Senior Research Data Engineer — Secure, Scalable Workflows

Northwestern University; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

The Senior Research Facility Data Management Engineer at Northwestern University designs, implements, and improves secure, scalable research data workflows for core facilities, storage, and collaboration services. You will move data from instruments to centrally supported storage and compute resources, balancing usability with security and compliance.

You will collaborate with researchers, core facility staff, endpoint management, cybersecurity, and data specialists to assess workflows,

Qualifications

• Education: four-year degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• Experience with complex technical environments in research computing, academic research, or data-intensive settings.

Responsibilities

• Serve as data management expert for research data workflows and secure data movement.
• Lead requirements gathering with researchers and IT partners to translate needs into practical solutions.
• Identify recurring needs to contribute to reusable service models, standards, and best practices.
• Develop proof-of-concept solutions and evaluate options for secure workflows.
• Create user documentation, diagrams, onboarding resources, and training materials.
• Coordinate cross-team efforts from instrument acquisition through staging, transfer, and storage.

Skills

Windows

macOS

Linux

Python

Bash

PowerShell

Globus

SFTP

rsync

SMB

NFS

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud

Microsoft 365

Information security

Independent judgment

Cross-functional leadership

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

None

Job description

The Senior Research Facility Data Management Engineer at Northwestern University designs, implements, and improves secure, scalable research data workflows for core facilities, storage, and collaboration services. You will move data from instruments to centrally supported storage and compute resources, balancing usability with security and compliance.

You will collaborate with researchers, core facility staff, endpoint management, cybersecurity, and data specialists to assess workflows,