Data / Backend Engineer

Summary

Aretec, Inc. is a federal government technology partner specializing in advanced analytics, machine learning, data analysis, cybersecurity, and business optimization. The Data / Backend Engineer will build secure data connectors, ingestion and ETL pipelines, metadata harmonization workflows, SQL services, backend integrations, and automated tests for a greenfield AI solution. The role also supports data quality, entity resolution, lineage, source onboarding, and reliable enterprise data integration.

Responsibilities

• Design and build secure connectors to approved internal and external data sources
• Develop reliable ingestion, ETL, transformation, and data-validation pipelines
• Harmonize and normalize metadata so information from different sources can be searched, joined, traced, and evaluated consistently
• Write and optimize SQL used by backend services, analysis workflows, and reporting features
• Support entity resolution, deduplication, record linkage, and data-quality improvement
• Integrate data services with greenfield AI solution and existing enterprise-search or enterprise-data-platform capabilities
• Help evaluate source onboarding according to analytical value, implementation complexity, cost, access limitations, and AI-readiness
• Create automated unit, integration, regression, reconciliation, and data-quality tests
• Document lineage, transformations, schemas, operational dependencies, and failure-recovery procedures
• Collaborate with AI/backend and full-stack engineers to provide performant, well-structured, traceable data services
• Learn greenfield AI solution objectives, enterprise-search-platform and enterprise-data-platform capabilities, source inventories, access constraints, and existing data models
• Align with the technical lead and AI engineer on priority datasets and interface contracts
• Deliver an initial connector, pipeline enhancement, or metadata-normalization contribution with automated tests
• Document source assumptions, quality checks, and operational dependencies
• Own significant ingestion and integration workflows and support reliable downstream retrieval and reporting
• Improve data quality, lineage, entity resolution, reconciliation, and failure handling
• Take end-to-end ownership of priority source integrations from assessment through validated operation
• Establish reusable onboarding, testing, and monitoring patterns that make future datasets easier and safer to incorporate

Skills

• Strong experience building data connectors, ingestion pipelines, or ETL/ELT workflows
• Strong SQL skills and experience working with relational or analytical data stores
• Experience with Python or another language used for data and backend engineering
• Knowledge of metadata harmonization, normalization, schema mapping, and data-quality controls
• Experience integrating backend services and APIs
• Understanding of entity-resolution, deduplication, or record-linkage concepts
• Experience with automated testing, troubleshooting, documentation, and reliable pipeline operation
• Please note that due to the nature of our federal contracts and the secure environments in which we operate, only applicants who are sole U.S. Citizens can be considered for this position. Dual citizens are not eligible
• Experience with enterprise search, document-oriented data, retrieval systems, or AI-ready data pipelines
• Experience working with governed enterprise data platforms and access-controlled sources
• Familiarity with data lineage, observability, reconciliation, and privacy or security controls
• Experience delivering data capabilities in federal, regulated, or security-conscious environments

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Strong experience building data connectors, ingestion pipelines, or ETL/ELT workflows
• Strong SQL skills and experience working with relational or analytical data stores
• Experience with Python or another language used for data and backend engineering
• Knowledge of metadata harmonization, normalization, schema mapping, and data-quality controls
• Experience integrating backend services and APIs
• Understanding of entity-resolution, deduplication, or record-linkage concepts
• Experience with automated testing, troubleshooting, documentation, and reliable pipeline operation
• Please note that due to the nature of our federal contracts and the secure environments in which we operate, only applicants who are sole U.S. Citizens can be considered for this position. Dual citizens are not eligible

Nice to Haves

• Experience with enterprise search, document-oriented data, retrieval systems, or AI-ready data pipelines
• Experience working with governed enterprise data platforms and access-controlled sources
• Familiarity with data lineage, observability, reconciliation, and privacy or security controls
• Experience delivering data capabilities in federal, regulated, or security-conscious environments

Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) Plan with Employer Match
• Certification Stipends
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Flexible Work Arrangements, including remote options when permitted by contract
• Paid Time Off and Holidays