OSS Data Engineer

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected. Position Overview We are seeking a Data Engineer to build and operate the data platform spanning both network/operational (OSS) and business/commercial data. The person in this role asks what can be learned from the data our network produces, and who else, internally or at external partners, needs governed access to it. You will own ingestion, storage, transformation, and serving for data ranging from raw network level telemetry streams to SLA/KPI reporting, whole-sale usage and settlements. The role combines real streaming-engineering depth with the judgment to keep network operational data and derived commercial data properly governed as they converge onto a single platform. Key Responsibilities: Build, develop and deploy data ingestion & streaming pipelines – Apache Flink, CDC-based ingestion, AWS Glue Schema Registry, in-stream validation and dead-letter handlingDesign and maintain raw, curated, and served data layers, balancing query performance (Athena/Redshift) against storage cost and freshness requirementsManage table maintenance, compaction, and partitioning strategy as data volume growsBuild and maintain SQL transformations from curated to served layers, including dimensional models that join multiple sources of dataWork on schema design for new data domains, translating target data models into working ingestion and transformation logicImplement data quality testing covering freshness, completeness, and schema conformance across every pipelineBuild and maintain the BI/serving layer for internal stakeholders (dashboards, ad hoc query access, periodic reports)Lay the data foundation, clean, governed, well-modeled datasets, for AI/ML use cases (capacity forecasting, predictive maintenance) without necessarily owning the models themselvesMaintain clear documentation of data models, pipeline architecture, and governance controls for both internal and partner-facing datasetsEngage with other internal teams to clarify requirements, validate assumptions, and ensure delivered data outputs and artifacts satisfy their needs Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field - or equivalent professional experience. Experience: A minimum of 4+ years of professional experience in data engineering, combining streaming and batch pipeline development, ideally including exposure to both operational/telemetry data and business/commercial data. Production experience with Apache Flink or an equivalent stream-processing engine, including CDC-based ingestionHands-on experience with table formats such as Apache Iceberg or Delta Lake, and AWS Glue Data CatalogStrong SQL and hands-on experience for building tested, versioned transformation pipelinesExperience with Protobuf and schema registries, and handling schema evolution without breaking downstream consumersExperience operating Apache Airflow for batch pipeline schedulingWorking knowledge of S3, Glue, MSK, IAM, Athena/RedshiftExperience implementing access control and data protection for datasets with mixed sensitivity levels (operational vs. commercial data)Proficiency in Python for pipeline tooling and glue codeEnglish proficiency at B2 level or above; able to collaborate effectively with peers and architects in a globally distributed team Soft Skills: Comfortable being the seam between operational telemetry and business data, two domains that rarely share the same people or toolingHigh ownership of data correctness for systems this role doesn’t operate, staying accountable to what the data says even when the underlying system belongs to another teamClear communicator across analysts, architects, and partner-facing stakeholders with very different technical vocabulariesProactive and self-directed in identifying where data quality or access-control gaps could cause real problems before they do Technology Stack: Apache Flink, Kafka/Protobuf (AWS MSK)Amazon S3, Apache Iceberg, AWS Glue Data CatalogAmazon Athena, Amazon RedshiftApache Airflow, dbt, AWS Glue Schema RegistryOpenTelemetry, Prometheus, GrafanaSQL, PythonGit, Azure DevOps CI Physical Requirements Ability to work in a standard office or remote home-office environment and use a computer for extended periodsAbility to participate in occasional after-hours incident response actions This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands. AST SpaceMobile is an Equal Opportunity, at will Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.