Data Engineer Associate

About this role

AIR’s Tek Office is seeking a motivated Data Engineer Associate to join our collaborative data and analytics team. The Data Engineer Associate will support the design, development, and maintenance of scalable data pipelines and contribute to building modern data platforms that enable business intelligence, analytics, and reporting. This role is ideal for an early-career professional with a foundational understanding of data engineering principles and hands-on experience (academic or professional) with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Fabric tools. The position offers opportunities for mentorship, technical skill development, and exposure to modern cloud-based data solutions in a collaborative environment. This position reports into the Technology Office.

This position offers hybrid work flexibility, requiring three days per week in AIR’s Virginia office, with occasional travel for meetings, training sessions, and conferences.

About AIR:

Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to address some of the most pressing challenges in the United States and globally. We generate evidence and apply data-driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for the position include:

• Assist in the development and maintenance of data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes using Azure and Fabric tools.

• Support ingestion, integration, and transformation of data from multiple internal and external sources.

• Work with Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse, and Microsoft Fabric (Data Factory, Lakehouse, Dataflows, etc.).

• Help design and maintain data models, data lakes, and data warehouses.

• Write and optimize SQL queries for data transformation and validation.

• Collaborate with data analysts, business stakeholders, and senior engineers to align on shared team objectives and drive successful outcomes.

• Monitor and troubleshoot data workflows to ensure reliability and performance.

• Participate in data quality, governance, and documentation efforts.

• Contribute to process automation and continuous improvement.

• Duties and responsibilities may change based on business needs.

Qualifications:

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, related field or at least 2 years of relevant professional…