H1

Staff Data Engineer

H1$170K — $190K *
Healthcare
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of experience as a software, data, or backend engineer in scalable systems.
  • Proven track record of leading large, complex data projects from concept to production.
  • Deep experience in building and evolving large-scale data architectures or distributed systems.
  • Strong proficiency in SQL for complex queries over large datasets.
  • Programming expertise in Python or a modern programming language.

Responsibilities

  • Act as a self-starter driving execution independently.
  • Lead high-visibility RWE projects, unblocking teams and managing initiatives.
  • Own the end-to-end architecture for critical data assets, ensuring scalability and reliability.
  • Design, build, and optimize large-scale data pipelines for performance and cost efficiency.
  • Partner with various teams to align priorities and deliver high-value outcomes.
  • Represent engineering in cross-functional forums to shape roadmaps.
  • Develop domain expertise and mentor other engineers.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance options with generous paid time off.
  • Pre-planned company-wide wellness holidays.
  • Retirement options available for employees.
  • Health and charitable donation stipends offered.
  • Engagement in impactful Business Resource Groups.
  • Flexible work hours and remote work opportunities.
  • Work with leading biotech and life sciences companies on impactful projects.
Full Job Description
Data Engineering is responsible for the development and delivery of our most important asset, our data. Across thousands of data sources globally, the team ensures that only accurate, normalized data flows to our customers, at the speed required to match real-world changes. As we expand the markets we serve and increase the breadth and depth of data we capture, we need senior technical leaders who can drive execution, scalability, and architectural excellence.

WHAT YOU'LL DO AT H1

As a Staff Data Engineer on the Real World Evidence (RWE) team, you'll be one of the most senior individual contributors and a key technical leader for our largest datasets and pipelines. You'll drive some of H1's most visible data initiatives and help reduce bottlenecks across teams, providing critical technical leadership support during US hours.

You will:

- Act as a self-starter who drives execution independently, taking ownership and initiative with minimal need for day-to-day direction.

- Lead high-visibility RWE projects, starting with claims data, and keep multiple initiatives moving by proactively unblocking teams.

- Own the end-to-end architecture for critical data assets, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, and aligned with H1's long-term vision.

- Design, build, and optimize large-scale data pipelines (hundreds of TBs) for performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.

- Partner with Product, Data Science, and downstream engineering teams to align priorities, manage dependencies, and deliver high-value outcomes.

- Represent engineering in cross-functional forums, shaping roadmaps and reducing reliance on senior leadership for day-to-day decisions.

- Develop deep domain expertise and mentor other engineers, helping raise the technical bar and influence the evolution of our data products.

ABOUT YOU

You're a hands-on Staff IC and technical leader who thrives in complex data environments. You bring clarity to ambiguity, turn messy problems into reliable systems, and operate with a strong sense of ownership and impact. You collaborate effectively across functions, help others move faster, and are comfortable working across the full data and infrastructure stack.

- You have a proven track record of leading large, complex technical projects from concept to production.

- You bring deep experience building and evolving large-scale data architectures, pipelines, or distributed systems.

- You operate well in high-ambiguity environments, make pragmatic trade-offs, and keep execution moving.

- You communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical partners and influence direction without needing formal authority.

- You raise the bar for engineering excellence through thoughtful design, high-quality code, and strong documentation.

- You invest in others through mentorship, pairing, and constructive feedback.

REQUIREMENTS

-8+ years as a software, data, or backend engineer building and operating scalable, production-grade systems.

- Experience with large-scale data processing (e.g., Spark/PySpark on EMR or similar) or scalable distributed backend systems, with the ability to quickly deepen expertise in our data stack (PySpark, EMR, Hudi/Delta).

- Strong proficiency in SQL, including writing and optimizing complex queries over large datasets.

- Strong programming experience in Python (or a modern language with the ability to quickly ramp up in Python).

- Experience designing systems or large-scale datasets/pipelines with attention to performance, reliability, and maintainability.

- Hands-on experience with modern engineering workflows and tooling such as Git, JIRA, and CI/CD systems (e.g., CircleCI).

- Comfort deploying and troubleshooting distributed workloads in cloud environments such as AWS EMR or Kubernetes.

- Experience with workflow orchestration or job scheduling tools (e.g., Airflow, Argo).

- Demonstrated ability to independently drive complex, cross-team technical initiatives and influence stakeholders without formal authority.

- Experience with streaming/messaging technologies (e.g., Kafka, Kinesis) nice to have

- Background in RWE, healthcare data, or other complex/regulated data domains is preferred

- Experience using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) to accelerate development while maintaining quality is encouraged

COMPENSATION

This rolepays $170,000 to $190,000 per year, based on experience, in addition to stock options.

Anticipated role close date: 7/28/2026

H1 OFFERS

- Full suite of health insurance options, in addition to generous paid time off

- Pre-planned company-wide wellness holidays

- Retirement options

- Health & charitable donation stipends

- Impactful Business Resource Groups

- Flexible work hours & the opportunity to work from anywhere

- The opportunity to work with leading biotech and life sciences companies in an innovative industry with a mission to improve healthcare around the globe

About H1

H1 Inc. is an American healthcare data technology company headquartered in New York City that provides services globally. The company's database is used by healthcare and pharmaceutical companies and related organizations to identify healthcare professionals to partner with on research in order to accelerate development of drugs and other treatments. The company has over 400 employees worldwide and about 100 clients including pharmaceutical companies Novartis and AstraZeneca as of November 2021.
Learn more about H1

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