Senior Systems Engineer (AWS Data Engineer)

Syms Strategic Group, LLC (SSG)•Ashburn, VA

2d•$85,389 - $116,975•Remote

About The Position

Syms Strategic Group (SSG) is seeking a talented Senior Systems Engineer (Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data Engineer) to lead the next phase of the healthcare data platform modernization. This role involves implementing the evolution from a Microsoft SQL eXtensible Markup Language (MSSQL XML) object store toward a scalable, cloud-native AWS data architecture. The goal is to enable business stakeholders and analysts to run performant, SQL-based reports and queries against healthcare data seamlessly. The position requires evaluating and recommending the optimal AWS-native data storage and query architecture, designing and building the reporting and query layer, and architecting the migration path for XML object store data. The engineer will also be responsible for building and maintaining the AWS data catalog, optimizing query performance and cost, and collaborating with back-end engineers. Additionally, the role includes implementing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, applying Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices, and documenting architecture decisions. This is a full-time, remote position within the Veterans Affairs (VA) department, requiring a Public Trust (MBI) security clearance.

Requirements

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 technical architecture decisions and trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders
Experience gathering and translating business reporting requirements into technical data models
Comfort driving ambiguous architecture decisions to resolutions with limited direction
Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and JIRA
Strong documentation habits – architecture diagrams, data dictionaries, migration runbooks
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent practical experience considered
U.S. Citizenship required for this specific opportunity
Must possess or qualify for a Public Trust (MBI) security clearance

Nice To Haves

AWS certifications are a bonus
Electronic Data Interchange X.12 (EDI) Medical Claims
X.12, Medical Claims (837, 835, 277CA, etc), Health Level (HL7), Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)
Familiarity with C#/.Net back-end services for integration touchpoints
Experience with Entity Framework migration or deprecation projects
Experience with healthcare payer/Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) systems, clearinghouses, or pharmacy operations
Knowledge of HIPAA compliance requirements in cloud data architecture

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