Founding Data Engineer

About GovWell
We the people (and the taxpayers) deserve effective government. But the software powering government services is 20 years behind the private sector. GovWell's mission is to build modern software products to help government serve communities better. After launching in April 2023, we now partner with government agencies in 9 states serving 300,000+ residents. GovWell has raised $5.5 million in VC funding from Work-Bench and Bienville Capital.
Founding Story
Our mission is deeply personal for us. Ben Cohen, Co-founder and CTO grew up helping his father - a general contractor - to apply for hundreds of construction permits. Ben's experiences navigating clunky, outdated government websites inspired him to build better solutions for the millions of tradespeople whose livelihoods depend on getting permits fast. Prior to founding GovWell, Ben worked for Uber and Amazon as a Software Engineer, and earned his AB in Computer Science summa cum laude from Princeton.
Troy LeCaire, Co-founder and CEO, was employee #1 and Chief of Staff at RippleMatch, a software startup, helping it grow from $0 to $10M in annual revenue and a $200M valuation. Before RippleMatch, he worked for two U.S. senators from his home state of Wisconsin. He believes passionately in the potential for technology to help government work more effectively for citizens everywhere. Troy earned his BA in Government magna cum laudefrom Cornell.
Video Message
Ben Cohen: More about the Founding Data Engineering Role at GovWell
What You'll Do
As the Founding Data Engineer at GovWell, you will play a crucial role in building the data infrastructure that powers our mission to modernize government services across the United States. You'll be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the data pipelines and architectures that will be used at scale by cities and counties nationwide. Your work will directly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations, with immediate feedback from users as you build.
As our first Data Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to play an integral role in GovWell's journey. If you aspire to start your own company someday, this role offers a unique opportunity to learn and grow.
Data Challenges You'll Solve

1. Data Migration at Scale : Design and implement data migration pipelines to seamlessly transfer and transform terabytes of data from legacy systems to the GovWell platform. You'll work on mapping complex data structures across thousands of different government systems.
2. Data Integration & Transformation : Develop robust ETL processes to integrate data from various sources, ensuring data quality and consistency as it flows into our system. You'll be building the backbone that powers key functionalities like permit and license processing.
3. Scalable Data Architecture : Architect and build scalable data infrastructure to support millions of transactions and interactions from users. Your work will ensure that GovWell's systems can handle the diverse and growing needs of 80,000+ government agencies.
4. Analytics & Reporting : Enable powerful data-driven insights by designing the data architecture needed for real-time analytics and reporting. You'll help government officials and citizens access the data they need to make informed decisions.
5. Security & Compliance : Implement data security measures to protect sensitive government and citizen data, ensuring compliance with industry regulations and best practices.

Our Data Stack
In this Founding role, you will be responsible for laying the groundwork for GovWell's data stack. It will be your job to source and implement new tools such as:

1. ETL Tools : Open-source tools like Apache NiFi, Talend, or custom Python scripts
2. Data Warehousing : Solutions like Amazon Redshift, BigQuery, or Snowflake
3. Database Technologies : PostgreSQL, MySQL, or NoSQL databases
4. Data Integration : Use of GraphQL and REST APIs for seamless data exchange
5. Programming Languages : Proficiency in Python and SQL
6. Cloud Platforms : AWS for cloud-based data management

Who You Are

1. 4+ years of experience in data engineering : You have a strong background in building and maintaining scalable data pipelines and architectures.
2. Extensive experience with ETL processes : You've designed and implemented complex ETL workflows that handle large volumes of data and ensure high data quality.
3. Data Modeling & Schema Design : You have deep expertise in designing data models and schemas that align with business needs.
4. Performance Optimization : You've optimized data pipelines and storage solutions to ensure high performance and scalability.
5. Strong Product Mindset : You're passionate about deeply understanding customer needs and ensuring that your data solutions directly support product goals.
6. Impact-Driven : You're driven to create positive change in society through your work.
7. Excited by Challenges : You thrive in fast-paced environments and are eager to quickly iterate based on feedback.
8. Core Values: You align closely with our Core Values and have passion for our mission.

Salary and Benefits
Compensation within the posted salary band will be commensurate with experience. All offers will include:

• Competitive base salary
• Equity / stock options
• Up to 100% of premiums paid by GovWell for medical, dental, and vision insurance for yourself + partner
• Unlimited / flexible PTO

GovWell is an Equal Opportunity Employer, meaning that we do not discriminate based upon race, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, or any other protected class. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.