1099 consultant · ~120–600 hrs per funded award · $60–$95/hr · Remote (U.S.)

Distributed Systems & Scalable Analytics Research Engineer

Build and research distributed systems for our AI and data work: Spark and Ray pipelines, scalable analytics and research prototypes that hold up at production scale.

About Precision Federal

Precision Federal is a small business building AI, data and software systems for government agencies. The company’s founder loves God, and the company is built on Christian faith: every number we publish is real, every claim we make is verifiable, and the work is done with excellence as service to God. Faith is welcome here and openly shared.

How this role works

You join the bench. You apply with your hourly rate, weekly hours and start time, and we may name you on proposals that match this role. If we don't win, you owe nothing.
A contract is awarded. The award funds the team named in the proposal. Your engagement begins at the hourly rate we agreed on.
You work remote, paid from the contract. ~120–600 hrs per funded award — and if no award ever funds, you owe nothing and lose nothing.

What you'll do

Design distributed pipelines in Spark, Ray or Dask for large government datasets
Profile and tune jobs for throughput, memory and cost
Lead research on scalable analytics methods for funded proposals
Work with our data scientists to move models from notebooks to clusters

Required qualifications

MS or PhD in computer science or a related field, or equivalent research record
3+ years building distributed systems or large-scale analytics
U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (U.S. person)
Willing to be named on a federal proposal with a one-page resume, and to sign a short letter of commitment

Preferred qualifications

Publications in systems, databases or high-performance computing venues
Kubernetes, Kafka or cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Research funding from NSF, DARPA or DOE

Compensation & structure

1099 consulting engagement. $60–$95 per hour; you tell us the rate you are asking when you apply. Hours are funded by federal contract awards — this seat is scoped at roughly 120–600 hours per funded award, fully remote. Work and pay begin only if the contract is awarded — no award, no hours, no obligation.

Join the bench — Distributed Systems & Scalable Analytics Research Engineer

Every application is read.

This is a bench, not a job offer. Work starts when we win a contract that needs you.
We may name you on proposals. If that contract is awarded, you do the role at the rate and hours we agree on.
Paid hourly as a 1099 contractor; full-time roles may be W-2. If your background fits, we will email you.

First name *

Last name *

Email *

Phone *

Work authorization *

LinkedIn or portfolio link

What state do you live in? *

Resume (PDF or Word) *

Questions

Answer from your own experience. A few sentences each is plenty; be specific and tell us what you did yourself.

1. Cover letter. In your own words, tell us about yourself: your background, the work you do best, the values that guide your work, and why this role interests you. *

2. Describe the distributed system or analytics platform most like this role: the data scale, the design, your role and the result. *

3. Which frameworks and methods do you use hands-on (Spark, Ray, Dask, Kafka, Kubernetes, query optimization)? *

Rate and availability

Your hourly rate (USD) *

Target rate: $60–$95 an hour.

Hours per week you could give on an awarded contract *

If you are named and we win in the next 12 months, how soon could you start? *

May we name you on proposals for this role, and if we win, will you do the work at the rate we agree on? *

Precision Federal was founded on Christian values. Our faith in God shapes how we work: we talk openly about faith, and we share fellowship together. Taking part is always voluntary. As we get to know you, you’re always welcome to share your own faith with us.

Questions? careers@precisionfederal.com · See all open roles