Data Engineer, Libin Precision Medicine

at  The University of Calgary

Description
The Libin Cardiovascular Institute in the Cumming School of Medicine invites applications for a Data Engineer. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 1 year (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.
The Precision Medicine Initiative is a flagship program of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute and plays a vital role in the growth of the Institute. With foundational aims to enhance cardiovascular care through patient-contextualized clinical decision support, the Libin Precision Medicine Initiative is focused on enhancing cardiovascular data access to all stakeholders and strategic partners to catalyze research and innovation in data-driven care.
Reporting to the Associate Director, Precision Medicine Initiative of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, the role of Data Engineer is dynamic with a broad scope. The position requires independent work, advanced decision-making skills, superior time management and organization skills, an ability to collaborate effectively with other departments, and capacity to supervise other team members. A high degree of complexity with a significant volume of work and competing priorities should be expected, requiring the navigation of needs across a diversity of stakeholders. Stakeholders include researchers, clients, and vendors both internal and external to the university.
The Data Engineer will manage the ongoing development and daily operational needs of the LPMI data pipeline, including the evaluation and maintenance of essential infrastructure and the solving of complex problems to enhance a broad and comprehensive data ecosystem. The Data Engineer will work closely with leadership and staff of the Precision Medicine Initiative, senior AHS analysts, vendors, and University specialists in computing services, IT, privacy, and other key stakeholders, as needed.
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Data Pipeline Implementation and Expansion:

• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts and stakeholders at UCalgary, Alberta Health Services and other healthcare centers to establish analytical data pipelines and operational databases
• Implement, evaluate, and monitor new data extraction, transformation, and loading processes in production, leveraging hybrid on-prem servers and cloud service providers
• Coordinate technical processes to incorporate net new research data from flagship LPMI projects to the data pipeline, including linkages with both structured electronic medical record and imaging data resources, in collaboration with the LPMI Research Manager and AHS Sr Data Analyst
• Work closely with members of the Precision Medicine team and Personalized Diagnostics Program to ensure alignment across the Libin cardiac data ecosystem
• Mentor and supervise junior technical staff, delegating appropriate tasks as part of the operational needs of the LPMI data pipeline
• Work closely with established partners and collaborators to align processes and share insights to contribute to the broader data ecosystem at the Cumming School of Medicine and across the province
• Use sophisticated analytical thought to exercise judgment and identify innovative solutions to technical problems
• Engage with expert stakeholders on problems that span across departments and institutions
• Author technical software requirement documentation for developed data pipelines, data warehouses, and data interfaces including standard queries and APIs

Project Management:

• Maintain documentation of the processes, pathways, policies, and procedures relevant to the ongoing development and implementation of the LPMI academic data infrastructure
• Provide technical expertise for data requests from Libin researchers and collaborators
• Provide technical and project expertise in consultation, collaboration, and contract negotiations with vendors
• Establish, implement, track and report on project progress and successes
• Track timelines and deliverables, with regular reporting to leadership of the Initiative and Institute as needed
• Lead or participate in full scope project management, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing.

Leadership:

• In collaboration with leadership of the Precision Medicine Initiative, contribute to the strategic plans of the Initiative and provide a lead role in the ongoing operationalization of the evolving vision for the academic arm of the data pipeline
• Lead an established Technical Advisory Group to report on LPMI technical progress and obtain feedback from relevant leaders and key stakeholders from academic and health system networks
• Leverage data controls in collaboration with experts at Alberta Health Services to ensure patient privacy, security, and regulatory compliance requirements are met
• Provide technical expertise in related matters for the Precision Medicine Initiative in collaboration with colleagues of partnered teams
• Participate in relevant groups, meetings and consultations as needed across the University and AHS environment to align data access, governance, and data optimization strategies

Communication:

• Maintain code repositories and thorough documentation for development, test and deployment activities, following modern DevOps best practices
• Develop and maintain robust written documentation of data pipeline infrastructure, inventory, code libraries, and all necessary records with version control using established organizational strategies, developing new record and documentation systems as needed
• Contribute content and lay-language descriptions of data pipelines, inventory, and technical infrastructure as needed for internal and external uses, such as project reporting, data user guidelines, public communications, etc.
• Ability to communicate and summarize a variety of complex issues and results effectively to all levels of leadership, collaborators, researchers, public audiences, and other stakeholders as required

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS:

• Completion of a Post-secondary degree/diploma in computer engineering, computer science, data science or related discipline
• Minimum 5-7 years related experience required
• A combination of education and experience may be considered
• Requires high level of expertise in data engineering, data infrastructure concepts, programming, or related knowledge
• Knowledge of health research data, specifically cardiac, is highly desired with experience in the academic setting
• Experience in ETL implementations, SQL query statements and APIs
• Experience with object-oriented programming languages, primarily Python
• Experience working with REST APIs and AWS or similar cloud service providers
• Ability to conduct assessments, identify deliverables, gaps, and inconsistencies, and articulate recommendations to leadership of the Precision Medicine Initiative and collaborating teams
• Expert communication including the ability to provide data-driven insights and technical implementation details; ability to adjust communication style to the knowledge level and context of a wide variety of stakeholders
• Interprets internal/external challenges and recommends best practices to improve processes or services
• Provides advice to Libin leaders and membership based on in-depth knowledge and expertise related to their area of work
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborations with staff, leadership, and experts across departments, the University, and external partners, such as Alberta Health Services as well as contractors and vendors
• A high level of flexibility and ability to adapt to changing workloads and priorities is required
• Must be able to work collaboratively with diverse staff and stakeholders and bring a positive and creative approach to problem-solving
• Must maintain and respect the confidential nature of the work
• Able to learn quickly and work independently with minimal supervision
  Application Deadline: February 6, 2025
  We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
  This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Technical Job Family, Phase 3.
  For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

Please refer the Job description for details