Lead Data Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 9, 2026. First seen by Alion on Nov 9, 2026.
Lead Data Engineer
We are seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer to join our healthcare technology team with a primary focus on healthcare interoperability. This role will be instrumental in designing, building, and maintaining our Azure-based data infrastructure, including databases, data pipelines, analytics platforms, and business intelligence solutions — with an emphasis on integrating with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and healthcare data exchange standards (FHIR, C-CDA, HL7). The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in the Microsoft data stack, strong architectural thinking, and experience with healthcare data compliance requirements. This senior-level position will also provide technical leadership, mentorship to the broader engineering team and reports to the Director of Data Engineering.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Design and implement scalable, secure data architectures on Azure to support business intelligence, analytics, and operational systems
Build and maintain data pipelines using Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse and related services
Contribute to database designs across multiple platforms (Azure SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, PostgreSQL, CosmosDB)
Optimize data storage strategies across Azure Blob Storage, Data Lake, and structured databases
Design data models and structures that enable efficient analytics and reporting
Design, develop, and maintain complex stored procedures, functions, triggers, and views
Implement database DevOps processes including schema versioning, deployment automation, and rollback procedures
Perform database performance tuning, indexing strategies, and query optimization
Ensure data integrity, security, and compliance with HIPAA/HITRUST requirements for PHI data
Manage database lifecycle across development, pre-production, and production environments utilizing RedGate Flyway
Design and implement ETL/ELT processes to integrate data from multiple sources
Build event-driven data processing solutions including message producers, consumers, and workers using Azure Service Bus, Event Grid, and related messaging services
Integrate with external REST APIs for data ingestion and develop internal data APIs using Python (FastAPI/Flask) on Azure Container Apps or Functions
Develop data transformation logic and orchestration workflows
Ensure data quality, consistency, and lineage across the data platform
Integrate with Azure AI services and machine learning endpoints as needed
Review designs of Power BI solutions including semantic models, reports, & dashboards
Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions
Optimize data structures for reporting and analytics performance
Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior developers and engineers
Contribute to data engineering best practices, standards, and patterns
Participate in architecture reviews and technical decision-making
Collaborate with DevOps and Infrastructure teams on platform improvements
Drive continuous improvement in data quality, performance, and reliability
Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation including data dictionaries, architecture diagrams, and process flows
Document data lineage, transformation logic, and business rules
Ensure all data handling practices meet HIPAA/HITRUST compliance requirements
Maintain audit trails and documentation for compliance purposes
Troubleshoot and resolve complex data-related issues across the platform
Provide escalation support for production incidents
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support business operations
Participate in on-call rotation as needed
Preferred:
Build and maintain integrations with EHR systems using FHIR resources (e.g., Patient, DocumentReference) and C-CDA document parsing/transformation
Support HL7 v2/MDM/ADT message flows where needed, including message parsing and acknowledgment handling
Define and maintain OpenAPI specifications and API versioning; write contract tests to prevent breaking changes
Lead the document templating framework and server-side rendering pipeline for HTML-to-PDF output; ensure accessibility and compliance requirements
Experience & Qualifications:
Required:
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related field, or equivalent work experience
8+ years of experience in data engineering, database development, or related roles
Expert-level proficiency in T-SQL and Microsoft SQL Server
Expert-level proficiency of Python
Experience building REST APIs and background workers in Python (FastAPI/Flask)
Understanding of event-driven architectures and asynchronous processing patterns
Strong experience with Azure data services (Azure SQL, Data Factory, Synapse, Blob Storage, etc.)
Hands-on experience building and maintaining data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes
Knowledge of Power BI development skills including DAX, data modeling, and performance optimization
Solid understanding of database design principles, normalization, and data modeling
Experience with version control systems (Git) and CI/CD practices
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment
Microsoft certification (Azure Data Engineer Associate, Azure Database Administrator, Power BI Data Analyst)
Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates)
Knowledge of additional Azure services (Container Apps, Functions, Logic Apps)
Experience with other database platforms (PostgreSQL, CosmosDB)
Understanding of HIPAA/HITRUST compliance requirements for healthcare data
Experience PowerShell for automation and scripting
Experience with Azure DevOps or similar platforms for CI/CD
Experience with data governance, cataloging, and metadata management
Background in healthcare technology or regulated industries
Experience with OpenAPI/Swagger specification design and contract testing
Proficient in advanced usage of AI development tooling (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot)
Azure API Management and private networking patterns
Travel up to 15%.
Preferred:
Practical experience with FHIR (resources, search parameters, OAuth2/SMART on FHIR) and C-CDA parsing/transformation
Experience integrating with Epic, Cerner, Athena, or other EHR/EMR systems
Experience with HL7 v2 (MLLP/MDM/ADT) message handling