Lead Data Engineer

Overview In this role you drive the AI-enabled data platform at Lockheed Martin, building and productizing data assets for AI agents, analytics, and enterprise apps within the Enterprise Data Ecosystem. You’ll shape the enterprise ontology and ensure consistent, secure data definitions across products. Your work enables scalable data products and trusted ML pipelines, partnering with architects, data scientists, and cross-functional teams. This is a mission-focused opportunity to influence data governance and AI-enabled transformation at scale. Compensation / BenefitsMedicalDentalVisionFlexible work arrangements401(k) matchPaid time off ResponsibilitiesLead end-to-end development of corporate and functional data models and pipelines from ingestion to gold-layer entities to create certified data productsDefine product vision, roadmaps, SLAs, usage metrics, and continuous improvement cycles for data assetsDevelop, maintain, and govern the Enterprise ontology including concepts, relationships, and taxonomies for AI agents and analytics applicationsEnsure feature-rich, model-ready data for ML pipelines with feature stores and lineage metadataImplement security, governance, and compliance via Unity Catalog and cloud IAMCollaborate with team architects to validate designsOptimize Databricks performance (auto-scaling, caching, Delta Lake tuning)Establish standards, best practices, and certification processes for data products and ontology assetsMentor and develop engineering talent through code reviews, workshops, and growth plansAdvise on technology stack used in team operations Key requirementsBachelor’s (or higher) in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Information Management, or related field7+ years of large-scale data architecture/engineering experience, with at least 4 years productizing data assets for enterprise useSignificant experience developing ontologiesStrong proficiency in Python and SQL; Spark (PySpark/Scala); AI-assisted developmentExperience with data integration/orchestration tools (NiFi, Airflow)US citizenInterpersonal and collaboration skills for cross-functional teamworkCustomer-needs focus beyond surface requirementsMentorship and leadership capabilitiesDatabricks (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Jobs/Workflows)Federated data models and ontologiesGenAI applications