Lead Data Engineer

About USDM USDM Life Sciences is a premier consulting company with 20+ years of experience assisting heavily regulated biotech, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies with their GxP technologies to accelerate growth. Our deep domain knowledge and technology expertise in life sciences business processes are what set us apart. From strategy to implementation and adoption, we have delivered thousands of GxP projects globally. As part of the USDM team, you have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies through our many partnerships with companies like Microsoft, Google, Oracle, DocuSign, Box, and many more. From molecule to market, you will help connect technology, people, and data in new ways to generate real-time insights to improve business outcomes for USDM’s clients. Are you ready to make an impact and drive real digital transformation in life sciences? Founded in Santa Barbara in 1999, USDM has grown to a progressive, global company with 300+ remote employees and offices throughout the US, Canada, and Germany. Nature and Scope of Job We are seeking a Lead Data Engineer to build and operate enterprise-grade data pipelines using Microsoft Azure as the orchestration layer and Snowflake as the enterprise data lake/warehouse. This role focuses on reliable ETL/ELT, push/pull data integration patterns, and scalable platform engineering in a GxP / validated environment. Primary Responsibilities • The Lead Data Engineer will be responsible for developing and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines for ingesting data from various sources into our data warehouse. • Design and build batch and incremental data pipelines using Azure-native orchestration services to move data into and out of Snowflake. • Support push and pull architectures across files, APIs, enterprise applications, and external partners. • Develop curated, consumption-ready datasets in Snowflake using standardized, reusable patterns. • Implement data quality, and reconciliation controls within pipelines. • Follow CI/CD and controlled deployment practices across Dev / QA / Prod environments. • Ensure solutions meet GxP expectations for data integrity, traceability, auditability, and change control. • Partner with Quality, Validation, and platform teams to support compliance and audit readiness. • Data Catalog, Metadata & Governance Enablement: • Publish and maintain data assets, schemas, and lineage in the enterprise data catalog. • Partner with Data Governance and Business teams to support certified datasets, ownership, and usage transparency. • Work with an end-to-end ownership mindset, innovate and drive initiatives through completion. • Optimize data storage and retrieval to ensure efficient performance and scalability. • Collaborate with data architects, data analysts and data scientists to understand their data needs and ensure that the data infrastructure supports their requirements. • Ensure data quality and integrity through data validation and testing. • Implement and maintain security protocols to protect sensitive data. • Stay up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies in data engineering and analytic. • Community lead to enable adoption of data and technology strategy. • Knowledgeable in evolving trends in Data platforms and Product based implementation. • Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with minimal oversight. • Prior experience working in an Agile/Product based environment Additional Responsibilities • Performs other related duties and assignments as required Qualifications • 7-10 years of hands-on data engineering experience. • Total 15+ years of IT experience • Strong experience with Microsoft Azure orchestration/integration services. • Strong experience working with Snowflake as a data lake/warehouse. • Proven experience with ETL/ELT and push/pull integration patterns. • Experience operating in regulated or validated (GxP) environments. • Strong SQL and data engineering fundamentals. • Experience with enterprise data platforms and multi-domain data architectures. • Familiarity with CI/CD, role-based access control, and secure data sharing. • Experience in Data Catalog tools and implementation • Preferred -Experience integrating ERP, manufacturing, or regulated systems. IT Skills Technical Skills • Strong programming skills (Python, SQL; Java/Scala a plus) • Experience with data warehousing and lakehouse architectures • Hands-on experience with ETL/ELT tools and orchestration frameworks • Proficiency with relational and non-relational databases • Strong understanding of data modeling, normalization, and performance tuning Cloud & Tools (examples) • Cloud data platforms (e.g., Azure Synapse, Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift) • Data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark) • Orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow) • Version control and CI/CD practices Education & Certifications • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field (Master’s preferred) Working Conditions The working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential responsibilities and functions of the job and are not meant to be all-inclusive. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential responsibilities and functions of the job. Unless reasonable accommodations can be made, while performing this job the staff member shall: • Prolonged periods of sitting or standing at a desk and working on a computer in an environmentally controlled home office environment. • Operate other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, scanner, or printer. • Frequently communicate with stakeholders via telephone, email, or instant message. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. Equal Opportunity Statement USDM Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Disclaimer This job description is intended to describe the general nature and the level of the work being performed by the people assigned to this position. It is not intended to include every job duty and responsibility specific to the position. USDM Life Sciences reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary. Compensation Salary/Hourly Rate Range (W2): USD 75.00 - 85.00 The base salary/hourly rate range represents the anticipated low and high end of the USDM’s compensation range for this position. Actual salaries/hourly rates will vary and will be based on various factors, such as the candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. The compensation described above is subject to change and could be higher or lower than the range described based on market survey data or budget. Full-time employees are eligible for health, vision, and dental insurance, life insurance, short and long-term disability, hospital indemnity, accident, and critical care coverage. Both full and part-time employees, who are at least 21 years of age, are eligible to participate in USDM's 401k plan. Full and part-time employees may be eligible for paid time off. All employees are eligible for USDM's rewards and recognition program. For more details about our benefits, visit us here: https://usdm.com/careers