Forward Deployed Data Engineer / United States

Abacus Insights; Northern (KY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off

Work from anywhere

Comprehensive health coverage

Equity for every employee

Growth‑focused environment

Home office setup allowance

Monthly cell phone allowance

Job summary

Abacus Insights is seeking a Forward Deployed Data Engineer to join client‑facing engagements, delivering governed analytics foundations for payer data. You’ll map environments, design data models, and build pipelines, frequently on Snowflake, while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to drive value.

You will travel on-site with clients, translate requirements into scalable designs, and ensure data quality across commercial and government lines of business.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering or related technical roles.
• Strong data modeling, ETL/ELT, and data pipeline design expertise.
• Proficiency in SQL and APIs; hands-on Snowflake experience preferred.
• Experience with healthcare payer data and related domains (claims, eligibility, provider).
• Familiarity with interoperability standards (FHIR/HL7/EDI) and APIs.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement data models, ETL/ELT pipelines, and integrations for analytics foundations.
• Lead on-site client work to turn fragmented payer data into governed data assets.
• Collaborate with delivery teams to ensure data models align with Abacus standards.
• Advise clients on data quality, mapping, and integration approaches across lines of business.
• Partner with healthcare SMEs and AI/product engineering to scale offerings.
• Present trade-offs and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Capture reusable patterns and contribute to playbooks for new offerings.

Skills

Data modeling

ETL/ELT

Data pipelines

SQL

APIs

Healthcare data

FHIR/HL7/EDI

Tools

Snowflake

Databricks

Spark

Cloud data services

Job description

Abacus Insights is transforming how data and AI work for health plans. Our mission is simple: make healthcare data usable, so the people responsible for care and cost decisions can act faster, with confidence.

As the AI and Data Platform for Payer Intelligence, we help health plans break down data silos to create a single, trusted data foundation. That foundation powers better decisions—so plans can improve outcomes, reduce waste, and deliver better experiences for members and providers alike. Backed by $100M from top investors, we're tackling big challenges in an industry that's ready for change. Our platform enables GenAI use cases by delivering clean, connected, and reliable healthcare data to support automation, prioritization, and decision workflows—and it's why we are leading the way.

Our innovation begins with people. We are bold, curious, and collaborative—because the best ideas come from working together. We embrace the thoughtful use of AI and automation to drive innovation and efficiency, and we look for individuals who are curious and adaptable—those excited to leverage emerging technologies to enhance how we work—while keeping human insight, connection, and our clients at the center of every decision.

Ready to make an impact? Join us and let's build the future together.

About the Role

Abacus Insights is expanding what we do for health plans, and we're looking for a Forward Deployed Data Engineer to help us do it. As we launch new and expanded service offerings, we're putting multidisciplinary teams directly alongside our clients—pairing healthcare subject matter experts, AI and product engineers, and forward-deployed data engineers, each bringing a distinct and essential skill set—to solve their hardest data challenges and deliver value faster than ever. This is a chance to be part of that build from the start.

In this role, you will be the hands‑on data engineering expert on client‑facing work. You will go on‑site with clients, dig into their environments and source systems, and design and build the data models, pipelines, and integrations that turn fragmented payer data into a governed, analytics‑ready foundation—frequently on Snowflake, where many of our clients are building. You will often step into ambiguous situations—unfamiliar systems, incomplete documentation, competing priorities—and bring the structure, technical judgment, and healthcare fluency to move forward. You will work hand in hand with our core delivery teams, preserve Abacus data‑modeling practices, and capture the patterns and lessons that help us scale these new offerings and reuse what we learn across engagements.

This role sits at the intersection of senior data engineering, client consulting, and payer data expertise.

