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Data Engineer

Rockville, MD

(ID: 2025-0104)


Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Axle is seeking a Data Engineer to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the National Cancer Institute (NCI) located in Rockville, MD.

 

Benefits We Offer:

  • 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
  • Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
  • 401K match up to 5%
  • Educational Benefits for Career Growth
  • Employee Referral Bonus
  • Flexible Spending Accounts:
    • Healthcare (FSA)
    • Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
    • Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
    • Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

 

We are seeking a Data Engineer with a focus on Palantir Foundry to support biomedical science and data analysis projects. In this role, you will build and optimize data pipelines within the Palantir Foundry environment, helping integrate and analyze complex biomedical datasets. You will collaborate closely with scientists and researchers to ensure data is accessible, well-structured, and leveraged for cutting-edge biomedical research and discovery.

Key Responsibilities

  • Data Pipeline Development: Design, build, and maintain data pipelines in Palantir Foundry to ingest, transform, and integrate diverse biomedical data sources (e.g. clinical, genomic, experimental data) for analysis.
  • Foundry Platform Utilization: Develop transformations and workflows using Foundry’s tools (Pipeline Builder, Code Workbooks, etc.) to prepare high-quality data for researchers. Leverage Foundry’s data lineage features to track data provenance and ensure reproducibility of analyses.
  • Data Modeling & Ontology: Define and manage the Foundry Ontology and object models to represent biomedical entities and relationships. Work with domain experts to map raw data to meaningful Ontology objects, enabling consistent data usage across projects.
  • Collaboration: Work closely with data scientists, bioinformaticians, and research teams to gather requirements and deliver data solutions. Translate scientific data needs into technical specifications, and ensure that data engineering output accelerates biomedical research workflows.
  • Quality & Governance: Implement data validation checks and follow best practices for data governance. Ensure data quality, integrity, and security within Foundry, including documentation of transformations and adherence to compliance policies (e.g. patient data privacy).
  • Dashboarding & Integration: Create or support interactive Foundry dashboarding solutions for researchers to visualize and explore data. When necessary, use Palantir Foundry’s APIs or tools to integrate Foundry data with external applications or public-facing web pages, enabling broader access to key insights (a plus).

Required Qualifications

  • Education & Background: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience). Proven experience as a data engineer or in a similar data-intensive role, preferably supporting analytics or research teams.
  • Data Engineering Expertise: Strong proficiency in Python and SQL for data manipulation and scripting. Hands-on experience building ETL processes or data pipelines to handle large datasets. Familiarity with big data processing (e.g. using Spark/PySpark) for scalable data transformations required.
  • Analytical Skills: Solid understanding of data modeling and database concepts. Ability to work with complex, multi-modal datasets (structured and unstructured) and optimize data workflows for performance.
  • Best Practices: Knowledge of software engineering and data engineering best practices – version control (Git), code review, testing, and documentation. Experience ensuring data quality and using data lineage or provenance tracking to audit data flow.
  • Collaboration & Communication: Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Comfortable working in an interdisciplinary environment with biomedical researchers, and capable of translating domain needs into technical solutions.
  • Domain Alignment: Interest in biomedical science and healthcare data. Ability to quickly learn domain-specific concepts and handle sensitive research data in compliance with regulatory or privacy requirements.

Preferred Qualifications (Plus Skills)

  • Palantir Foundry Experience: Hands-on experience with Palantir Foundry is a strong plus. Familiarity with Foundry components such as Ontology, Code Workbooks, Functions, Foundry Pipelines (Pipeline Builder), Foundry Dashboarding, or Object Builder will be advantageous.
  • Foundry APIs & SDKs: Knowledge of Palantir’s developer tools and APIs. Experience using Foundry’s Python SDKs/libraries (e.g. foundry-dev-tools, Foundry Transforms API, titanium-sdk) to develop pipeline code or automate tasks. Experience with PySpark in Foundry or similar big data platforms for data transformations.
  • Data Lineage & Integration: Deep understanding of Foundry’s Data Lineage capabilities and how to utilize them for impact analysis and audit trails. Experience integrating Foundry with external systems via REST APIs or building custom applications that connect to Foundry data. Experience linking Foundry outputs to public-facing web pages or external dashboards is a plus.
  • Biomedical Domain Knowledge: Previous experience in biomedical research, healthcare analytics, or pharmaceutical R&D projects. Familiarity with biomedical data standards or datasets (e.g. clinical trial data, clinical imaging, transcriptomics/genomic data, HL7/FHIR or CDISC standards) and an understanding of the scientific research process will help you excel in this role.

 

Disclaimer: The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.

The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: careers@axleinfo.com

This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.

Salary Range

$140,000 - $170,000 USD

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