Data & Automation Trainee

About the Company

Matter and Energy, LLC is a tech solutions company specializing in data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and intelligent IT spending management for government and mission-driven organizations. We operate at the intersection of cloud, data, AI, and automation. We combine deep technical understanding with strategic thinking to help leaders modernize IT, improve cost transparency, and build more secure and resilient digital ecosystems. As a founder-led company, we offer the chance to work directly with leadership, take real ownership, and help shape how new capabilities and offerings are built.

Position Overview

As a Data & Automation Trainee who will:

• Own core pieces of our IT Financial Management (ITFM) data and automation work, and
• Partner on technical prospecting and pre-sales for our data/AI/automation opportunities.

You will build and run data pipelines, automate recurring workflows, and support dashboards that explain where IT money goes and why. At the same time, you'll lean into technical prospecting: helping evaluate prospects, shape opportunities, and build light demos/proofs-of-concept around data, AI, and automation use cases.

This is a great fit if you enjoy being hands-on with data and code, but also like being close to customers, solutions, and deals.

Key Responsibilities

Data Integration & Automation

• Design and implement data pipelines to ingest, clean, and transform data from:
• GL / finance systems
• HR and org structure
• Asset inventories / CMDB
• Cloud billing exports (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Ticketing and ITSM tools
• Build repeatable ETL/ELT workflows (SQL, Python, or similar) that can be reused across clients.
• Implement data quality checks and simple monitoring (balancing, anomalies, missing mappings, etc.).
• Help define and maintain a standard data model that supports cost modeling and reporting.

Reporting, Analytics & Cost Transparency

• Build and maintain reports and dashboards (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or similar) for IT and finance stakeholders.
• Enable views such as IT spend by tower/service, variance analysis, unit cost trends, and cloud cost breakdowns.
• Work closely with leadership to turn raw data into clear, actionable insights and visuals.

Technical Prospecting for Data/AI/Automation

• Support technical prospecting efforts for data, AI, and automation leads:
• Help assess client environments and data readiness.
• Translate business pain points into data/AI/automation use cases.
• Draft technical outlines of potential solutions (e.g., pipelines, models, automations).
• Build lightweight demos or prototypes (not full products) to showcase what's possible with data/AI/automation.
• Partner with leadership on solution shaping for proposals and meetings (architecture sketches, data flows, etc.).

Sales & Go-to-Market Support

• Contribute to technical sections of proposals and SOWs for data/AI/automation work.
• Help create technical content for pitches and presentations (diagrams, flows, examples, benchmarks).
• Provide input on qualification of inbound and outbound leads from a technical/data perspective.

Practice & Startup Building (Design Thinking)

• Contribute to templates, standards, and playbooks for data and automation (how we integrate, validate, refresh, and report).
• Apply design thinking to simplify data workflows and solution designs with the end user in mind.
• Suggest tools, patterns, and improvements that make our AI/data work more effective and scalable.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Perform other relevant job duties as required by specific projects.

Qualifications

Required Skills

• 2–5 years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, or BI development, or similar hands-on data role.
• Strong proficiency with SQL and experience working with relational databases or data warehouses.
• Practical experience with scripting/automation (e.g., Python, dbt, Airflow, or similar tools/workflows).
• Experience building reports/dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or equivalent).
• Comfort working with structured financial/operational data (GL, cost centers, HR data, usage metrics).

Preferred Skills

• Experience working with cloud billing data or ITSM/CMDB tools.
• Experience with AI/ML or automation (e.g., basic ML workflows, API integrations, RPA, or similar).
• Prior experience in a startup or early-stage team.
• Based in the DMV area with the ability to occasionally attend in-person meetings.

Competencies & Traits

• Self-starter – you don't wait for perfect instructions; you propose approaches and own outcomes.
• Fast learner – you can quickly pick up new domains: ITFM, government/enterprise environments, AI tools, etc.
• Excellent communicator – able to explain complex data and technical topics in clear, simple language.
• Design thinking mindset – user-centered; you want data flows, dashboards, and solutions to feel intuitive.
• Systems thinker – you see how data, processes, tools, and people connect in an end-to-end solution.

What You'll Learn

• How to build and automate data pipelines while applying core concepts such as cost modeling, allocation logic, IT service costing, and cloud cost analysis.
• How to go from client pain point → use case → solution concept → lightweight demos → that support technical prospecting and proposals.
• How to communicate complex technical and financial insights — pipelines, cloud usage, unit costs, automation flows — in clear, simple language for business and IT stakeholders.

Ideal Profile

• Based in the East Coast.
• Strong hands-on experience with SQL, Python, and working with structured financial/operational datasets.
• Curious about ITFM/TBM, cloud cost management, AI/ML, and automation — motivated to grow across all three domains.
• Excellent communicator who can translate technical data, pipelines, and cloud concepts into clear insights for non-technical stakeholders.
• Fast learner who can quickly absorb new concepts such as IT cost models, cloud billing structures, and ITSM/CMDB data.
• Self-starter who takes initiative, proposes next steps, and works independently without heavy direction.
• Systems thinker able to understand how data sources, cloud infrastructure, processes, and users fit together in end-to-end solutions.
• Enjoys both technical hands-on work (pipelines, dashboards, automation) and customer-adjacent work (discovery, demos, solution shaping).

What We Offer

• The chance to be early in a growing firm and have real influence on our data, AI, and ITFM capabilities.
• Direct collaboration with company leadership and visibility into both delivery and business development.
• A mix of deep technical work and solution-facing, customer-adjacent work.
• Share results with internal leaders and external collaborators; see how research translates into delivery.

Application Process

:

Submit your resume and a cover letter detailing your experience in your technical expertise, solution engineering capability, and strong communication skills to

. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

This is an
unpaid trainee role

intended for candidates looking to gain hands-on experience in ITFM, consulting, and go-to-market for a tech-focused startup.

We are looking to
hire immediately

.

Legal & policy disclaimers

Equal Opportunity
. We are an equal opportunity employer/partner. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by law. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.

At-Will / No Offer Guarantee
. This description is not a contract, promise, or guarantee of employment, fellowship, or future position. Duties and terms may change based on business needs. Conversion to full-time and/or core-team placement may be considered but is not guaranteed.

Background & Compliance.
Engagement may be contingent on background screening, reference checks, and compliance with security, confidentiality, and export-control requirements applicable to the work.

IP & Confidentiality.
All work product created in the engagement will be subject to applicable IP assignment and confidentiality provisions, to be agreed in writing before start.

Data Protection.
Application materials will be processed for recruiting purposes consistent with our privacy practices and applicable data-protection laws.

Third-Party Agencies.
We do not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Submissions without a signed agreement become our property without obligation.