Your day to day

• Design and implement data models, ETL/ELT pipelines, and integrations that bring client payer data into governed, analytics‑ready foundations, with a particular focus on Snowflake
• Translate business requirements into scalable technical designs, from ingestion and standardization through analytics‑ready data products
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to client data, IT, and business stakeholders, including senior leaders, and work on‑site with clients as engagements require
• Lead discovery sessions and workshops, gather requirements, and bring structure to open‑ended problems
• Communicate technical tradeoffs, risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Work with core payer datasets—claims, eligibility, member, provider, encounter, and care management data—and advise clients on data quality, mapping, and integration approaches across commercial, government, and other lines of business
• Navigate healthcare interoperability standards and exchange patterns, including FHIR, HL7, EDI, and APIs
• Partner closely with the healthcare SME, AI/product engineer, and core delivery teams on every engagement
• Preserve and apply Abacus data‑modeling standards and best practices across client work
• Capture reusable patterns, accelerators, and lessons learned, and contribute to the playbooks and practices that support our new and expanded service offerings as they grow

What you bring to the team

Technical Experience

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, solution engineering, or a related technical role
• Strong expertise in data modeling, ETL/ELT, integration, databases, data pipelines, and analytics solution design
• Proficiency in SQL, Snowflake, Databricks, Spark, cloud data services, APIs, and integration frameworks; hands‑on Snowflake experience strongly preferred, as clients build their data foundations there
• Experience with healthcare payer, government, claims, eligibility, member, provider, encounter, and care management data
• Familiarity with healthcare interoperability standards and exchange patterns, including FHIR, HL7, EDI, and APIs

Consulting and Client Engagement

• Proven ability to work directly with external clients, senior stakeholders, and ambiguous requirements
• Strong facilitation, requirements‑gathering, communication, and structured problem‑solving skills

Leadership and Personal Attributes

• T‑shaped professional with deep technical expertise, broad systems understanding, and sound business judgment
• Self‑starter with strong analytical instincts, pragmatic problem‑solving, and the ability to work on‑site with clients as needed

What we’d like to see, but not required

• Experience in a consulting, professional services, or other client‑facing delivery environment
• Snowflake or Databricks certifications
• Experience with data governance, master data management, or data quality frameworks
• Familiarity with CMS, Medicaid, or Medicare data requirements

Compensation

Compensation for this role is based on experience, skills, and location, and includes base salary plus eligibility for performance bonuses and equity grants.

What you’ll get in return

• Unlimited paid time off – recharge when you need it
• Work from anywhere – flexibility to fit your life
• Comprehensive health coverage – multiple plan options to choose from
• Equity for every employee – share in our success
• Growth‑focused environment – your development matters here
• Home office setup allowance – one‑time support to get you started
• Monthly cell phone allowance – stay connected with ease

Our Commitment as an Equal Opportunity Employer

As a mission‑led technology company helping to drive better healthcare outcomes, Abacus Insights believes that the best innovation and value we can bring to our customers comes from diverse ideas, thoughts, experiences, and perspectives. Therefore, we dedicate resources to building diverse teams and providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. Abacus prohibits discrimination and harassment regarding race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

At the heart of who we are is a commitment to continuously and intentionally building an inclusive culture—one that empowers every team member across the globe to do their best work and bring their authentic selves. We carry that same commitment into our hiring process, aiming to create an interview experience where you feel comfortable and confident showcasing your strengths. If there’s anything we can do to support that—big or small—please let us know.

AI Use in Recruitment

We use AI‑powered tools throughout our recruitment process. This includes Greenhouse's Real Talent Matching Technology, which helps prioritize applications based on job‑related criteria, as well as additional AI tools used to support sourcing, interview preparation, and other recruiting tasks. We do not remove the human element—our recruiters and hiring teams review all applications and make all decisions related to candidate progression and hiring, regardless of which tools are used to support that process.

Identity and Location Verification

To protect the integrity of our hiring process, all interviews are conducted by live video with your camera on. Virtual or blurred backgrounds and headsets are not permitted absent an approved accommodation, and you should be in a well‑lit, private space where your face and surroundings are clearly visible. Candidates who advance may also be asked to complete identity and location verification, which may include verifying your identity, work history, and confirming that you are located where your application states. Applications containing knowingly false or materially misrepresented information, including identity, location, or credentials, may be disqualified, and any offer may be rescinded if a material misrepresentation is discovered at any point in the process.

I f you need an accommodation for any part of the interview process, please let your recruiter know in advance.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Abacus Insights’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

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We use AI‑powered tools throughout our recruitment process. This includes Greenhouse's Real Talent Matching Technology, which helps prioritize applications based on job‑related criteria, as well as additional AI tools used to support sourcing, interview preparation, and other recruiting tasks. We do not remove the human element—our recruiters and hiring teams review all applications and make all decisions related to candidate progression and hiring, regardless of which tools are used to support that process.