Lead GIS Integration Engineer - Remote

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead GIS Integration Engineer to drive the technical design, architecture, and delivery of a Next-Generation GIS Program. This role is critical in integrating legacy Smallworld GIS and modern Esri Utility Network data into an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS).

The ideal candidate will bridge enterprise GIS, real-time Operational Technology (OT), and cloud-native data engineering by establishing scalable, event-driven data pipelines within an AWS environment to ensure seamless synchronization during a multi-year transformation.

Key Responsibilities

GIS Integration & Architecture

• Interface Design: Lead the architecture of high-availability integrations between Smallworld, Esri ArcGIS Enterprise (Utility Network), and the ADMS platform.
• Event-Driven Pipelines: Design and implement real-time data streams using Apache Kafka (MSK) for incremental network model updates and spatial asset changes.
• Model Reconciliation: Resolve data model conflicts, schema mismatches, and business rule differences when translating GIS connectivity into ADMS topology.
• Standards Enforcement: Define and enforce integration standards, data contracts, and API design patterns (REST/SOAP).

Data Engineering & Migration Cutover

• Spatial ETL Pipelines: Build end-to-end ETL pipelines using FME Form/Flow and Python, including automated deployment and auditing.
• Coexistence Strategy: Enable dual-source data ingestion to support phased migration (handling active circuits from both Smallworld and Esri simultaneously).
• Runbook Execution: Develop migration runbooks, validation scripts, and automated rollback procedures for production cutovers.

Cloud & DevOps

• Cloud Infrastructure: Design and manage AWS infrastructure for GIS and streaming workloads (EC2, S3, RDS/Aurora, Lambda, ECS/EKS, API Gateway).
• CI/CD Automation: Implement CI/CD pipelines and branching strategies using Git alongside Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or CloudFormation).
• Observability: Monitor pipeline health, establish alerting via CloudWatch, and lead incident response for production systems.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 8+ years in GIS engineering, system integration, or spatial data engineering, with 3+ years in a technical leadership role.
• Domain Expertise: Experience delivering GIS-to-ADMS/OMS integrations (e.g., GE, Schneider Electric, Oracle, Hitachi/ABB) within electric or gas utilities.
• Data Standards: Strong understanding of CIM (IEC 61968 & 61970) standards for utility data exchange.
• Streaming & ETL: Hands-on experience with Apache Kafka (topic design, producers/consumers, schema registry) and FME Form/Flow.
• Programming: Advanced Python skills using spatial libraries (GeoPandas, Shapely, Fiona, ArcPy) and API frameworks (FastAPI).
• Databases: Expertise in PostgreSQL/PostGIS and Oracle Spatial.

Preferred Qualifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect certification.
• Experience with Smallworld CASE tools or Esri Utility Network configuration.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks for spatial data (e.g., Pytest).
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies.

Technical Environment

• Core Systems: GE Smallworld, Esri ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1+ (Utility Network), ADMS
• Streaming & Cloud: Apache Kafka / AWS MSK, AWS services (Lambda, S3, RDS, EKS)
• Development & DevOps: Python (GeoPandas, FastAPI), FME Form/Flow, Terraform, Git, CI/CD

Work Environment & Travel

• Location: Hybrid / Remote Eligible (Charlotte, NC preferred)
• Travel: Up to 20% for onsite workshops, stakeholder meetings, and critical migration cutovers