Data Scientist

NGA MAVEN PROGRAM • DATA ARCHITECTURE • GEOINT • 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 the Expert Data Scientist, 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

The Data Scientist supports the maintenance and implementation of the data architecture for all Program data. This position requires experience with databases, cloud architectures, and compliance with data standards, and is responsible for maintaining data backend workflows that allow for data operations across security domains and across systems. You'll build and sustain pipelines, manage database infrastructure, enforce data governance, support cross-domain solutions, and ensure training data remains accessible, accurate, and compliant at scale.

Source-Derived Role Summary

The Data Scientist shall support the maintenance and implementation of the data architecture for all Program data. This position requires experience with databases, cloud architectures, and compliance with data standards. This position is responsible for maintaining data backend workflows that allow for data operations across security domains and across systems.

A Day in the Life

• Build and maintain database tables, schemas, and health alerts for emergent sensor data; set up ETL pipelines to ingest, transform, and load new imagery data in compliance with government schemas and governance requirements
• Develop API-based workflows to enable data movement between platforms across security domains; exhibit proficiency in programming APIs and data version control management
• Monitor data health alerts and pipeline availability; triage issues to ensure training data operations remain optimized and accessible
• Conduct QC on data holdings - validating format compliance (JSON, parquet, XML, CSV), schema adherence, access controls, and metadata standards
• Create and maintain government-directed software and computing environments: government-directed system connections, GitLab repositories, development environments for preprocessing work
• Assess and report data holdings compliance status in written and oral form to government stakeholders

Why This Role Matters

Mission Impact

Without the backend infrastructure you maintain, Maven's model development pipeline stops. The data architecture you build and sustain is what makes it possible to turn overhead imagery into actionable intelligence at scale.

Geo Owl Impact

As a Key Position, your engineering reliability strengthens Geo Owl's standing as a trusted technical partner on Maven and demonstrates the data capability that underpins program performance.

Your Growth

You'll develop rare expertise in cross-domain data engineering within classified government cloud environments - including hands-on experience with NGA enterprise tooling, ATO processes, and government system access credential management.

Core Responsibilities

• Create the necessary infrastructure to store and process data related to emergent sensors: database tables and schemas, data health alerts, and ETL pipelines
• Develop workflows to enable API-based movement of data related to emergent sensors between platforms
• Ensure all emergent sensor data adheres to government-directed data schemas, formats, and governance requirements
• Develop, construct, test, and maintain databases and large-scale, complex data processing systems
• Clean, prepare, and transform data to support geospatial data pipelines that create curated views of content for IC consumption
• Support cross-domain solutions using NGA enterprise tooling; manage the generation, approval, and population of data into databases ensuring security compliance
• Configure and monitor data health alerts to ensure training data operations are optimized and accessible
• Create and maintain government-directed computing environments (version-controlled code repositories and software environments) to enable preprocessing development activities

Required Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Minimum 18 experience points required (see experience point calculation below)
• 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with NGA IT enterprise solutions (NGA enterprise platforms), Government ATO processes, and government Non-Person Entity (NPE) system access credentials
• Experience implementing processes and tools within an organization using the Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise (SAFe)
• Experience developing dynamic visualizations to monitor pipeline availability, currency, and volumetrics

Experience Point Requirement

This is a Expert-level (Level 5) position requiring a minimum of 18 experience points. Points are calculated as follows:

• Education: Associate's = 2 pts • Bachelor's = 3 pts • Master's = +2 pts • PhD = +3 pts
• Professional / Military Experience: 1 pt per year of relevant experience
• Certifications: 0.5 pts each
• Specialized Training: 0.25 pts per relevant course
• Professional Impact (publications, presentations, patents): up to 3 pts total

Tools, Technologies & Tradecraft

Python JavaScript / Java SQL NoSQL Cloud Architecture ETL Pipelines REST APIs JSON / Parquet / XML / CSV GitLab NGA Enterprise Platforms [Preferred] NGA Enterprise Platforms [Preferred] SAFe [Preferred]

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role

• You're fluent across the data stack - schema design, API development, ETL orchestration, and cross-domain data movement feel like one integrated problem to you
• You navigate classified environments with precision - government system access credentials and ATO requirements, and security domain constraints aren't overhead, they're the architecture
• You can assess a new sensor's metadata and schema against an existing pipeline and know exactly what needs to change before the first data arrives
• You take governance seriously - non-compliant data in the pipeline costs downstream teams labeling cycles, and you prevent it at the ETL layer
• You document as you go - data dictionaries and software comments are a professional standard for you, not an afterthought

Is This Role For You?
• Great Fit

You are a data engineer who thrives in structured, high-compliance environments. You want to work on infrastructure problems with real stakes - where your pipeline architecture choices directly enable intelligence products. You have experience in government cloud or cleared environments and want to deepen it.

✘ May Not Be For You

This may not be the right fit if you prefer rapid-iteration commercial environments with minimal compliance overhead, or if working within classified government IT governance feels constraining rather than professionally interesting.

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.

Benefits:

Health Insurance (Geo Owl pays 80%+ of the premium).

401k matching.

Dental, Vision, and other supplemental insurance plans available.

Company-paid short-term and long-term disability and life insurance.

Peer-to-Peer spot bonuses.

120 hours of PTO per year plus federal holidays.

Fully Paid Military Leave: *You make your full Geo Owl salary while you are on military duty*

Exiting the Military? Apply to our Military Transition Program for key insights into making the transition to civilian life from people who have been there before!

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