Overview
The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.
The mission of the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics is to answer fundamental questions about brain function. Specifically, how does our brain build our understanding of the complex world around us to guide the flexible behaviors that address our biological needs? The answers will be in terms of defined neuron types interacting across the whole brain and body, requiring us to develop next-generation neurotechnologies and employ a team-based approach for discovery neuroscience. Knowledge, data, and tools will be widely shared, in part to support the development of therapies for brain disorders.
We are seeking a skilled data engineer to design and operate a modern, cloud-first data platform that enables multiple scientific teams collecting peta-scale biological datasets to manage metadata, orchestrate automated computational workflows, and share data with the neuroscience community adhering to FAIR standards. The ideal candidate will be familiar with a variety of both open and proprietary modern data analytics platforms and design a sustainable architecture that will serve the long term needs of the institute.
The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role.
Essential Functions
· Collaborate with program managers, scientists and engineers to translate requirements into effective database solutions
· Manage laboratory metadata to support consistent, repeatable high throughput acquisition
· Coordinate computational processing, analysis, and machine learning workflows among both on-prem and cloud-based architectures
· Facilitate data sharing among internal and external scientific community members
· Document system architecture and present to institute leadership and stakeholders
· Collaborate with engineering and central IT teams to ensure data systems operate within the capabilities of laboratory and building infrastructure
· Monitor and ensure system health and performance
Required Education and Experience
· Bachelor’s Degree in computer science, computer engineering, or relevant field; or equivalent combination of degree and experience
· 3 years of experience in a similar role
· Experience with modern data and analytics platforms (e.g. Snowflake, BigQuery, DataBricks)
· Experience with cluster-based computing technologies (e.g. Spark, Slurm)
· Experience with cloud-based computing technologies (e.g. S3, Lambda, EMR)
Preferred Education and Experience
· 10+ years of experience in a similar role
· Experience working with tera- and peta-scale biological data
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Physical Demands
· Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
This role is currently able to work remotely due to COVID-19 and our focus on employee safety. We are a Washington State employer, and remote work must be performed in Washington State. We continue to evaluate the safest options for our employees. As restrictions are lifted in relation to COVID-19, this role will return to work in a hybrid work environment.
Additional Eligibility Qualifications
In keeping with our focus on employee safety, all employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. All employees will be required to keep their vaccination status up to date according to CDC guidance and our policy.
Additional Comments:
**Please note, this opportunity offers relocation assistance**
**Please note, this opportunity offers work visa sponsorship**
It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
