? Apply today! We look forward to meeting you.
The Role
Design, develop, and test operating systems-level software, compilers, and network distribution software. Set operational specifications, and formulate and analyze software requirements. May design embedded systems software.
We are looking for a highly skilled Data Engineer to join our Data Science team. In this role, you will collaborate closely with data scientists, analysts, and IT partners to build the data platforms, pipelines, and tooling needed to enable advanced analytics, machine learning, and enterprise-wide data-driven decision making.
This is a senior-level engineering position responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining robust, scalable data solutions that power high‑impact models and analytical insights.
Key responsibilities include:
• Architect, build, and optimize data pipelines and workflows that support machine learning, statistical modeling, and analytics use cases.
• Partner with data scientists to operationalize models, including feature engineering pipelines, model ingestion, and production deployment patterns.
• Design and maintain scalable data environments (data lakes, warehouses, streaming platforms) with a focus on performance, security, and data quality.
• Develop and enforce best practices for data governance, workflow orchestration, documentation, and code quality.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on data issues and improve reliability, observability, and monitoring of data systems.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to team-wide technical standards, patterns, and reusable components.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand data requirements and translate them into robust engineering solutions.
Must Have
Bachelor's Degree and 5 years of relevant exempt experience; Master?s Degree and 3 years of relevant professional experience; Ph.D. and 0 years of experience.
One of the following may be used as an equivalent to Bachelor's Degree for Information Technology Related Positions Only:

• NNS Apprentice School graduate
• Navy Nuclear Power School (NNPS) graduate
• Associate's Degree or other formal 2 year program and 2 years of relevant exempt experience or 4 years of relevant non-exempt experience
• Military Paygrade E-5 or above military experience
• High School/GED and 4 years combined of Manufacturing, Shipbuilding, Trades, Military experience or other relevant exempt experience
• High School/GED and 8 years combined of Manufacturing, Shipbuilding, Trades, Military experience or other relevant non-exempt experience
• A relevant professional certification can be substituted for a Bachelor's Degree.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
  • 5 years of experience in data engineering or software engineering with a focus on data-intensive applications. Master's degree and 3 years of relevant experience. PhD and 0 years of experience.
  • Strong proficiency in Python, SQL, and modern data engineering frameworks.
  • Hands-on experience with cloud data platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP).
  • Expertise with distributed data technologies (Spark, Databricks, Hadoop, Kafka, etc.).
  • Experience developing production-grade ETL/ELT pipelines and orchestration tools (Airflow, Azure Data Factory, Dagster).
  • Familiarity with machine learning workflows and supporting data science teams.

Nice to Have
Experience deploying and monitoring machine learning models in production.
• Knowledge of MLOps frameworks (MLflow, Kubeflow, Vertex AI, Azure ML).
• Exposure to CI/CD, containerization (Docker), and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform).
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in technical and business-facing discussions.
Why HII
We build the world's most powerful, survivable naval ships and defense technology solutions that safeguard our seas, sky, land, space and cyber. HII's diverse workforce includes skilled tradespeople; artificial intelligence, machine learning (AI/ML) experts; engineers; technologists; scientists; logistics experts; and business administration professionals.
Recognized as one of America's top large company employers, we are a values and ethics driven organization that puts people's safety and well-being first. Regardless of your role or where you serve, at HII, you'll find a supportive and welcoming environment, competitive benefits, and valuable educational and training programs for continual career growth at every stage of your career.
Working at HII is more than a job - it's an opportunity to build a future. We offer comprehensive benefits including: medical, prescription drug, dental and vision plan choices, on-site health centers, tele-medicine, wellness resources, employee assistance programs, savings plan options (401K), financial education and planning tools, life insurance, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, early childhood and post-secondary education scholarships, and more. Some benefits may vary depending on your specific division or work location.
Together we are working to ensure a future where everyone can be free and thrive.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law. U.S. Citizenship may be required for certain positions.
Do You Need Assistance?
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to buildyourcareer@hii-co.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Reasonable accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only those inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this e-mail address.
Additionally, you may also call 1-844-849-8463 for assistance. Press #2 for Newport News Shipbuilding.