Associate Director, Data Engineering

Relation; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Relation, a TechBio leader in London, seeks an Associate Director of Data Engineering to shape and scale our data platform. You will lead a cross-disciplinary team, drive end-to-end data workflows from lab to insights, and implement robust governance and security practices.

You will partner with biology, computation, and engineering to deliver scalable, reproducible pipelines and product-oriented data infrastructure that accelerates biomedical discoveries.

Qualifications

• Background in bioinformatics or data engineering within interdisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with cloud systems (AWS/GCP/Azure), Kubernetes, Nextflow and Dagster.
• Advanced programming in Python or Rust with scalable, well-tested code.
• Strong cross-functional coordination bridging wet lab, computational science and engineering.
• Good understanding of FAIR data principles and data governance.
• Knowledge of software engineering best practices and Data/Platform as a product thinking.
• Bonus experience: ISO 27001, SOC 2, or GDPR in biotech contexts.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve Relation’s unified data platform strategy with Labs, Engineering, Data Science and ML.
• Treat the data platform as a product, meeting researchers’ and engineers’ needs.
• Lead, hire, and develop a high-performing Data Engineering team.
• Manage end-to-end data flow from lab instruments to information systems.
• Optimize scientific compute pipelines for scalability and reproducibility.
• Enforce data governance and FAIR principles with automated lineage.
• Drive CI/CD, testing for ETLs, and production-grade SDKs.
• Own Relation’s data infrastructure security posture.

Skills

Bioinformatics

Data engineering

Python

Rust

Cloud computing

Kubernetes

Nextflow

Dagster

Data governance

Data/Platform as a product

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Bioinformatics or Data Engineering

Biology or Computer Science background

Tools

Nextflow

Dagster

Kubernetes

AWS

GCP

Azure

CI/CD

Job description

About Relation

Relation is a sector defining TechBio company developing transformational medicines, with technology at our core. Our ambition is to understand human biology in unprecedented ways, discovering therapies to treat some of life’s most devastating diseases. We leverage single-cell multi-omics from patient tissue, functional assays, and machine learning to drive disease understanding, from cause to cure.

We are scaling rapidly and building a team of exceptional individuals to push the boundaries of drug discovery. You will work in highly interdisciplinary teams where biology, computation, and engineering come together to solve complex problems that have not been solved before. Our state-of-the-art wet and dry labs in the heart of London are designed to accelerate this integration and translate insight into impact.

We are committed to building diverse and inclusive teams. Relation is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, or age.

By joining Relation, you will help define how medicines are discovered and deliver meaningful impact for patients.

The opportunity

Relation is offering an outstanding opportunity for an Associate Director, Data Engineering, to lead our recently established Data Platform team. As Relation grows its scientific and machine learning capabilities, we are at an inflection point and are scaling our data processing infrastructure to meet the needs of our ambitious scientific research agenda. Our Data Platform as a key enablement layer at the heart of our platform which integrates state-of-the art wet and dry labs to deliver novel biological insight and real world impact.

Day to day, you will

• Define and evolve Relation’s unified data platform strategy, in partnership with colleagues across Labs, Engineering, Data Science and Machine Learning

• Treat the data platform as a product, ensuring it reliably meets the needs of Relation’s engineers and scientists

• Lead, hire, and develop a high-performing team of Data Engineers

• Manage the end-to-end data flow from lab instruments to our information processing systems

• Optimize and oversee scientific compute pipelines using Nextflow and Seqera Platform to ensure scalability and reproducibility

• Enforce data governance standards and ensure all information assets—spanning internal wet-lab data, external R&D sources, derived data and ML artefacts—are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) with automated lineage and provenance

• Drive operational excellence through robust CI/CD, testing frameworks for ETLs, and production-grade SDKs

• Own Relation’s data infrastructure security posture

Professionally, you will have

• A background in bioinformatics or data engineering with significant experience working in high-performing, interdisciplinary technical teams.

• Familiarity with modern data orchestration and infrastructure tools, including cloud systems (AWS/GCP/Azure), Kubernetes, and orchestration frameworks such as Nextflow and Dagster.

• Advanced programming skills in at least one of Python or Rust, with a track record of shipping scalable, well-tested code in a data-intensive or scientific research environment.

• Strong cross-functional coordination skills with a proven ability to bridge the gap between the wet lab, computational science requirements, and core engineering infrastructure.

• A good understanding of data governance frameworks and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles

• Knowledge of software engineering best practices and Data/Platform as a product thinking

• Bonus experience: Exposure to relevant compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, or GDPR in a research or clinical biotech context.

Personally, you:

• Are comfortable working in a matrixed environment, balancing multiple stakeholders and contributing effectively across teams.

• Take ownership of your work, proactively seek opportunities to contribute, and enable others to do their best work.

• Communicate openly and directly, give and receive feedback constructively, and handle challenging conversations with respect.

• Actively seek out diverse perspectives, build strong working relationships, and contribute to shared goals across teams.

• Embrace challenges with openness and resilience, set high standards for yourself, and strive to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Working Style & Culture at Relation

At Relation, we operate in a matrixed, interdisciplinary environment, where impact is driven through collaboration across scientific, technical, and operational domains. We collaborate, and you will partner with colleagues across multiple teams and projects, contributing your expertise while aligning to shared company priorities. We work together and win together! The patient is waiting!

Recruitment Agencies

Please note that Relation does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Resumes should not be forwarded to our job aliases or employees. Relation will not be liable for any fees associated with unsolicited CVs.

Relation is a committed equal opportunities employer.