Senior Database Engineer

About the role

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), operated by AURA, supports NASA's flagship astronomy missions, including Hubble, James Webb, Roman, and TESS. We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer to build and optimize the large-scale data platforms behind the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST), one of the world's largest astronomical science archives. You'll work on challenging engineering problems involving petabyte-scale scientific data, high-performance databases, distributed data processing, and modern cloud-native infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize scalable data platforms for large scientific datasets.
• Develop and maintain production-grade Apache Airflow data pipelines.
• Optimize PostgreSQL databases through advanced query tuning, indexing, and table partitioning.
• Design and support high-performance MPP database solutions for large-scale analytics.
• Build reliable, automated deployment pipelines using Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, and Ansible.
• Collaborate with scientists and engineers to deliver scalable, reliable, and high-performance data services.
• Drive innovation by improving performance, scalability, automation, and operational efficiency.

Skills

• Scalable Data Management
• Apache Airflow Pipeline Development
• PostgreSQL Query Performance Tuning and Table Partitioning
• MPP Database Architecture
• Python and Advanced SQL
• Kubernetes & Docker
• CI/CD Automation
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Innovative mindset and ability to quickly learn new technologies

Experience with one or more of the following is a plus:

• AWS
• Apache Iceberg
• Trino
• Lakehouse architectures
• Large-scale scientific or research data platforms

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience designing and building production-scale data platforms.
• Proven experience developing scalable data pipelines and optimizing high-performance database systems.

Benefits

• Employer retirement contribution – direct STScI contribution of 10% of your salary from your first day
• 12 days sick leave, up to 24 days’ vacation, and 10 paid holidays
• Flexible work schedule with healthy work/life balance
• Comprehensive medical/dental/vision/prescription plans, and more

Pay

Salary range is $135,000 - $150,000. Final compensation is based on experience, skills, internal equity, and market conditions.

Applications received by 09/04/2026 will receive full consideration.