Data Engineer

Role details

At Accenture Federal Services, nothing matters more than helping the US federal government make the nation stronger and safer and life better for people. Our 13,000+ people are united in a shared purpose to pursue the limitless potential of technology and ingenuity for clients across defense, national security, public safety, civilian, and military health organizations. Join Accenture Federal Services, a technology company within global Accenture. Recognized as a Glassdoor Top 100 Best Place to Work, we offer a collaborative and caring community where you feel like you belong and are empowered to grow, learn and thrive through hands-on experience, certifications, industry training and more. Join us to drive positive, lasting change that moves missions and the government forward! We are looking for a Data Engineer with strong hands‑on experience designing, developing, and managing large‑scale data workflows across structured and unstructured datasets. This role focuses heavily on building reliable RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, orchestrating ETL/ELT processes, and deploying scalable data systems in AWS. Responsibilities Design, build, and maintain RAG pipelines, including document ingestion, indexing, embedding workflows, and model retrieval flows. Develop and manage structured and unstructured data pipelines supporting analytics, ML, and application workloads. Build and optimize ETL/ELT pipelines in AWS using services such as S3, Lambda, Step Functions, EMR, Glue, ECS/EKS, and IAM best practices. Implement and operate NiFi flows for high‑throughput, low‑latency data ingestion and transformation. Develop, orchestrate, and schedule workflows using Prefect, ensuring reliability, observability, and proper error handling. Implement indexing, search, and retrieval patterns using ElasticSearch, including schema design, cluster management, and query optimization. Collaborate closely with architecture, ML, and application teams to support scalable data solutions. Ensure data quality, lineage, governance, and security across all pipelines. Monitor system performance and troubleshoot issues across distributed data systems. Qualifications Solid understanding of ETL/ELT processes and data modeling best practices. Hands‑on experience implementing workflows in Prefect (Prefect 2.0 preferred). In‑depth knowledge of ElasticSearch indexing, cluster management, and search optimization. Proficiency in Python and familiarity with common data libraries (Pandas, PySpark, requests, etc.). Preferred Qualifications Strong experience with Apache NiFi for data flow management and real‑time ingestion. Experience building or maintaining RAG pipelines (e.g., vector databases, embeddings, document chunking strategies, retrieval optimization). Proven ability to manage structured and unstructured data pipelines at scale. Experience with AWS cloud services for data engineering. Strong version control and CI/CD experience. Experience with vector databases (OpenSearch, Pinecone, Weaviate, etc.) Familiarity with containerized workflows (Docker, Kubernetes) Experience supporting LLM or generative AI production systems Background in distributed systems, streaming platforms, or data mesh architectures Clearance An active TS/SCI federal security clearance is required As required by local law, Accenture Federal Services provides reasonable ranges of compensation for hired roles based on labor costs in the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, and the city of Cleveland . The base pay range for this position in these locations is shown below. Compensation for roles at Accenture Federal Services varies depending on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. Accenture Federal Services offers a wide variety of benefits. You can find more information on benefits here. We accept applications on an on-going basis and there is no fixed deadline to apply. The pay range for the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, and the city of Cleveland is: $118,900 - $162,300 USD What We Believe As a company wholly dedicated to serving the US federal government, we bring together the best talent to help reinvent how federal agencies operate and deliver greater value for their mission and the American people. We have an unwavering commitment to creating a culture in which all our people are respected, feel a sense of belonging, and have equal opportunity. As a business imperative, every person at Accenture Federal Services has the responsibility to create and sustain a culture where everyone feels welcomed and included. This is grounded in our core values and our experience that hiring and developing great people who reflect different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds is key to driving innovation and delivering the results that our clients and the country count on. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. For details, view a copy of the Accenture Federal Services Equal Opportunity Policy Statement. Accenture Federal Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Additionally, as an Affirmative Action Employer for Veterans and Individua