Data Engineer

Position Highlights

Position Title: Data Engineer

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Location: Remote; must be based in the United States. Up to 10% domestic travel may be required.

Salary Range: $103,500 - $143,500 annually, plus benefits. Individual salary offers will be based on experience and qualifications unique to each candidate.

Position Type: Grant-funded, limited-term opportunity

Position End Date: June 30, 2027

Overview

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, and other organizational staff to design and implement scalable, sustainable solutions that meet agency needs.

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.

• Other duties as assigned.

Special Notes

This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by the CDC Foundation to best support the public health programming.

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. We comply with all applicable laws, including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.

The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment 

Relocation expenses are not included 

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners to support the public health system, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in preventing and responding to threats to health. In this role, we are focused on one priority: building catalytic, flexible and impactful partnerships—with corporations, philanthropies, individuals and organizations—to help improve the health and lives of people in all communities, everywhere. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information