AWS Data Engineer

Syms Strategic Group (SSG) is seeking a talented Senior Systems Engineer (Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data Engineer)
Location: Remote
Department: Veterans Affairs (VA)
Type: Full Time
Min. Experience: Experienced
Security Clearance Level: Public Trust (MBI)
Salary Range: $85,389 - $116,975
If you have previously applied to Syms Strategic Group (SSG), there is no need to reapply. Applications are still under review.

Military Veterans are highly encouraged to apply!
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead the next phase of the healthcare data platform modernization

- Implement the evolution from a Microsoft SQL eXtensible Markup Language (MSSQL XML) object store toward a scalable, cloud-native AWS data architecture that enables business stakeholders and analysts to run performant, SQL-based reports and queries against healthcare data seamlessly

- Evaluate and decide the right AWS data strategy for the platform

- Evaluate and recommend the optimal AWS-native data storage and query architecture for the XML object store data, assessing options such as S3 + Athena, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, and OpenSearch based on query patterns, reporting needs, cost, and scalability

- Design and build the reporting and query layer that allows business stakeholders and non-technical users to run relational SQL queries against healthcare data using familiar tooling

- Architect the migration path for XML object store data from MSSQL into the target AWS platform, defining storage formats, partitioning strategies, and data organization for optimal query performance

- Build and maintain AWS data catalog, schemas, and metadata management so that object store data is discoverable and queryable by business users

- Optimize query performance and cost across chose AWS services – partitioning, compression, file formats, and query pattern tuning

- Work directly with business stakeholders and analysts to understand reporting requirements and translate them into durable, performant data models and query patterns

- Collaborate with back-end C#/.Net engineer to ensure data flows cleanly from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) processing pipelines into the new data layer

- Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines for data infrastructure using AWS-native tooling (CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy)

- Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices using AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), CloudFormation, or Terraform

- Document architecture decisions, data flows, and data dictionaries clearly for both technical and non-technical audiences

Required Skills and Experience
- 8+ years’ experience in software or data engineering with a strong AWS focus

- Proven experience architecting and executing cloud data platform migrations in production enterprise or healthcare environments

- Track record of evaluating and selecting AWS data services to meet business reporting and query requirements

- Experience delivering reporting or analytics solutions that serve non-technical business users

- Deep hands-on AWS experience across data-oriented services – S3, Athena, Glue, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, OpenSearch, Lambda, IAM, and Cloudwatch

- Strong SQL skills with the ability to design relational query layers over semi-structured or non-relational data (XML, JSON)

- Experience working with XML-heavy data stores – parsing, querying, and transforming XML at scale

- An ability to evaluate trade-offs across AWS data services and make architecture recommendations based on cost, performance, and business requirements

- Familiarity with AWS analytics and reporting services, including Athena, QuickSight, RedShift, or equivalent Business Intelligence (BI) tooling

- Proficiency with Git and GitHub - branching strategies, pull requests, and collaborative workflows

- Familiarity with CI/CD practices and AWS-native tooling (CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy)

- IaC experience (AWS CDK, CloudFormation, or Terraform)

- Strong ability to communicate