Lead Platform Engineer

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 190,100 - 324,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vis

Paid time off

Paid family leave

Foundation-paid retirement

Regional holidays

Employee communities

Job summary

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks a Lead Platform Engineer to architect, deliver, and evolve complex technology solutions for global staff. You will lead platform decisions, mentor engineers, and translate complex problems into actionable plans across service teams.

You will define roadmaps for Data & AI, implement governance, and drive continuous improvement with automation, security, and scalable data tooling. This role requires strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in computer science or related field or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of experience in data platforms with focus on advanced analytics, AI/ML infrastructure, data security, and automation.
• Experience with data platform architecture, processing of unstructured data, and extracting insights; health/Life sciences data experience.
• Hands-on with Databricks (Lakeflow, Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog), Docker, Kubernetes; API gateways; data cataloging and governance.
• Strong understanding of RAG architectures, embeddings, vector databases, NLP pipelines; cloud infra (Azure preferred); security, automation, and cost optimization.
• CI/CD, infrastructure as code, modern version control; programming/scripting in C#/.NET, Python, or PowerShell desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead Platform Engineer: act as a technical leader for architecture, delivery, and evolution of complex solutions.
• Provide hands-on leadership as SME and practice lead; mentor engineers; translate problems into actionable plans.
• Define and evolve multi-year Data & AI platform roadmaps aligned to security and business strategy.
• Develop design patterns for data/AI apps on EDP and manage a lightweight Data Portal for self-service data cataloging.
• Oversee large multi-team delivery with modern engineering, DevSecOps, governance, and automation practices.

Skills

Technical leadership

Data & AI platform

Cloud infrastructure

Security & governance

Education

CS degree or related field

Tools

Databricks

Azure

Terraform

Snowflake

API gateways

Docker

Kubernetes

Collibra

Unity Catalog

Job description

Overview

The Foundation is a large nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. We aim to help people live healthy, productive lives regardless of identity or circumstances. We value diversity and offer an exceptional benefits package, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contributions, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in employee communities. We strive to create an environment for employees to thrive personally and professionally.

Responsibilities

• Lead Platform Engineer: act as a technical leader responsible for architecting, delivering, and evolving complex technology solutions supporting foundation and affiliate staff worldwide. Provide independent, hands-on leadership as a subject matter expert and practice lead; mentor engineers; translate complex problems into actionable, tactical plans; partner across service teams; be accountable for outcomes.
• Technology & Architecture Leadership: define and evolve multi-year Data & AI platform roadmaps aligned to enterprise architecture, security standards, and business strategies. Understand global business needs, translate requirements into design artifacts, and implement data and AI tooling for the Enterprise Data Platform (EDP). Implement governance controls and security best practices; provide platform architectural leadership and hands-on development of frameworks; guide build vs. buy decisions and ensure alignment with enterprise direction.
• Solution Delivery & Continuous Improvement: develop design patterns for data and AI applications on EDP, manage a lightweight Data Portal for self-service data cataloging and data sharing; hands-on execution; oversee large multi-team delivery efforts with modern engineering and DevSecOps practices; conduct architectural reviews; champion automation, governance, observability, and operational excellence; pilot emerging technologies and guide their adoption; drive continuous improvement of engineering practices.
• Service & Portfolio Strategy: partner with service managers and product owners to shape service roadmaps and investment priorities; translate complex system challenges into actionable plans to improve sustainability, lifecycle health, and user experience; contribute to annual planning and resource considerations; align technology with business strategy.
• Leadership, Influence & Collaboration: serve as a practice lead and mentor; build strong relationships across IT, Business Operations, and programmatic teams; lead cross-functional architecture discussions; communicate complex concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences; represent IT in governance forums and cross-team initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in computer science or related field or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of experience in data platforms with focus on advanced analytics, AI/ML infrastructure, data security, and automation.
• Experience with data platform architecture, processing of unstructured data, and extracting insights; experience with health and life sciences data; proficiency with Databricks, Azure (Data Lake, Azure ML, Event Hubs), Terraform, Snowflake (Cortex, data sharing), and API-driven data platforms.
• Hands-on experience with Databricks (Lakeflow, Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog), Docker, Kubernetes; API gateways; data cataloging and governance (Collibra); data sharing with internal/external users.
• Strong understanding of RAG architectures, embeddings, vector databases, document processing/NLP pipelines (OCR, entity extraction, classification); cloud infrastructure (Azure preferred), networking, security, automation, and cost optimization.
• CI/CD, infrastructure as code, modern version control; programming/scripting in C#/.NET, Python, or PowerShell is desirable.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills; unrestricted work authorization in the country of employment; no immigration sponsorship is provided.

Salary & Location

The salary range for this role is $190,100 to $294,700 USD. In Seattle and Washington DC offices, the range is $209,100 to $324,100 USD. New hires typically fall within the range minimum to midpoint based on skills and experience.

Hiring Requirements & Inclusion

Employment is contingent upon successful background check. We provide accommodations for candidates with disabilities. We are committed to inclusion and equal opportunity regardless of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, or prior protected activity. The foundation is based in Seattle, Washington, led by CEO Mark Suzman, with Bill Gates and a governing board.