Flagship Pioneering

Lead Data Engineer

Flagship Pioneering$128K — $176K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering, ideally within life sciences or healthcare.
  • Expertise in cloud-native data architectures, particularly AWS.
  • Advanced skills in Python and SQL for data manipulation and automation.
  • Experience with frameworks/tools like Dagster, dbt, Spark, and AWS services.
  • Strong familiarity with Git, CI/CD, Docker, and ECS.
  • Experience handling both structured and unstructured data formats.
  • Proven leadership in complex, cross-functional technical projects.

Responsibilities

  • Act as the technical lead for complex data engineering initiatives.
  • Oversee the implementation of data infrastructure and tools.
  • Optimize and ensure the reliability of data storage solutions.
  • Develop complex data integration pipelines for diverse platforms.
  • Set and reinforce engineering standards for the team.
  • Lead the enhancement of platform observability and performance.
  • Diagnose failures across systems and drive incident resolutions.

Benefits

  • Healthcare coverage.
  • Annual incentive program.
  • Retirement benefits.
  • Comprehensive range of additional perks and benefits.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a Lead Data Engineer to lead complex initiatives aimed at modernizing and professionalizing our data infrastructure, platforms, and pipelines. You will lead the implementation of core platform systems and help to set the directions and standards of our data infrastructure and pipelines. You will work closely with other engineers and stakeholders across Infrastructure & Operations (I&O), Lab IT, Pioneering Intelligence (PI) Tech, and the internal scientific community to turn evolving scientific needs into secure, reliable and scalable data engineering solutions. Reporting into the Associate Director, Data Architecture & Engineering, this is a technical, senior individual-contributor role that will champion engineering best practices, build complex data pipelines, lead data platform implementations, and handle the troubleshooting and optimization of data warehouse and storage solutions. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES Data & Platform Engineering • Serve as the technical lead and subject matter expert on complex data engineering projects involving interdependent systems, legacy environments, and emerging cloud-first platforms. • Lead the implementation of data infrastructure, platforms, tools, and other data products. • Lead the optimization and reliability of data storage solutions (lakehouses, marts, warehouses, etc.). • Implement complex backend and data integration pipelines to support data lakes, marts, and other platforms. • Establish and reinforce engineering standards for testing, documentation, release management, and monitoring across the team. • Lead implementations for platform observability, management, resilience, capacity, and performance. • Diagnose and resolve complex failures spanning infrastructure and data pipelines; lead incident reviews and ensure corrective actions improve the wider system. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Technical Leadership • Collaborate across I&O, Lab IT, PI Tech, data science, and bioinformatics teams to ensure architectural alignment, reuse of components, and shared understanding of system states and dependencies. • Mentor junior engineers and establish engineering standards that drive excellence, reproducibility, and innovation across the team. • Leverage generative AI tools and frameworks to accelerate pipeline development, data transformation, and metadata enrichment at scale. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS • 6+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering, preferably in life sciences, biotech, or healthcare environments. • Proven expertise in designing and operating cloud-native data architectures, particularly within AWS. • Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL for data manipulation, pipeline development, and system automation. • Extensive experience with modern frameworks and tools such as Dagster, dbt, Spark, Iceberg, Lake Formation, Athena, Glue, etc. • Strong experience with Git, CI/CD, CDK, containerized workloads, Docker, and ECS. • Experience supporting both structured and unstructured data (CSV, JSON, Parquet, imaging, etc.). • Demonstrated success in leading complex, cross-functional projects involving technical and scientific stakeholders. • Practical experience using generative AI tools (e.g., Claude Code, GPT-based tools, etc.) to boost engineering velocity and reduce boilerplate. • A track record of leading complex technical initiatives under ambiguity, making explicit trade-offs and remaining accountable for reliable operational outcomes. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS • Experience supporting bioinformatics, cheminformatics, or clinical data workflows. • Familiarity with scientific software and ELN's, particularly Benchling and CDD. • Exposure to Agile or Scrum-based development methodologies. • Relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Associate, Data Analytics Specialty). The salary range for this role is $128,000 - $176,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Flagship Pioneering currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Flagship Pioneering's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.

About Flagship Pioneering

Flagship Pioneering is a life sciences innovation enterprise that conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies. The firm operates through its Flagship Labs unit, which is a dedicated innovation foundry that invents and launches transformative companies. Flagship Pioneering has created over 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $34 billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents. The firm's portfolio includes companies in the fields of therapeutics, health technologies, and sustainability. Flagship Pioneering was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Learn more about Flagship Pioneering
Size
500 employees
Industry

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