Data Engineer

Summary

As a Data Engineer in CPSC's Analytics Center of Excellence, your work strengthens evidence-based decision-making and supports the agency's mission to protect the public from unsafe products. The Data Engineer will design, develop, and optimize scalable data pipelines and services that power advanced analytics and machine learning solutions. The work that you do ensures that data is reliable, accessible, and ready for downstream use by data scientists, analysts, and AI/ML systems.

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Duties

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This position is officially titled Data Scientist. The working title is Data Engineer. The Data Engineer strengthens CPSC's Sentinel-driven product safety analytics and provides the foundation to introduce myriad operational efficiencies by delivering high-quality, secure, and interoperable data solutions in modern cloud environments.

The Data Engineer will:

• Design and maintain production-grade ETL/ELT pipelines using Python and Microsoft-based frameworks to ingest, transform, validate, and optimize large structured and unstructured datasets.
• Implement schema enforcement, data validation, and quality controls to ensure reliable, reproducible data across diverse sources.
• Develop scalable, fault-tolerant pipelines using open-source and cloud-native patterns.
• Architect and manage Azure data solutions-including Data Lake Storage, Azure SQL, and related analytics integrations-and build automated workflows using Azure Data Factory or similar tools.
• Create high-performance Python-based data services; implement logging, monitoring, and performance tuning for operational robustness.
• Build APIs and microservices that enable secure, seamless data exchange and integration with analytics and machine-learning platforms.
• Partner with data scientists, analysts, and cloud architects to deliver clean, governed data for predictive modeling, real-time monitoring, and actionable insights.
• Apply data governance best practices to ensure compliance, auditability, and reproducibility across workflows.
• Advise on data engineering initiatives and contribute to cross-agency data fusion projects; maintain current knowledge of evolving industry and federal data engineering standards.
• Participate in CPSC and government-wide data engineering working groups and communities of practice.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation. If you are selected and cannot meet the criteria requirement for the pre-employment waiver and/or a favorable suitability determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the employment offer may be withdrawn.

If you are a male born after December 31, 1959 you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Please see for more information.

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to appointment and the appropriate background investigation forms to determine suitability for Federal employment. False statements or responses on these forms can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee's identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the CPSC;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the CPSC or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

GS-11: 1) Assisting with maintaining structured datasets and analytical databases; 2) supporting data ingestion and optimizing data ingestion pipelines to enhance the performance of data queries, including improving throughput, reducing latency, and implementing best practices for efficient data processing and retrieval; 3) implementing data workflows in coordination with technical staff; and 4) assisting in the design, development, and deployment of data engineering solutions within cloud-based environments such as Azure or AWS, including the use of native cloud services for data storage, processing, orchestration, and integration.

GS-12: 1) Developing, organizing, and maintaining structured data sets and analytical databases; 2) performing data ingestion, cleansing, and documentation processes to ensure accuracy and consistency; 3) optimizing data ingestion pipelines and enhancing the performance of data queries, including improving throughput, reducing latency, and implementing best practices for efficient data processing and retrieval; 4) contributing to the implementation of database-driven workflows and collaborating with technical staff to improve data quality and accessibility; and 5) designing, developing, and deploying data engineering solutions within cloud-based environments such as Azure or AWS, including the use of native cloud services for data storage, processing, orchestration, and integration.

Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Mandatory Education Requirement. All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify:

A. A bachelor's or higher degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement indicated above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as indicated below:

GS-11: 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR PhD or equivalent doctoral degree OR 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-9 OR a combination of graduate level education beyond the second year of progressively higher graduate study and appropriate specialized experience.

GS-12: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level.

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable during the application process. Official transcripts will be required upon appointment.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified.

Additional information

CPSC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire CompetencyBased Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (

Payment of relocation expenses is NOT authorized.

All the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application, by checking references and through other means, such as the interview process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work.

Additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

As a condition of employment, the selectee must reside in the local commuting area of the duty station listed in this announcement. Proof of residence may be required.

Must meet the criteria requirement for the pre-employment waiver and/or a favorable suitability determination within a reasonable period of time, otherwise the employment offer may be withdrawn.

CPSC headquarters employees (Bethesda, MD) will be relocating to 441 G Street NW, Washington, DC. This position will transition to the new location upon completion of the move. The transition is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Applicants should be aware that acceptance of this position includes the requirement to report to the new location once the relocation is finalized.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

CPSC offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes: paid vacation, sick leave, 11 paid holidays per year, life and health insurance, Long Term Care insurance, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending account program, and retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) (Thrift Savings Plan).

CPSC also offers a broad array of work-life flexibilities and services to employees such as, flexible work schedules, transit subsidies, fitness center, and employee assistance and wellness programs.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.