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Head of Data Engineering & Platform, Real-World Data (RWD)

San Carlos, CA

Head of Data Engineering & Platform, Real-World Data (RWD)

POSITION SUMMARY

Natera is seeking a leader to head Data Engineering and Platform for Real-World Data (RWD). This role will in partnership with Product drive the strategy and roadmap for the RWD platform and lead the development, operation, and delivery of data products that support clinical, research, and business priorities. The ideal candidate brings strong engineering leadership, deep technical expertise, and experience building reliable, scalable data platforms in healthcare or life sciences environments.

This leader will oversee a team focused on data engineering, data platform development, and data delivery, and will partner closely with product, bioinformatics, analytics, and AI teams to build data solutions that are useful, reliable, and easy to consume across the organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Lead, mentor, and grow a team of data engineers and SQA, with a focus on strong engineering practices, career development, and operational ownership.

  • Define and drive the strategy and roadmap for the Real-World Data platform, including capabilities that support research and analytics, rapid data mart development, and secure data de-identification and sharing.

  • Partner with product, bioinformatics, analytics, AI, software engineering, and infrastructure teams to define requirements, priorities, data contracts, and delivery models, and translate them into scalable platforms, production-grade pipelines, and reusable data products for clinical, molecular, genomic, and real-world data.

  • Lead the delivery of curated datasets, data marts, and consumer-facing data solutions, defining data SLAs and service expectations to ensure products are reliable, timely, well-documented, and fit for downstream use.

  • Provide technical leadership across data platform architecture, system design, and engineering practices, including data quality, validation, metadata, lineage, observability, testing, and operational support.

  • Drive execution across the team through planning, prioritization, estimation, hiring, and delivery management, while balancing long-term platform investments with near-term business needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Bioinformatics, or a related technical field; advanced degree is a plus.

  • 8+ years of experience in software engineering or data engineering, including substantial experience building production-grade data platforms, pipelines, and data products, along with 4+ years of engineering leadership experience.

  • Strong hands-on expertise in Python, SQL, and modern data engineering practices, including pipeline development, data modeling, workflow orchestration, testing, code reviews, and agile delivery.

  • Deep experience designing and operating scalable, secure, and observable data platforms in cloud environments, with AWS strongly preferred.

  • Experience with modern data warehouse and query technologies such as Snowflake, Redshift, PostgreSQL, Athena, or similar platforms, along with strong knowledge of relational and analytical data systems.

  • Experience working with healthcare, clinical, genomic, or real-world data domains, including environments requiring strong governance, de-identification, and secure handling of sensitive data.

  • Experience building and operating data platforms with strong DevOps and operational practices, including CI/CD, observability, infrastructure automation, production support, and secure access patterns.

  • Proven ability to lead and develop strong teams while remaining technically credible, with strong communication, collaboration, and execution skills.

  • Experience partnering with research, bioinformatics, scientific, or analytical users to understand workflow needs and deliver effective data products and platform capabilities is strongly preferred.

  • Hands-on experience with bioinformatics pipelines, molecular and clinical data, and healthcare data models such as FHIR or OMOP is strongly preferred.

#LI-DNI

Compensation & Total Rewards 

This range reflects a good-faith estimate of the base pay we reasonably expect to offer at the time of  hire. Final compensation will vary based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity considerations.

This position is also eligible for additional compensation and benefits through Natera’s robust Total Rewards program, including:

  • Annual performance incentive bonus

  • Long-term equity awards

  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision)

  • 401(k) with company match

  • Generous paid time off and company holidays

  • Additional wellness and work-life benefits

Compensation Range

$154,100 - $192,600 USD

OUR OPPORTUNITY

Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you’ll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

WHAT WE OFFER

Competitive Benefits - Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more. We also offer a generous employee referral program!

For more information, visit www.natera.com.

Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace environment, and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents. 

Link: https://www.natera.com/notice-of-data-collection-california-residents/

Please be advised that Natera will reach out to candidates with a @natera.com email domain ONLY. Email communications from all other domain names are not from Natera or its employees and are fraudulent. Natera does not request interviews via text messages and does not ask for personal information until a candidate has engaged with the company and has spoken to a recruiter and the hiring team. Natera takes cyber crimes seriously, and will collaborate with law enforcement authorities to prosecute any related cyber crimes.

For more information:
- BBB announcement on job scams 
- FBI Cyber Crime resource page 

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