Geo Owl · SDVOSB · Est. 2013

Expert Geospatial Data Engineer

NGA MAVEN PROGRAM · GEOINT · DATA ARCHITECTURE · EXPERT · KEY POSITION

NGA Maven's AI/ML pipeline runs on a complex, multi-domain data architecture — and keeping it operational, compliant, and scalable takes serious engineering. As a Senior Geospatial Data Engineer, you'll maintain the data backend that enables preprocessing across security domains and systems: building pipelines, managing databases, enforcing governance, and solving the hard cross-domain problems that most data engineers never encounter.

Role Overview

You'll own the data architecture layer for Maven program data — building and maintaining the databases, pipelines, APIs, and cloud infrastructure that enable data operations across security domains and systems. This role requires fluency in both SQL and NoSQL environments, strong programming skills, and experience navigating government ATO processes and enterprise tooling. You'll ensure all data activities conform to Maven's governance policies, support cross-domain data solutions, and keep training data accessible, accurate, and compliant at scale.

A Day in the Life

• ✓Monitor data health alerts and pipeline availability; triage issues and ensure training data operations remain accessible and optimized
• ✓Develop and test database schemas, API workflows, and ETL pipelines to onboard emergent sensor data into existing Maven infrastructure
• ✓Conduct QC on data holdings — validating format compliance (JSON, parquet, XML, CSV), schema adherence, access controls, and metadata standards
• ✓Build and maintain government-directed computing environments: NPE connections, GitLab repositories, software environments for preprocessing development
• ✓Manage the generation, approval, and population of data into databases ensuring security compliance and customer requirements are met
• ✓Assess and report data holdings compliance status in written and oral form to government stakeholders

Why This Role Matters

Core Responsibilities

• ▸Build and maintain database infrastructure (tables, schemas, health alerts, data pipelines) to support ingestion of emergent sensor data
• ▸Develop API-based workflows enabling data movement between platforms; support cross-domain solutions using NGA enterprise tooling
• ▸Ensure all data activities conform to NGA Maven governance policies: data lifecycle, schema definitions, formats, access controls, and metadata standards
• ▸Clean, prepare, and transform data to support geospatial data pipelines that create curated views for IC consumption
• ▸Maintain data availability, accuracy, consistency, and reliability for all training data operations; configure and monitor data health alerts
• ▸Create and maintain government-approved software and computing environments (NPEs, GitLab repositories, development environments)
• ▸Support data pipeline setup and maintenance for preprocessing activities across all security domains

Required Qualifications

• ✓Active TS/SCI
• ✓4+ years of experience working with SQL or NoSQL databases and cloud architectures
• ✓Experience leveraging APIs to query systems and migrate data
• ✓Experience with programming languages including Python, JavaScript, or Java
• ✓Experience developing, sustaining, and monitoring operational data pipelines supporting multiple data formats and interfaces
• ✓Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both lay and expert audiences

Tools, Technologies & Tradecraft

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role

• ▸You're fluent across the data stack — from schema design and API development to cloud pipeline monitoring and cross-domain data movement
• ▸You take governance seriously — data that doesn't conform to schema isn't just wrong, it breaks downstream model development and you fix it before it gets there
• ▸You navigate classified environments with precision — you understand NPE certificates, ATO requirements, and security domain constraints aren't bureaucracy, they're the job
• ▸You communicate complexity clearly — you can explain a schema change to a data manager and a pipeline failure to a program office
• ▸You document as you go — data dictionaries and software comments are a professional standard for you, not an afterthought

Is This Role For You?

Career Growth & Professional Value

This role builds expertise in geospatial data engineering at a scale and security level that few commercial roles can match. You'll gain hands-on experience with NGA enterprise architecture, cross-domain data solutions, and AI/ML training data pipeline management — skills in high demand across the defense and intelligence community. Experience delivering data infrastructure on a Key Position government contract is a recognized differentiator for engineers pursuing senior or architect-level roles in the national security space.

About Geo Owl

Geo Owl is a mission-first geospatial intelligence and national security company supporting defense, intelligence, and Government missions. We value tradecraft, humility, precision, service, accountability, and people who care deeply about the mission and the team. On roles like this, our goal is to give serious professionals work that is technically meaningful, operationally relevant, and connected to outcomes that matter.