Associate Director Data Engineer

AstraZeneca; Barcelona; Híbrido; EUR 80.000 - 110.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A global biopharmaceutical company in Barcelona is looking for an Associate Director of Data Engineering to lead efforts in data architecture, modeling, and warehousing. The ideal candidate will drive scientific decision-making by building scalable data solutions. Required skills include strong Python expertise and experience with data platforms, while familiarity with AWS and SQL is essential. The role promotes collaboration while embracing hybrid working, allowing flexibility in the office and remote work.

Servicios

Flexible work arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Inclusive culture

Formación

• Strong Python expertise with familiarity in Java or C++.
• Proven experience architecting and building data platforms at scale.
• Experience with dimensional modeling and warehouse technologies.

Responsabilidades

• Design, implement, and operate scalable data platforms.
• Build ingestion frameworks for structured and unstructured data.
• Establish standards for data quality and compliance.

Conocimientos

Python expertise

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Educación

Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Herramientas

SQL

NoSQL systems

AWS

Terraform

Descripción del empleo

Overview

AstraZeneca is transforming into an AI- and data-led enterprise. Within R&D, the Predictive AI & Data team turns complex information into practical, life-changing insights that improve patient outcomes. We invent, build, and deliver novel solutions alongside leading experts, leveraging cutting-edge techniques in data, AI, and machine learning. We work inclusively across diverse disciplines and partners, aligning to business needs and delivering measurable value.

We are seeking a hands-on Associate Director of Data Engineering to lead data architecture, modeling, warehousing, and platform engineering that accelerates scientific decision-making across Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Science (CPSS). You will design and deliver scalable, FAIR-aligned data solutions on enterprise infrastructure, driving positive, disruptive transformation toward AstraZeneca’s Bold Ambition for 2030. This role partners closely with R&D IT and DS&AI and collaborates globally with colleagues in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

What You’ll Do

• Data platform architecture: Design, implement, and operate robust, secure, and scalable data platforms and services that enable discovery, access, and reuse (FAIR), with clear SLOs for reliability and performance.

• Modeling and warehousing: Define canonical data models, dimensional schemas, and lakehouse/warehouse layers; implement semantic modeling; optimize storage, compute, and query performance.

• Data integration: Build and harden ingestion frameworks for structured and unstructured data; standardize metadata, lineage, and cataloging; ensure interoperability across domains.

• Governance and quality: Establish and enforce standards for data quality, access control, retention, and compliance; implement monitoring, observability, and automated data quality checks.

• Infrastructure engineering: Operate solutions across Unix/Linux HPC and cloud (AWS preferred), leveraging infrastructure-as-code to ensure reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency.

• Collaboration: Translate scientific and business requirements into well-architected designs; co-create solutions with CPSS stakeholders, R&D IT, and DS&AI; set technical direction and roadmap.

• Engineering excellence: Apply software engineering best practices (version control, CI/CD, automated testing, design patterns, code review) to deliver maintainable, resilient systems.

• Enablement: Produce high-quality documentation, reusable components, and guidance; mentor engineers and uplift data engineering practices across teams.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent industry experience.

• Programming: Strong Python expertise; familiarity with Java or C++; ability to write clean, testable, performant code.

• Platform architecture: Proven experience architecting and building data platforms and data-driven solutions at scale.

• Software engineering: Track record delivering production-grade systems in data, AI, or scientific domains; proficiency with Git, CI/CD, automated testing, design patterns, and DevOps/SRE practices.

• Data modeling and warehousing: Experience with dimensional modeling, semantic layers, and warehouse/lakehouse technologies (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, TileDB).

• Databases: Hands-on experience with SQL and NoSQL systems, query optimization, and performance tuning.

• Compute environments: Practical experience with Unix/Linux HPC and cloud platforms (AWS preferred), including infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform/CloudFormation).

• Translation of needs: Ability to convert scientific/business requirements into robust technical solutions with measurable outcomes.

• Technical leadership: Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end delivery, setting engineering standards, and guiding teams while remaining hands-on.

• Core skills: Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and critical-thinking capabilities; attention to detail; strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Generative and agentic AI: Exposure to LLM-enabled data services or agentic workflows.

• Data processing and integration: Experience integrating structured and unstructured data at scale; familiarity with streaming and batch patterns.

• Life sciences: Experience with clinical or pre-clinical drug discovery, imaging and bioinformatics data; understanding of domain ontologies and scientific data standards.

• Governance and compliance: Experience with data governance, privacy, security-by-design, and relevant regulatory frameworks.

Ways of Working

We value in-person collaboration to accelerate learning and decision-making. We typically work a minimum of three days per week from the office while balancing flexibility for individual needs.

Why AstraZeneca

We follow the science to explore and innovate, fusing data and technology with the latest scientific advances to achieve the next wave of breakthroughs. We listen and learn from people living with the diseases we treat to better understand needs and design the right interventions. If your passion is science and impact on patients’ lives, this is the place to build a career that matters.

Ready to make an impact? Apply now and join us in shaping the future of data architecture and infrastructure at AstraZeneca.

Date Posted 27-ene-2026

Closing Date 09-feb-2026

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.