Senior Data Engineer – Subject Matter Expert

Kearney & Company is hiring a Senior Data Engineer – Subject Matter Expert. The Senior Data Engineer SME will design, develop, optimize, and sustain enterprise data engineering solutions supporting the FASTR program within the War Data Platform. Working under the Technical Lead / Solution Architect, the SME will implement reliable ingestion, transformation, orchestration, and validation pipelines for Department of the Air Force financial data. This role collaborates with functional, architecture, and integration teams to deliver traceable, secure, and production-ready datasets that enable audit readiness, FIAR, and financial management reporting. Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Design, build, test, and maintain scalable batch and incremental data ingestion and transformation pipelines within the War Data Platform.
• Implement approved source-to-target mappings, business rules, and data models in collaboration with Data Architecture / Transformation Analysts.
• Develop and optimize SQL, Python, and ETL/ELT processes for large, complex financial datasets.
• Build reusable data processing components, orchestration workflows, and automated data quality controls.
• Implement completeness, accuracy, reconciliation, and lineage checks to support FIAR and Universe of Transactions requirements.
• Investigate and resolve pipeline failures, performance bottlenecks, schema changes, and data integrity issues.
• Coordinate with Interface & Integration Analysts to validate inbound feeds, interface contracts, and source-system dependencies.
• Apply engineering standards for version control, peer review, automated testing, deployment, monitoring, and technical documentation.
• Collaborate with BI / Reporting teams to publish reliable, well-documented datasets and support downstream analytical use cases.
• Partner with authorized platform and security personnel to implement applicable access, handling, and operational controls.
• Provide technical mentorship, code reviews, and implementation guidance to other data engineering personnel.
• Communicate engineering progress, technical risks, defects, dependencies, and remediation recommendations to the Technical Lead / Solution Architect.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in data engineering, enterprise data integration, data platform development, or related technical disciplines.
• Extensive hands-on experience designing and implementing production ETL/ELT pipelines and large-scale data transformations.
• Advanced proficiency in SQL and Python or comparable data engineering programming languages.
• Demonstrated experience with data modeling, orchestration, performance tuning, and data pipeline troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience with engineering delivery platforms (such as Databricks, Palantir Foundry, etc.)
• Experience implementing automated data quality checks, reconciliation logic, and end-to-end data traceability.
• Knowledge of software engineering practices including source control, testing, code reviews, and deployment processes.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams, interpret technical specifications, and deliver maintainable production solutions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret level security clearance (requires US Citizenship)
• Must be willing and able to travel as required, up to 25% of the time

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Department of the Air Force or other Department of War financial management systems and modernization programs.
• Experience developing or sustaining data engineering solutions within the War Data Platform or comparable secure enterprise analytics environments.
• Familiarity with FIAR, Universe of Transactions, financial reconciliation, and audit-support data requirements.
• Experience with distributed processing, cloud data services, orchestration tools, CI/CD, and pipeline monitoring.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Relevant data engineering, cloud, or platform certifications.

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Overview

Exclusively focused on the Government, Kearney & Company provides financial services, including auditing, consulting, and technology services. Our commitment to our employees and clients as well as to dedication and trust, critical values to our Firm, have led to Kearney’s recognition as one of the leading accounting firms in the country. Based on our employees’ feedback, we are also consistently rated a Best Place to Work. Employment at Kearney means a flexible, collaborative, and open-minded work environment. We hope it is your “first easy decision.” Learn more at www.kearneyco.com/careers.

The expected salary range for this position is between $80,000 and $140,000. This range is representative of base pay only and does not include straight time pay for hours worked over 40 per week, company contributions towards paid benefits, and/or bonuses. Actual compensation (meeting or exceeding the range) will be determined based on specific experience, education, work location, clearance level, and other factors permitted by law. This position is eligible for bonuses (when applicable).

We also offer a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan and 529 Education Savings Plan
• Flexible Spending & Health Savings Account
• Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity Insurances
• Legal Insurance and Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program, fitness and wellness benefits, and other firm benefits.
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time

EEO Notice

Work location is subject to change based on client requirements.

Applicants have Rights under Federal Employment Laws EEO Notice and Applicant Accommodation Requests Kearney & Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, genetic information, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, any medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association to a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulation. Click here to understand your rights on employment discrimination. Click here for more information on Kearney’s EEO Policy.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, regarding accessibility of our website, a modification or adjustment of the job application or interview process due to a disability, please call 703-236-2391 or email accommodations@kearneyco.com. Please be advised that this contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of an application.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. Kearney & Company provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. Military family leave is available for up to 26 weeks under FMLA. Click here to learn more about FMLA rights.

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)

The EPPA prohibits most private employers from using lie detector tests either for pre-employment screening or during the course of employment. Kearney & Company adheres all provisions of the EPPA. Click here to learn more about the EPPA.