Principal AI Data Engineer & Platform Lead

Scorpion Therapeutics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Scorpion Therapeutics, based in San Francisco, seeks an Associate Director, Principal Data Engineer to lead the design and delivery of AI-enabled research platforms and scalable data pipelines. You will shape trusted LLM-driven workflows, governance, and cross-functional collaboration to accelerate bioinformatics and genomic insights.

The role requires senior technical leadership, deep cloud expertise, and hands-on skills in Python/Java with experience across Databricks, AWS, and data pipelines.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in data engineering, software engineering, scientific computing, cloud architecture, or scientific application.
• Strong hands-on Python and/or Java; scalable data pipelines, APIs/services, production-grade data.
• Experience with AI/ML-enabled scientific applications using LLMs (GPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.); RAG, knowledge search, agentic workflows, governance.
• Strong AWS experience (compute/storage/networking/security/data processing/monitoring/automation/operations).
• Experience integrating LIMS/ELN/scientific data platforms or Experimenta for capture, analysis, and quality review.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and cross-functional communication.

Responsibilities

• Build AI-enabled research workflows and agents to help scientists search, analyze, summarize, and connect Vir-generated information.
• Develop AI agents for TCE research insights, Experimenta QC/QA review, and scientific/regulatory reporting.
• Design trusted LLM, RAG, knowledge-search, and agentic AI workflows with traceability, validation, governance, and human oversight.
• Lead development and integration of scientific platforms (e.g., SeqAssembler, HPD/dAIsY, SASTRY, OPAL Miner).
• Build scalable research and clinical data pipelines for bioinformatics, genomics, machine learning, and scientific decision-making.
• Architect and operate AWS cloud infrastructure for AI/ML, bioinformatics, clinical analysis, and large-scale scientific data.
• Strengthen data quality, metadata, lineage, observability, security, and governance.
• Partner cross-functionally to align data, cloud, application, and AI solutions with program needs.
• Provide senior technical leadership (architecture, engineering practices, mentoring, roadmap).

Skills

Python

Java

Data pipelines

APIs / Services

LLMs / AI apps

AWS

Databricks

Snowflake

Spark

Airflow

Nextflow

Leadership

Cross-functional communication

Bioinformatics / Genomics knowledge

Data governance

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

AWS

Databricks

Snowflake

Spark

Airflow

Nextflow

Job description

Scorpion Therapeutics, based in San Francisco, seeks an Associate Director, Principal Data Engineer to lead the design and delivery of AI-enabled research platforms and scalable data pipelines. You will shape trusted LLM-driven workflows, governance, and cross-functional collaboration to accelerate bioinformatics and genomic insights.

The role requires senior technical leadership, deep cloud expertise, and hands-on skills in Python/Java with experience across Databricks, AWS, and data pipelines.