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Data Engineer - Tool Abstraction

Rockville, MD

(ID: 2025-0413)


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 - Tool Abstraction to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the National Center for Advancing Translation Sciences (NCATS) 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)

Key Responsibilities: 

Design and Automation of Data Pipelines: 

  • Build and maintain scalable and efficient data pipelines for clinical and research datasets. 

  • Automate the extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes to ensure timely and reliable data delivery, while optimizing workflows for downstream analysis.

Data Ingestion, Standardization, and Harmonization: 

  • Ingest large-scale datasets from diverse clinical and research sources. 

  • Collaborate with data science teams to harmonize data across systems

  • Implement best practices for cleaning and standardizing data to enable consistent analytics.

Standards Compliance and Modeling: 

  • Ensure datasets meet healthcare and research compliance requirements by aligning data with established Common Data Models such as CDISC and OMOP. 

  • Work closely with clinical data teams to maintain integrity and usability of standardized datasets.

Workflow Development and Reproducibility: 

  • Develop, optimize, and automate workflows using tools like Snakemake or Nextflow. 

  • Containerize pipelines using Docker to support reproducibility and scalability across research and production environments.

  • Promote continuous integration and deployment within data workflows.

Collaboration and Documentation: 

  • Work closely with multidisciplinary teams including data scientists, biostatisticians, and software engineers to align data infrastructure with project needs. 

  • Maintain comprehensive documentation of pipeline architectures and workflow logic to ensure clarity, transparency, and reproducibility.

Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Data Engineering, Bioinformatics, or a related field, with 5+ years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree with 2-3 years of experience.

  • Proven ability to design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and automate ETL processes.

  • Hands-on experience working with clinical or research data and familiarity with healthcare data standards and Common Data Models (e.g., CDISC, OMOP).

  • Familiarity with big data frameworks like Apache Spark or Hadoop.

  • Strong skills in Python, SQL, and shell scripting (e.g., Bash).

  • Experience using Docker to containerize data workflows for reproducibility and scalability.

  • Proficiency with version control systems like Git and continuous integration practices.

Preferred:

  • Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure) for large-scale data processing.

  • Proficiency with workflow management systems such as Snakemake, Nextflow, or similar tools.

 

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.

#INDPSD

Salary Range

$115,000 - $155,000 USD

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