Data Engineer

GroundWork Renewables is a solar industry performance partner providing meteorological data and photovoltaic module insights. The company seeks a Data Engineer to design and maintain data infrastructure, pipelines, databases, and internal tools that make laboratory measurement data reliable and accessible. The role also focuses on data quality assurance, governance, traceability, and collaboration with engineering, laboratory, and operations teams.

Responsibilities

• Technical Subject Matter Expertise: Design, implement, and maintain relational and time-series databases for lab instrument data, environmental measurements, and operational records. Develop and manage ETL/ELT pipelines to ingest, transform, and store data from IoT sensors, measurement hardware, and remote sensing platforms. Build and deploy internal data access tools and applications using modern frameworks (e.g., Streamlit, FastAPI, React, or similar) to enable lab staff to query, visualize, and export lab data. Apply AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude) to accelerate software delivery while maintaining code quality and auditability appropriate for a laboratory environment
• Data Quality Assurance & Control: Develop and enforce QA/QC protocols to validate incoming data from lab instruments and field sensors in accordance with applicable regulatory and accreditation standards (e.g., ISO 17025 or similar). Implement automated checks, flagging routines, statistical validation, and audit trails to detect anomalies, missing data, and calibration drift. Maintain defensible data records that satisfy chain-of-custody and traceability requirements. Ensure data integrity from acquisition through delivery to downstream consumers
• Database Architecture & Optimization: Architect and optimize database schemas for performance, scalability, and ease of access. Evaluate and recommend appropriate database technologies (SQL, NoSQL, time-series) based on data volume, query patterns, and the lab's analysis and reporting requirements
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with lab engineers, metrology staff, and operations to understand data access requirements and translate them into technical solutions. Serve as the primary point of contact for the lab's internal data availability and reporting needs
• Internal Tool & Application Development: Design and build internal data access tools, dashboards, and reporting interfaces using modern full-stack frameworks (e.g., React, FastAPI, Streamlit, Plotly Dash). Leverage AI-assisted development environments (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, or similar) to accelerate development cycles while ensuring maintainability, security, and compliance with lab data governance requirements. Enable non-technical lab staff to explore, filter, and export lab datasets through intuitive interfaces without requiring direct database access
• Data Governance & Documentation: Maintain comprehensive data dictionaries, schema documentation, and data lineage records consistent with laboratory quality management systems. Contribute to laboratory SOPs and data management plans. Stay current with emerging data engineering technologies, AI tooling, and laboratory informatics practices to continuously improve the lab’s data infrastructure

Preferred

• preferably in a laboratory, engineering, or renewable energy context
• Experience in photovoltaic (PV) testing, solar energy measurement, or a physical laboratory environment
• advanced degree or relevant certifications
• familiarity with time-series or NoSQL databases a plus
• familiarity with laboratory quality management standards (e.g., ISO 17025, GLP, or similar regulatory frameworks) is a strong plus
• experience with containerization (Docker) is a plus
• experience with LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) or similar platforms is a plus
• Laboratory Experience
• Engineering Experience
• Renewable Energy Experience
• Photovoltaic Testing
• Solar Energy Measurement
• Physical Laboratory Experience
• Advanced Degree
• Relevant Certifications
• Time-Series Databases
• NoSQL Databases
• Laboratory Quality Management
• ISO 17025
• Laboratory Practice (GLP)
• Docker
• LIMS
• Laboratory Information Management Systems

Company

• Solar meteorological data and PV lab testing
• Sand City, California, USA
• https://grndwork.com/
• Founded in 2009
• 51-200 employees

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in data engineering, database engineering, ETL/ELT pipeline development, or a related technical discipline
• Experience designing and operating production data pipelines and infrastructure is required
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, data science, or a related field
• Proficiency in SQL and experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar)
• Proficiency in Python (pandas, SQLAlchemy, FastAPI, or similar) for data engineering, scripting, and backend service development
• Hands-on experience designing and operating ETL/ELT data pipelines and workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Apache Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or similar), including scheduling, dependency management, and pipeline monitoring
• Experience building web applications or data dashboards using tools such as Streamlit, Dash, FastAPI, React, or modern AI-assisted development environments (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code); ability to deliver functional, user-facing tools rapidly using AI pair-programming workflows
• Experience implementing QA/QC workflows for instrument or sensor data, including anomaly detection, validation rules, statistical flagging, and audit logging
• Excellent communication skills; ability to translate complex technical data concepts for non-technical stakeholders including lab engineers and business analysts
• Familiarity with version control (Git), CI/CD practices, and cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Demonstrated experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, or similar) to write, debug, and refactor code; comfort evaluating AI-generated outputs for correctness, security, and suitability in a regulated laboratory data environment
• Understanding of laboratory informatics concepts and data management in accredited or regulated settings
• Able to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
• Able to communicate verbally and in writing in a clear, concise, and professional manner
• Preferably in a laboratory, engineering, or renewable energy context
• Experience in photovoltaic (PV) testing, solar energy measurement, or a physical laboratory environment
• Advanced degree or relevant certifications
• Familiarity with time-series or NoSQL databases a plus
• Familiarity with laboratory quality management standards (e.g., ISO 17025, GLP, or similar regulatory frameworks) is a strong plus
• Experience with containerization (Docker) is a plus
• Experience with LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) or similar platforms is a plus

Required skills

• SQL, Relational Databases, Python, ETL/ELT Pipelines, Workflow Orchestration, Web Application Development, Data Dashboards, QA/QC for Instrument and Sensor Data, Statistical Validation, ISO 17025, Git, CI/CD, Cloud Data Platforms, Docker, AI-Assisted Development Tools, Laboratory Informatics, Stakeholder Collaboration

Preferred skills

• advanced degree or relevant certifications, familiarity with time-series or NoSQL databases a plus, experience with containerization (Docker) is a plus, Sand City, California, USA, https://grndwork.com, H1B Sponsorship, Data Powered by, Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship, 75, Represents job field similar to this job, Engineering and Development, Management and Executive, Trends of Total Sponsorships, *2025, (1), 2024, 2022, 2021, Growth Stage, Leadership Team, Ann Will, CEO, Jim Crimmins, Chief Technology Officer, Recent News, PR Newswire, 2026-06-09, 2025-10-28, 2025-09-12, Company data provided by

Experience

• 3+ years