Principal Software Engineer - Java, SQL and NoSQL DBA
Overview
We're seeking a Principal Engineer to establish data architecture excellence across our engineering organization. As we transition to autonomous, stream-aligned teams, we need a hands-on data expert who can enable application teams to make sound data decisions independently.
This role works side-by-side with application engineers, not in isolation. Your peers will be full-stack and backend engineers building products. You need to understand application architecture, API design, and deployment practices - and bring deep data expertise to that context.
What You'll Do
- Work directly with application teams on data architecture for their applications and services
- Design and review data architectures and models, aligning data ownership with team domain boundaries
- Review application code and architecture with focus on data access patterns and performance
- Evaluate and recommend data storage technologies (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, NoSQL, document stores, warehouses)
- Optimize database performance: query tuning, indexing, execution plan analysis, resource management
- Guide technology selection based on read/write patterns, data volumes, and access patterns
- Define data access patterns: APIs, ORMs, event-driven architectures, replication strategies
- Establish data replication and syndication strategies (CDC, event streaming, batch processing)
- Guide data architecture for ML/LLM applications (vector databases, embeddings, RAG patterns)
- Lead zero-downtime data migrations and infrastructure modernization
- Hands-on troubleshooting and optimization of critical data systems
- Establish data quality, monitoring, and observability standards
- Lead knowledge sharing through workshops, documentation, and office hours
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years building software applications with heavy focus on data systems
- Strong application development background (full-stack, backend, or data-intensive applications)
- Deep expertise in NoSQL (MongoDB, DynamoDB, DocumentDB) and relational databases (PostgreSQL, SQL Server)
- Proven experience optimizing database performance at scale (query tuning, indexing, resource management)
- Strong data modeling and schema design skills
- Understanding of application architecture, API design, and software development practices
- Deep experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) including cost optimization
- Experience with AI/LLM-assisted development tools and agentic software engineering practices
- Track record of establishing data standards across engineering organizations
- Excellent communication skills - able to influence and educate engineers at all levels
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience as a full-stack or backend engineer with deep data focus
- Proficiency in Python, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, or C#
- AWS data services (RDS, Aurora, Redshift), Snowflake, or modern data warehouses
- Advanced data modeling (temporal models, event sourcing, complex domain modeling)
- Healthcare or EDI domain knowledge
- Experience with event-driven architectures and change data capture
- ETL/ELT tools and data pipeline orchestration
- Prior Principal/Staff Engineer experience
What We're Looking For
You come from an application development background and understand how data fits into the broader application architecture. You're hands-on and take ownership - you can architect complex data systems and roll up your sleeves to optimize them. You succeed by making others successful - you educate and empower rather than gatekeep. You speak the language of application engineers and can review their code, understand their challenges, and guide them to better data solutions. You understand trade-offs, know when to optimize for speed vs. perfection, and can influence without authority. You've run data systems in production at scale and understand what it takes to keep them performant and reliable.
Why This Role Matters
GHX Engineering is transforming toward autonomous, stream-aligned teams with independent deployment capabilities. This role is central to that vision - establishing data architecture excellence that enables teams to move fast without creating future problems. You'll define data strategy for a growing engineering organization in healthcare technology, working directly with engineering leadership on this transformation.
Estimated Salary Range for this position: $150,000 to $214,000 plus bonus
The base salary range represents the anticipated low and high end of the GHX’s salary range for this position. The base salary is one component of GHX’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards and benefits include: health, vision, and dental insurance, accident and life insurance, 401k matching, paid-time off, and education reimbursement, to name a few. To view more details of our benefits, visit us here: https://www.ghx.com/about/careers/
#LI-SR
GHX: It's the way you do business in healthcare
Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX) enables better patient care and billions in savings for the healthcare community by maximizing automation, efficiency and accuracy of business processes.
GHX is a healthcare business and data automation company, empowering healthcare organizations to enable better patient care and maximize industry savings using our world class cloud-based supply chain technology exchange platform, solutions, analytics and services. We bring together healthcare providers and manufacturers and distributors in North America and Europe - who rely on smart, secure healthcare-focused technology and comprehensive data to automate their business processes and make more informed decisions.
It is our passion and vision for a more operationally efficient healthcare supply chain, helping organizations reduce - not shift - the cost of doing business, paving the way to delivering patient care more effectively. Together we take more than a billion dollars out of the cost of delivering healthcare every year. GHX is privately owned, operates in the United States, Canada and Europe, and employs more than 1000 people worldwide. Our corporate headquarters is in Colorado, with additional offices in Europe.
Disclaimer
Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC and its North American subsidiaries (collectively, “GHX”) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any status protected by applicable law. This EEO policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including hiring, training and development, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, educational assistance, termination, layoffs, social and recreational programs, and retirement.GHX believes that employees should be provided with a working environment which enables each employee to be productive and to work to the best of his or her ability. We do not condone or tolerate an atmosphere of intimidation or harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law. GHX expects and requires the cooperation of all employees in maintaining a discrimination and harassment-free atmosphere. Improper interference with the ability of GHX’s employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.
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