Geospatial Data Engineer

IDR is seeking a Geospatial Data Engineer to join one of our top clients for a remote contract opportunity (California preferred) . This role is ideal for a senior Data Engineer with deep experience building and running geospatial/raster data pipelines natively on AWS, who can also build and optimize modern ETL/data ecosystems and partner closely with technical and business stakeholders to deliver reliable data products.

Position Overview for the Geospatial Data Engineer:

• Design, build, and maintain scalable geospatial data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows, with strong emphasis on raster + satellite imagery processing at scale
• Build and optimize solutions using AWS, Spark/PySpark, Python, SQL, and Apache Sedona
• Implement efficient ingestion strategies for massive, frequently changing raster datasets (e.g., tiling, spatial pruning, predicate/spatial pushdown, partial reads, selective/incremental ingestion)
• Perform geospatial operations at scale (e.g., rastervector joins, sampling pixels near assets, band math such as NDVI, multi-band imagery handling)
• Work with common spatial and raster formats including Shapefile, GeoJSON, GeoParquet, GeoPackage, KML, and raster formats such as GeoTIFF / Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)
• Apply best practices around data modeling and warehousing concepts (dimensional modeling, historical datasets, slowly-changing dimensions)
• Support orchestration and scheduling using tools such as Airflow, Dagster, or equivalent

Requirements for the Geospatial Data Engineer:

• BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, GIS, or a related quantitative field (or equivalent experience)
• 5+ years of experience in data engineering / ETL ecosystems
• Strong hands-on experience with:
  • AWS geospatial engineering (Required): building and running geospatial/raster pipelines natively on AWS
  • PySpark, Python, SQL
  • Apache Sedona
• Strong understanding of coordinate reference systems (e.g., EPSG codes, NAD83 vs WGS84)
• Experience with large-scale raster processing and multi-band imagery (storage/compute implications, efficient processing patterns)
• Familiarity with remote sensing imagery cataloging/versioning (e.g., STAC or equivalent)

Whats in it for you?

• Full Benefits: Medical, Vision, Dental, and more
• Opportunity to get in with an industry leading organization

Why IDR?

• 25+ Years of Proven Industry Experience in 4 major markets
• Employee Stock Ownership Program
• Dedicated Engagement Manager committed to you and your success
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Award winner 12 years in a row

$75-$81/hr
#LI-REMOTE All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. IDR is subject to certain governmental recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the administration of civil rights laws and regulations. In order to comply with these laws, we invite employees to voluntarily self-identify their race or ethnicity, gender, and veteran status (if applicable). Submission of this information is voluntary and refusal to provide it will not subject you to any adverse treatment. The information obtained will be kept confidential and may only be used in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws, executive orders, and regulations, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government for civil rights enforcement. You may access this form here.