Spatial Reasoning Engineer

NV5

7d•Remote

About The Position

NV5 is seeking a Spatial Reasoning Engineer to work as part of a growing team of geospatial, AI, and data science professionals. The role will entail supporting the development of a Model Context Protocol (MCP)–based spatial reasoning platform. This role focuses on the core AI spatial analytics layer that powers all higher-level reasoning in the system. We value engineers who are comfortable working in modern, open-source Python ecosystems and contributing to production-grade analytical tools. The Spatial Reasoning Engineer will design and implement deterministic, explainable spatial reasoning primitives using H3 hexagonal indexing, spatial statistics, and high-performance spatial analytics. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy building AI applications, open source spatial problem-solving, performance optimization, and building auditable analytics pipelines that can be trusted in production. Work Environment: Location: This position is a fully remote position within an engaged, virtual division at NV5. Travel <10% of the time Proof of U.S. Citizenship is required. NV5 is a global technology solutions and consulting services company with a workforce of over 4,500 professionals in more than 100 offices worldwide. NV5’s continued growth has been spurred through strategic investments in firms with unique capabilities to help current and future customers solve the world’s toughest problems. The NV5 family brings together talent across a wide range of markets and fields, including Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, Architects, Photogrammetrists, GIS Professionals, Software Developers, IT, Project Management Professionals, and more. At NV5 Geospatial, We are a collaboration of intelligent, innovative thinkers who care for each other, our communities, and the environment. We value both heart and head, the diversity of our people, and their experiences because that is how we continue to grow as a leader in our industry and expand our individual and collective potential.

Requirements

Experience working with Geospatial data
Strong Python engineering experience in production systems
Hands-on experience with H3 or similar spatial indexing systems
Proven ability to design efficient spatial data pipelines
Experience working with spatial data analysis at scale
Solid understanding of spatial statistics and spatial analysis concepts
Comfort working in backend systems that integrate with LLMs and AI
Strong focus on correctness, reproducibility, and explainability
Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with MCP-style tool interfaces
RAG and embeddings AI application development experience
Experience designing benchmark and AI evaluation frameworks
Background in geospatial analytics outside traditional GIS stacks
Experience integrating LLM services via clean Python interfaces
Experience with data lakehouse platforms such as Databricks
Understanding of geospatial metadata requirements
Security+ Certification

Responsibilities

Translate business requirements into technical specifications
Support the development and evolution of the spatial reasoning core of our AI tool, including:
H3 driven spatial analytics pipelines
Spatial aggregation, density estimation, and hotspot detection
Proximity, adjacency, and neighborhood analysis
Deterministic, reproducible spatial reasoning functions
Performance-optimized algorithms for large datasets
Spatial correctness tests and benchmarking suites
Deploy monitoring tools to track status and performance of system architecture and data flows
Develop API-driven backend services with FastAPI, Pydantic, and async Python
Work with columnar analytics stacks (DuckDB, PyArrow, Parquet / GeoParquet)
Conduct vectorized data processing using NumPy, pandas, Polars
Develop spatial computation with H3, Shapely, and lightweight geospatial utilities
Write testable, benchmarked code using pytest and async test patterns
Use profiling and performance tools to reason about memory, CPU, and data layout
Build with python package managers like uv and poetry utilizing pyproject.toml for project management
Collaborate in open-source–style repositories with linting, formatting, typing, and CI expectations
We are explicitly hiring for deep expertise in:
Spatial statistics and pattern detection
Algorithmic performance tuning
Memory efficiency, batching, query planning
Spatial benchmarking and correctness evaluation
MCP-aware backend development
LLMs used as assistive components, not decision-making black boxes

Benefits

NV5 offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including medical, dental, life insurance, PTO, 401(k) and professional development/advancement opportunities.

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