Intermediate Strategic Data Specialist

Overview
Intermediate Strategic Data Specialist
LOCATION:
Pentagon - Washington, DC

SALARY RANGE:
125k - 145k

JOB STATUS:
Full- time

CLEARANCE:
Top Secret

TRAVEL:
As Needed

Astrion has an exciting opportunity for an
Intermediate Strategic Data Specialist
, locating at the Pentagon located in
Washington, DC
.

In this role, the Data Specialist supports strategic data initiatives at Headquarters Air Force (HAF) A2/A6 to support the Air Force Element of the Intelligence Community (IC). The selected candidate will assist with governance, strategic planning, enterprise architecture, capability PfM, solutions analysis & implementation planning, performance and risk management, project management, data and analytics, program analysis, policy analysis, information technology analysis, and administrative technical support. The candidate will also support existing, ongoing, and expanding programs, projects, technologies, processes, and workforce innovations throughout the Air Force Intelligence Community (AF IC) Information Environment.

Required Qualifications / Skills

• STEM related bachelor's degree (master's degree is a plus)
• Bachelor's Degree and 4 to 8 years of directly related experience required.
• Ability to advise senior management (e.g., CIO) on cost/benefit analysis of AF IC Information Environment programs, policies, processes, and systems, and elements
• Data Mgt/Governance: Comprehensive knowledge of data management principles, ontology, data governance frameworks (e.g., DAMA-DMBOK), and best practices. Experience implementing or supporting data governance programs, including defining data policies, standards, and procedures
• Data Architecture: Experience working with or contributing to the design and implementation of data architectures
• Cloud Computing: Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their data services, including storage, compute, analytics, and security offerings. Familiarity with cloud-based data warehousing, data lake solutions, and cloud migration strategies
• Understanding of the IC: Knowledge of IC data standards, policies, and practices would be highly valuable
• Data Integration/ELT: Familiarity with the concepts and principles of building and scaling Extract, Load, Transform (ELT) pipelines. Experience overseeing or managing projects involving data pipeline orchestration, data quality management, and performance optimization. Knowledge of common ELT tools like Apache Airflow, Informatica PowerCenter, or cloud-native data integration services is a plus
• Data Science/AI & Data Standards: Understanding of how data standards impact data science and AI/ML initiatives. Experience contributing to or managing projects that apply data standards in data preparation, feature engineering, model training, and validation. Familiarity with data governance tools and processes relevant to AI/ML workflows.
• DB Mgt (SQL & NoSQL): Practical understanding of SQL and NoSQL database technologies, including relational (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, Neo4j). Experience with projects involving data modeling, query optimization, and database administration. Familiarity with graph databases (e.g., Neo4j) and search/analytics platforms like the ELK stack is desirable

Preferred Qualifications / Skills

• Working knowledge of USAF, DoD, and IC infrastructures.
• Knowledge of the Intelligence Community
• Experience working technical projects or innovation initiatives (e.g., technical writing, problem solving, policy analysis and development, project mgt)
• Knowledge of cloud computing deployment models in private, public, and hybrid environment and the difference between on-premises and off-premises environments
• Analytical Skills, ability to perform needs analysis to determine opportunities for new and improved business process solutions.

Responsbilities
This position will support the AF IC Chief Data Officer in advancing a major digital infrastructure transformation from hardware based industrial solutions and processes to software based digital processes.

• Data Strategy Development: Develop and publish a formal Data Strategy aligned with existing ISR, IC Data Strategy, and CDAO publications
• Data Catalog Implementation: Establish a Data Catalog capability to improve data discovery and access
• Data Governance Council Establishment: Establish a Data Governance Council to oversee data management and governance activities
• Object-Based Intelligence (OBI) Policy Development: Develop an OBI policy to guide implementing and adopting OBI principles and practices
• Zero Trust Data Pillar Coordination: Ensure data governance activities align with Zero Trust principles and requirements