IC 2027 Data Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

Internship conversion position for the Data Centric Platforms and Architecture Department within the Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD). This position will be full-time, 100% onsite at our office in El Segundo

Job Summary

Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) staff couple the latest in information system technologies, such as elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real-time operating systems, and visualization frameworks, with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, data science, Artificial Intelligence, process improvement, and software development to deliver responsive, resilient, high-performance software intensive systems to our Intelligence Community, DoD, and civilian customers.

The Data Centric Platforms and Architectures Department is responsible for developing cloud-based, scalable, and resilient AI-ready data analysis pipelines, tools and platforms to enable the full exploitation of historical and streaming data sets for a variety of civil and national security space customers. Do you want to do cutting edge data engineering and do innovative work on the open-source data processing frameworks with the ability to intelligently scale? Join us as a Cloud Native Software Developer on the Data Platforms and Architectures Department team in The Aerospace Corporation!

What You’ll Be Doing

• Supporting the National Security, United States Space Force, DoD, and commercial space enterprise customers through the identification, prototyping, assessment, and implementation of cutting-edge data engineering technologies in a cloud-native environment.

• Collaborating with technical subject matter experts and interdisciplinary teams to conceive, design, and develop enterprise data analysis pipelines and applications.

• Learning by doing, acquiring expertise in emerging technologies to further personal and organizational breadth of knowledge in an academic environment where self-enrichment, training, and mentorship is fundamental.

• Proposing innovative research and development projects, leading research and proof-of-concept development as the principal investigator.

• Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned as needed.

What Corporate Skills You’ll Bring 

• Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills for coordinating efforts and working with members of various internal and external organizations.

• Strong reading comprehension, research, and analytical skills for understanding software documentation and source code, interpreting project requirements, and learning new technologies according to project demand.

• Integrity, self-motivation, initiative, and a collaborative approach to working in a team environment and proactively communicating progress and concerns to teammates and project stakeholders.

• Organizational, time management, and project management skills, including knowledge of software engineering lifecycles and familiarity with project management methodologies.

• Adaptability to working in a dynamic environment where duties, responsibilities, and activities vary in response to fluctuating organizational needs.

• Flexibility in completing projects with concurrent timelines, accurately estimating task duration, and working independently on execution.

• Demonstration of behavior consistent with the company's values: Dedication to Mission Success, Technical Excellence, Commitment to Our People, Objectivity and Integrity, and Innovation.

What You Need to be Successful  

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors or Masters degree from an accredited college/university program in Computer Science or related discipline from an accredited college/university program and to be conferred within 12 months

• Prior internship at The Aerospace Corporation.

• 0-1 year of industry work experience

• Minimum GPA of 3.0

• Intermediate knowledge of one or more programming languages, including Python and/or Java.

• Backend development project experience or course work in data structures and algorithms.

• Experience developing in Unix-like environments and using source/version control (Git).

• Willing to travel occasionally to work location or customer site/domestically/internationally

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

• Transcripts required. 

How You Can Stand Out 

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these: 

• GPA 3.5 or higher
• Active security clearance
• Strong leadership skills
• Development of data platforms
• Experience with data security and governance technologies
• Microservices architecture
• Generative and agentic AI workflows and technologies
• Knowledge of data virtualization and data access
• Distributed and stream data processing
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of other programming languages i.e Pythong, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, etc.

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

$866,000.00 - $129,800.00

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change  
• Engage with Impact  
• Foster Innovation  
• Deliver Results

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

• Flexible spending accounts

• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

• Relocation assistance

• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

• Education assistance programs

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at peoplemangmnt.mailbox@aero.org . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.

About Us

Right Place

The Aerospace Corporation has over 26 locations nationwide, which allows us to build a workforce that will nurture the best ideas, and generate the most novel innovations and solutions to our nation’s toughest space enterprise challenges.

Right Path

Aerospace covers all stages of the space lifecycle, from concept to operations. We believe our people are our most valuable resource and that’s why we propel our employees forward in their careers through ongoing education, training, and professional development.

Right Purpose

We can all serve a mission much greater than ourselves, and at Aerospace that is exactly what we do. By hiring the industry’s most preeminent scientists and engineers, Aerospace advances emerging technologies that protect some of the most critical missions on Earth and above it.

Return to the Aerospace Careers site.

Aerospace employees working in organizations with technical responsibilities are required to obtain a Security Clearance. U.S. citizenship is required for those positions.