Principal Data Engineer

Client Requirements: applicants MUST BE US Citizens and be able to obtain Public Trust clearance

At Capital Technology Group (CTG), our teams are passionate about modernizing how the federal government delivers software. We partner with federal agencies to build secure, scalable, and mission-driven solutions that make a meaningful impact on millions of people. Recognized by The Washington Post as a Top Workplace in 2025 and 2026. CTG fosters a culture rooted in our core values. Our values guide how we work together and support one another, creating an environment where employees feel trusted, empowered, and encouraged to grow both personally and professionally.

CTG is seeking a Principal Data Engineer to architect, build, and optimize modern data platforms supporting mission-critical federal initiatives. This role is ideal for a senior technical leader with deep expertise in cloud-native data engineering, large-scale data pipelines, and modern analytics platforms. You'll play a key role in evaluating emerging technologies, mentoring engineering teams, and delivering secure, scalable data solutions that enable informed decision-making across the enterprise.

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, high-performance data pipelines and data platforms using modern data engineering best practices.
• Lead technical evaluations of emerging technologies through prototypes and proof-of-concept initiatives.
• Build and optimize data solutions using Databricks, dbt, SQL (PostgreSQL), Python, and Java.
• Develop cloud-native data architectures leveraging AWS services, including Redshift, RDS, S3, Glue, Lambda, DMS, and CloudWatch.
• Design and implement efficient data models, ETL/ELT pipelines, and data integration solutions.
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform to automate cloud infrastructure deployments.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize system performance using CloudWatch, Splunk, and other observability tools.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define business requirements and deliver scalable data solutions in Agile environments.
• Provide technical leadership through mentorship, code reviews, architectural guidance, and engineering best practices.
• Communicate technical concepts and solution strategies to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• A technical leader who enjoys solving complex data engineering challenges at enterprise scale.
• Passionate about building reliable, scalable, and cloud-native data platforms.
• Comfortable leading engineering teams while remaining hands-on with architecture and development.
• Skilled at evaluating emerging technologies and driving technical innovation.
• A collaborative communicator who enjoys partnering with engineers, product teams, and clients.
• Committed to engineering excellence, continuous improvement, and mentoring others.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of professional experience in data engineering or related technical disciplines.
• Deep hands-on expertise with Databricks.
• Strong experience building cloud-native data platforms within AWS environments.
• Advanced proficiency with dbt, SQL (PostgreSQL), Python, and Java.
• Experience with AWS services, including Redshift, RDS, S3, Glue, Lambda, DMS, and CloudWatch.
• Strong experience designing and maintaining scalable data pipelines and data models.
• Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform.
• Proven experience leading technical teams and mentoring engineers.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working in Agile software development environments.
• Ability to quickly learn new technologies and adapt to evolving project needs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

• Experience with Kafka and real-time streaming data architectures.
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience using Splunk for logging, monitoring, and observability.
• Advanced SQL optimization, query tuning, and database performance experience.
• Experience automating infrastructure and deployments with Terraform.
• Experience supporting highly regulated, federal, or mission-critical environments.
• Experience designing enterprise-scale data lakes or modern analytics platforms.

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Ability to obtain a Public Trust clearance.

We are committed to offering a competitive salary for this position, with an estimated range of $170,000 to $240,000 annually. Please note that this range is intended to provide a general idea of what to expect. The final offer may vary based on experience, skills, and other factors.