[Hiring] Data Engineer @CDC Foundation

Role Description

The Data Engineer will play a key role in advancing the CDC Foundation's mission by designing, building, and maintaining data infrastructure for a public health organization. This position supports the Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI), a federally funded CDC Foundation program dedicated to helping public health agencies accelerate information system improvements through technology and data expertise.

Working within the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health (CNDH), Division of Public Health, the Data Engineer will collaborate in planning and developing solutions for interoperable data generation, storage, processing, and analysis across systems supporting tribal public health operations. The role will partner closely with:

• Data content experts
• Analysts
• Data scientists
• Data modelers
• Data warehouse architects
• IT professionals
• Other organizational staff

In addition to technical responsibilities, the Data Engineer will provide training and mentorship to Division of Public Health staff to support capacity building and promote long-term system sustainability.

The Data Engineer will be employed by the CDC Foundation and assigned to the CNDH Division of Public Health. This position is eligible for a fully remote work arrangement for candidates based in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain data systems and pipelines that support the efficient and reliable ingestion, processing, transformation, and storage of data.
• Collect data from multiple sources; cleanse, transform, and validate data to ensure accuracy, consistency, and integrity before loading into data storage platforms and data warehouses.
• Optimize data pipelines, infrastructure, and workflows to improve performance, efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
• Monitor data pipelines and platforms for performance issues, errors, and anomalies, implementing corrective actions as needed.
• Implement and maintain appropriate security controls and data governance practices to protect sensitive and confidential information.
• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and business partners to understand data requirements and ensure data infrastructure supports organizational goals and objectives.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and design scalable, sustainable data solutions that meet business and public health needs.
• Develop, implement, and maintain ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of organizational data.
• Design and manage data storage solutions, including relational databases, NoSQL databases, and enterprise data warehouses.
• Stay current on industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in data engineering, incorporating innovative solutions into the organization's data ecosystem.
• Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and support to staff and project team members.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all organizational levels to gather requirements, provide project updates, and present technical solutions and findings.
• Travel domestically up to 10% as needed to support project and partner engagement activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in data engineering, data architecture, or a related field.
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in data engineering, including Python, R, Java, Scala, and SQL.
• Demonstrated ability to develop scalable data automation solutions within established frameworks rather than relying on one-time scripting approaches.
• Experience with big data technologies and frameworks, such as Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, and Flink.
• Strong knowledge of database systems, including relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra).
• Experience working with large-scale or national datasets; experience with Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems preferred.
• Experience using data visualization tools, including Power BI.
• Knowledge of software engineering best practices, including source control, automated testing, continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), code review, and change management.
• Strong understanding of data warehousing concepts, methodologies, and technologies.
• Experience working with cloud computing platforms and cloud-native data solutions.
• Expertise in data modeling, ETL development, data integration, and data lifecycle management.
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies, software design patterns, and modern development best practices.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to adapt to evolving priorities, deadlines, and project requirements.
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills, with a demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders.
• Experience working with tribal nations and tribal data sovereignty principles preferred.
• Experience collaborating in remote and virtual work environments with geographically dispersed teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Special Notes

• This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law.
• The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.
• Relocation expenses are not included.