Principal Engineer, Data Platforms

Work set-up: 
Full Remote
Contract: 
Full time
Experience: 
Senior (5-10 years)
Work from: 
Anywhere

Offer summary

Qualifications:

Proven experience in enterprise and data architecture, especially with distributed systems and cloud-native design., Deep expertise in technologies like Kafka, Spark/Flink, Iceberg/Delta, and columnar data warehouses., Strong understanding of microservices, event-driven architecture, and DevOps practices., Exceptional communication and leadership skills to influence technical and executive teams..

Key responsibilities:

  • Define and communicate the enterprise architecture vision and roadmap.
  • Design and operate scalable, low-latency data platforms across multiple cloud regions.
  • Lead ML productization efforts including feature stores and real-time inference.
  • Provide technical mentorship and guide stakeholders with strategic architectural recommendations.

Speridian Technologies logo
Speridian Technologies
See all jobs

Job description

Speridian Technologies is recruiting for a Principal Engineer, Data Platforms, for our State of California Client, the Department of Healthcare Services, Behavioral Health. This person will be part of a long-term, fully budgeted, state-of-the-art, extremely vast technical modernization project working with a variety of cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

This is a remote role; however, there will be meetings in the Sacramento area several times a year.  Candidates are expected to work business hours, Monday-Friday, Pacific Time Zone.
Join DHCS’s Behavioral Health Transformation: Where Purpose Meets Innovation
Location: Remote
Department: Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS)
Commitment: Full-Time Consultant (W2 employee of Speridian or 1099/IC for Speridian) 

Why DHCS?
At DHCS we are leading a transformative journey in Behavioral Health, reshaping systems and services to ensure better outcomes for communities across California. Our Behavioral Health transformation initiative is more than a project—it’s a movement to make California a leader in accessible, high-quality health services. We’re setting the stage for a new era of government services built on agile methodologies, cutting-edge technology, continuous improvement, and a relentless commitment to serving the public good.
At DHCS, we’re looking for innovators who are passionate about purposeful work and excited by the opportunity to drive lasting change through innovative solutions.

Our Core Values (Achieve Together, Be Curious, Elevate Yourself, and Deliver Value)
  • We achieve together by championing a team-oriented workplace built on mutual respect, collaboration, and open communication.  
  • We encourage individuals and teams to constantly be curious and seek a deeper understanding and fresh ideas that drive innovation and meaningful change.
  • We provide a supportive workplace where you can elevate yourself and achieve personal growth through continuous learning, focused effort, and perseverance.
  • We deliver value as part of every action we take to serve California’s citizens.

We work within government, for government—but we don’t work like government.
We’re agile in practice and philosophy.
We’re purpose-driven and outcome-obsessed.
We’re modernizing behavioral health technology in California—including addressing overdose, suicide, and the crises that leave people on the streets.
We’re honest about the challenges—state government is bureaucratic, and we can't match most tech salaries. But here’s what we can offer:
Purpose that matters
Teammates who care deeply
Work-life balance (no nights, weekends, or burnout)
Fully remote work
We're not just changing systems—we're changing how government works

Overview/Description
The Principal Engineer plays a strategic and hands-on leadership role in shaping the organization's architecture vision, with a strong emphasis on scalable data platforms and enterprise-wide technology alignment. This role bridges business strategy with technical execution, ensuring that architectural decisions support long-term innovation, agility, and operational excellence. Working closely with teams on collaboration and knowledge sharing initiatives, thereby creating a positive and engaging work environment where team members feel valued and motivated.

Responsibilities:
Enterprise Strategy
  • Define and communicate the enterprise architecture vision and roadmap aligned with business goals.
  • Drive standardization, interoperability, and modernization across systems and platforms.
  • Lead architecture governance processes, including architecture review boards and compliance standards.
Data Platform Leadership
  • Design and operate scalable, low-latency data platforms with strict uptime SLOs.
  • Architect cross-region, multi-cloud data solutions (AWS, GCP, Azure) with seamless mobility and replication.
  • Lead ML productization efforts including feature stores, online inference, and real-time feedback loops.
Technical Mentorship & Influence
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership, mentoring development teams and growing Staff-level engineers.
  • Guide VP/C-suite stakeholders with business-first architecture narratives and strategic recommendations.
  • Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Cloud-Native & DevOps Architecture
  • Define cloud-native architecture strategies and automation practices using DevOps and Platform-as-a-Product approaches.
  • Build reference implementations and prototypes to validate architectural patterns.
Enterprise Integration & Governance
  • Establish integration architectures for real-time data sharing and business process automation.
  • Lead company-wide data governance automation: lineage-as-code, policy-based access control, and privacy-by-design frameworks.
Technology Evaluation & Innovation
  • Evaluate emerging technologies and contribute to open-source or internal platforms that become organizational standards.
  • Optimize technology portfolios and data systems for cost-efficiency and performance at scale.
Qualifications & Skills
Core Skills
  • Proven experience in enterprise and data architecture, with a focus on distributed systems and cloud-native design.
  • Deep expertise in technologies such as Kafka, Spark/Flink, Iceberg/Delta, and columnar data warehouses.
  • Strong understanding of microservices, SOA, event-driven architecture, and DevOps practices.
  • Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence across technical and executive levels.
  • We find intrinsic motivation to be a factor distinguishing successful candidates in this role

Tools & Technologies
  • Architecture modeling tools (e.g., ArchiMate, Enterprise Architect).
  • Collaboration platforms (e.g., Confluence, Miro, Draw.io).
  • Proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and modern data infrastructure.
  • Familiarity with data governance tools and frameworks.

Outcomes
  • Strategic Alignment: Clear linkage between business goals and technology/data strategy.
  • Scalable Systems: High-performance, resilient, and cost-optimized data platforms.
  • Empowered Teams: Skilled and mentored engineering teams delivering high-quality solutions.
  • Innovation & Governance: Standardized, compliant, and forward-looking architecture practices.

Speridian is an EEO employer

Required profile

Experience

Level of experience: Senior (5-10 years)
Spoken language(s):
English
Check out the description to know which languages are mandatory.

Hard Skills

MicroservicesCloud-Native ApplicationsDistributed ComputingData ArchitectureEvent-Driven ProgrammingPLINK (Genetic Analysis Software)Apache KafkaData Warehouse SystemsDevOpsApache IcebergApache SparkArchitectural DesignData GovernanceCollaborative Software

Other Skills

  • Communication
  • Leadership
Are you interested?

Related jobs

See more jobs