On-call Software Engineer, Cloud Data Platform

ICF • Reston, VA

3d • $98,614 - $167,644 • Remote

About The Position

ICF’s Technology and Products team is seeking a On-call Software Engineer, Cloud Data Platform to help build, enhance, and support a cloud-hosted relational database platform for acoustic-telemetry fish-tracking research in California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This role will focus on the core engineering work needed to turn post-processed fish detection data into reliable, usable data products, including ingestion pipelines, relational data models, validation logic, reporting views, exports, APIs, and production support. You will work alongside fish biologists, data scientists, senior engineers, and a state agency client to move the platform from design through go-live and into production support. This is a hands-on engineering role where you will contribute to platform design, implementation, and operations with guidance from senior technical leads. This is a remote, on-call role that provides flexibility to work from 0 to 40 hours per week. Given the seasonal and project-specific nature of this work, ICF often hires professionals as “On-Call” employees. On-Call employees are scheduled for work hours as they become available. ICF usually schedules work hours a few weeks ahead of time, and each on-call employee is free to accept or refuse the hours assigned to them in a given week. On-Call employees may work concurrent projects outside their ICF assignment as long as the outside work does not create a conflict of interest.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field is required.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, including hands-on experience with relational database systems such as PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Azure SQL, or similar platforms.
• Hands-on experience supporting or contributing to cloud-hosted data platforms on AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Strong SQL skills and experience with relational data modeling, data ingestion pipelines, ETL/ELT, and data quality validation.
• Proficiency in at least one modern backend language such as Python, TypeScript/Node, C#, or Java.
• Experience building or maintaining APIs, export capabilities, or reporting views that make structured data available to technical and non-technical users.
• Ability to work independently with guidance, collaborate on a remote team, and communicate clearly with non-engineering collaborators, including scientists, analysts, and client stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with environmental, scientific, telemetry, sensor, time-series, or geospatial datasets; familiarity with acoustic telemetry or fisheries data is a plus.
• Exposure to large language models, natural-language interfaces, or tools that make structured data easier for non-technical users to access.
• Familiarity with public-sector clients or working under state or federal contracts.
• Experience with infrastructure as code, CI/CD, observability, monitoring, or operational support tooling.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary teams that include biologists, researchers, quantitative modelers, analysts, data scientists, or subject matter experts.

Responsibilities

• Translate scientific, regulatory, and analytical needs into clear technical requirements in partnership with biologists, data scientists, agency staff, client stakeholders, and senior technical team members.
• Contribute to the design, build, and support of a cloud-hosted relational database platform for acoustic-telemetry fish-tracking data.
• Build and maintain relational data models, ingestion workflows, ETL/ELT pipelines, validation logic, and data quality controls for high-volume telemetry detection data.
• Develop reporting views, aggregations, exports, APIs, and structured access patterns that support downstream modeling, analysis, and non-SQL users.
• Support platform performance, security, access controls, monitoring, backups, retention, documentation, and production operations during go-live and ongoing hosting.
• Help support a natural-language query interface by contributing to schema grounding, result validation, access safeguards, and accuracy guardrails.

Benefits

• Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level