Real-Time Data Engineer for Maritime & Defense

dotOcean, based in Brugge with hubs in Gent and Leuven, Belgium, is a leader in pioneering autonomous control and advanced situational awareness technology for the maritime, security and civil industry.

We are looking for a Data Engineer to design, build and maintain the data pipelines, data architectures and data management solutions that power dotOcean's maritime and defense systems. Working at the heart of our EDF-funded programs and commercial products, you will implement the data backbone that connects sensors, edge systems and cloud platforms — enabling real-time situational awareness and autonomous decision-making at sea and beyond.

Your Skills

Key responsibilities

Design, implement and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines using tools like Apache Airflow, dbt or Apache Flink.

Work with streaming data architectures to process real-time sensor and mission data.

Build and maintain data pools, data lakes and warehouses.

Implement data batching, buffering and orchestration logic for both edge and cloud deployments.

Define and maintain data schemas, data models and interface definitions in collaboration with the data architect.

Implement DDS (Data Distribution Service) based data-centric architectures for real-time interoperability across system-of-systems.

Ensure data semantics consistency across heterogeneous systems using ontologies and agreed standards.

Data management & governance (Data Manager in EDF context):

Implement metadata management and data lineage tracking (e.g. DataHub, OpenMetadata).

Define and enforce data access policies (RBAC, encryption, GDPR compliance).

Support data classification, data quality standards and retention strategies across consortium projects.

Contribute to data governance deliverables and multi-partner data sharing agreements.

Evaluate and select data tools and technologies together with the data architect and DevOps team.

Work closely with data scientists, AI engineers and robotics engineers to provide reliable, well-structured data feeds for analytics and ML pipelines.

Contribute to technical documentation and deliverables for R&D projects and EDF reportin

Experience & skills we are looking for

Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or equivalent experience.

Hands-on experience with ETL/ELT pipeline development.

Working knowledge of streaming data technologies.

Experience with relational and non-relational databases.

Familiarity with metadata management and data lineage tools.

Solid understanding of data security principles (RBAC, encryption, GDPR).

Experience with distributed systems or data-centric architectures is a strong plus.

Knowledge of DDS (Data Distribution Service) or STANAG/UMAA standards is a plus.

Affinity with maritime, defense or autonomous systems is a plus.

Strong communication skills; comfortable working in multi-disciplinary teams and multi-partner consortia.

What we offer

At dotOcean, you’ll work with the latest technologies in autonomous systems, automated operations and cloud technology.

We’re a growing team focused on collaboration, coaching and personal development. And yes, there’s always laughter!

We foster an open environment where active listening and the sum of all parts are valued. You’ll grow both professionally and personally.

After a week of hard work, we often head to the café to unwind. Our party committee also organizes fun activities and events.

With 40-hour workweeks and 12 additional vacation days per year, we ensure you have the perfect work-life balance.