Pay
Higher than most similar jobs
$180K–$225K against $127K–$190K, the middle half of what similar US postings state.
From 2,133 postings in the last year. Stated ranges, not salaries paid.
Senior Data Engineer, Public Sector
Washington, DC
Open 3 months, first seen by us 115 days ago- Pay
USD 180,000–225,000/yearAnnual period assumed — pay source
The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is: $180,000—$225,000 USD PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
Read the full posting- Work setting
- Not stated
- Employment
- Not stated
What you’ll work on
Full postingBuild pipelines that give operations, finance and engineering one source of truth
Improve ongoing data pipelines and simplify self-service data access for stakeholders
Run system audits and write data quality tests to keep metrics accurate
Develop data models, pipelines and tables for repeatable analytical solutions
Implement the data warehouse, data mart and BI reporting environments
From the employer’s posting
Work with operations, finance, and engineering to drive the development of pipelines that provide single-source-of-truth foundational accuracy
Continually improve ongoing data pipelines and simplify self-service support for business stakeholders
Perform regular system audits, and create data quality tests to ensure complete and accurate reporting of data/metrics
Develop repeatable, scalable analytical solutions, such as data models, improved pipelines, or better underlying tables
implement Scale's data warehouse, data mart, and business intelligence reporting environments
About Scale AI
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions.
In the employer’s words · Read in context
Posting record
Report an errorOpen 3 monthsWe first saw this posting 115 days ago and it is still up. Roles open this long are often slow to fill or kept open to collect applications.
- Status in our records
- Live
- First seen by us
- Jul 12, 2026115 days ago
- Recorded sightings
- 97
- Last seen by us
- Nov 4, 2026
These dates show when we found the posting. Check the employer’s website to confirm it is still accepting applications.
How this job compares
Time since we first saw it
Day 115
Up longer than most. Similar jobs usually come down between day 6 and day 54.
From 10,764 similar postings that came down. Coming down is not always a hire.
Scale AI is hiring
19 open jobs
Open jobs by the week we first saw them, last 12 weeks.
- Hiring has slowed
- Its jobs tend to stay up a long time
See how this role fits your experience
Add your resume and we’ll mark which of these tools you already use, and point out anything in the posting that could rule you out.
- Python
- R
- SQL
- dbt
Where the posting names them
- Ability to create extensible and scalable data schema and pipelines that lay the foundation for downstream analysis - Mastery of SQL and relational databases; experience with programming languages (e.g., Python/R) - Experience building a reliable transformation layer and pipelines from ambiguous business processes using tools such DBT to create a foundation for data insights
- Mastery of SQL and relational databases; experience with programming languages (e.g., Python/R) - Experience building a reliable transformation layer and pipelines from ambiguous business processes using tools such DBT to create a foundation for data insights Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.
Your next step
Complete your application on job-boards.greenhouse.io. The employer’s form will show what is required.
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- No account needed: the form is one page, with an “Autofill my application” option that reads your resume.
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Already applied? Track this application
About the role
We file this job under Data Engineer, by the work the posting describes.
Data engineers build and run the pipelines that copy data out of apps and outside services into a warehouse or lake, and fix them when a source changes or a load fails.
Expect SQL, Python, a cloud platform, a scheduler such as Airflow, and often tools for large data such as Spark or Kafka.
An analytics engineer works one step later, turning the raw data a data engineer lands into clean tables people can query.
US government figures for database architects
- Median yearly pay, May 2025
- $139,500
- Expected change, 2025 to 2035
- 9.4% more jobsagainst 3.5% for all jobs
The government has no code for data engineers, so these figures are for the closest group, database architects, which includes data integration and data warehousing specialists.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025 to 2035). Occupation code 15-1243.
Job description
Senior Data Engineer, Public Sector
As a Data Engineer for the Public Sector business unit, you will build Scale's analytical and business-intelligence infrastructure. Scale's customers process millions of tasks through our APIs, and we're looking for a talented Data Engineer to build scalable solutions to support this growth. You will have widespread purview, with responsibility for understanding, mining, aggregating, and exposing data across the entire business unit to support timely and efficient decision-making and data exploration. You will also implement Scale's data warehouse, data mart, and business intelligence reporting environments, and help users transition their workflows to these systems.
This role requires collaboration with leadership and cross-functional teams to solve complex problems and develop sustainable, scalable data solutions. Your responsibilities will include both ad-hoc analyses and the creation of core data models and pipelines, directly impacting how Scale operates and evaluates its performance.
You will:
- Work with operations, finance, and engineering to drive the development of pipelines that provide single-source-of-truth foundational accuracy
- Continually improve ongoing data pipelines and simplify self-service support for business stakeholders
- Perform regular system audits, and create data quality tests to ensure complete and accurate reporting of data/metrics
- Develop repeatable, scalable analytical solutions, such as data models, improved pipelines, or better underlying tables
- Have an active Secret security clearance (Top Secret preferred)
Ideally You’d Have:
- 5+ years of relevant work experience in a role requiring application of data modeling and analytic skills
- Ability to create extensible and scalable data schema and pipelines that lay the foundation for downstream analysis
- Mastery of SQL and relational databases; experience with programming languages (e.g., Python/R)
- Experience building a reliable transformation layer and pipelines from ambiguous business processes using tools such DBT to create a foundation for data insights
Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.
The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is:
$180,000—$225,000 USD
PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About Us:
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.
We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.
We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.
PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.
Source details
Source notes
Source excerptsSelected passages from the saved posting. Check the full description for conditions and exceptions.
- Pay
The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is: $180,000—$225,000 USD PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
- Location & working pattern
Washington, DC
Working pattern and location restrictions need checking in the full posting.
- Work authorization
- Develop repeatable, scalable analytical solutions, such as data models, improved pipelines, or better underlying tables - Have an active Secret security clearance (Top Secret preferred) Ideally You’d Have:
More relevant text appears in the full description.