Data Engineer

UWMSN University of Wisconsin Madison; United States; Hybrid; USD 61,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin is seeking a Data Engineer I to support the MIDUS Biomarker project, handling data from multiple waves with REDCap, SPSS, Python, and related tools. The role includes data cleaning, pipeline development, and collaboration with researchers.

The Data Engineer will organize data flows, ensure quality, and assist in releasing cleaned data while providing technical support to the design team for new data collection waves. A supervisory role over student staff is included.

Qualifications

• Experience with REDCap.
• One or more years’ work experience with research projects.
• Experience with data cleaning and quality assurance.
• Experience with longitudinal databases, especially survey data.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with SPSS.

Responsibilities

• Organizes data preparation and analysis steps into reproducible pipelines for automatic processing of similar data sets.
• Prepares data sets for current and future analysis including cleaning/quality assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources.
• Develops, constructs, tests, and maintains architectures for large-scale data management and analysis.
• Implements data analysis steps in collaboration with data scientists, statisticians, and/or other researchers and may use technologies that support data at scale.
• Selects appropriate technologies and optimizes pipelines for performance.
• May supervise the day‑to‑day activities of student staff including data entry.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate work or degree in epidemiology, population health, social sciences, or information science

Tools

REDCap

Python

SQL

SPSS

Job description

Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Data Engineer I

Job Summary

The MIDUS study (Midlife in the United States) is a multi-disciplinary longitudinal study of aging conducted by the University of Wisconsin Institute on Aging. The Data Engineer will assist MIDUS Biomarker project staff in managing electronic data and other materials collected in the current wave of longitudinal data collection as well as extant Biomarker and other data obtained during 3 prior waves of MIDUS using tools including SPSS, Python, and REDCap. Biomarker project data is collected by project staff during clinical visits at two study locations in a variety of digital and analog formats. The Data Engineer receives, organizes, and quality controls this data as it is delivered by project staff and participates in cleaning it for release once a wave of data collection has concluded. This position also provides technical support to the design team as new waves of data collection are designed and implemented. In addition, this position has a supervisory role related to data entry.

Additional Information

This position can be full-time or part-time, between 75‑100% (between 30 hours a week and 40 hours a week). The final appointment percentage will be determined in collaboration between the selected candidate and the supervisor, taking into consideration departmental needs and the candidate’s preferences. Duties and responsibilities will be tailored to align with the selected candidate's appointment level. Salary will be pro‑rated based on FTE. This position requires most work to be performed in‑person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. After a trial period, with supervisor approval, an arrangement of up to one day per week of remote work may be considered. This position is expected to have a work schedule from Monday to Friday within normal business hours.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Organizes both data preparation and analysis steps into reproducible pipelines that can process similar data sets automatically
• Prepares data sets for current and future analysis including cleaning/quality assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources and may use technologies that support data at scale
• Develops, constructs, tests, and maintains architectures for large-scale data management and analysis
• Implements data analysis steps in collaboration with data scientists, statisticians, and/or other researchers and may use technologies that support data at scale
• Selects appropriate technologies and optimizes pipelines for performance
• May supervise the day‑to‑day activities of student staff including data entry

Department

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), Institute on Aging

Compensation

The minimum annual salary for this position is $68,000, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Required Qualifications

• Experience with REDCap
• One or more years’ work experience with research projects
• Experience with data cleaning and quality assurance
• Experience with longitudinal databases, especially survey data
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience with SPSS

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Python and SQL
• Good organizational skills to handle multiple priorities while remaining attentive to detail
• Experience training and supervising undergraduate student staff
• Ability to work well independently as well as part of a team

Education

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Graduate work or degree in epidemiology, population health, social sciences, or information science preferred.

Eligibility and Work Authorization

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position, you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work. The department will not be able to support a request for a J‑1 waiver. If you choose to pursue a waiver and apply for our position, neither the UW nor UWMF will reimburse you for your legal or waiver fees.

Contact Information

Angel Stampfli [e-mail]

Institutional Statement on Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

Accommodation and Background Check

To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you. Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released.