Staff Software Engineer – Data Team #4555

GRAIL; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 169,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

GRAIL is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for the Data Team in Sunnyvale, CA. You will own systems producing trusted, analysis-ready datasets across GRAIL’s research and clinical programs, collaborating with researchers and clinical teams to meet strict regulatory standards.

This software engineering role focuses on building production-grade data systems in dynamic, regulated environments, with significant autonomy and impact.

Qualifications

• 7+ years building production-grade software systems.
• Strong fundamentals: system design, data modeling, API design, well-tested production code.
• Experience with data-intensive software systems beyond SQL pipelines.
• Proficiency in Go or Python (or similar).
• Experience modeling real-world data and transformations.
• BS in CS, Engineering or Bioinformatics, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement software systems turning raw clinical, lab, and operational data into reliable, analysis-ready datasets.
• Partner with scientists, clinicians, lab operations, and data teams to understand data needs.
• Develop services, libraries, data models, and workflow components that enforce data integrity, access control, and compliance by design.
• Navigate schema evolution, blinding, consent, and privacy compliance.
• Collaborate on data quality, testing strategy, monitoring, and operational excellence.
• Lead software engineering efforts for long-lived systems evolving with clinical and research programs.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with scientists to support technical and scientific outcomes.
• Contribute to documentation, onboarding materials, and processes across teams.
• Participate in incident response related to data quality or availability in production.

Skills

Production-grade software

System design

API design

Go

Python

Data modeling

BS in CS/Engineering/Bioinformatics

Education

BS in CS, Engineering or Bioinformatics

Equivalent practical experience

Job description

Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care. We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges. GRAIL is headquartered in the Bay Area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies. For more information, please visit grail.com GRAIL is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for the Data Team. This team designs, builds, and operates the software systems that manage GRAIL’s end-to-end data lifecycle, from sample ingestion through downstream analysis, while meeting rigorous clinical, regulatory, and privacy standards. Our work directly supports clinical research, operations, and decision-making in the fight against cancer. In this role, you will take technical ownership of systems that produce trusted, analysis-ready datasets for use across GRAIL’s research and clinical programs. This is a software engineering role focused on building complex production-grade systems that work with data in dynamic, regulated environments as opposed to assembling off-the-shelf ETL tools or writing SQL heavy pipelines. This position offers significant autonomy and scope for impact. You’ll collaborate closely with research, clinical lab operations, and scientific teams, and lead efforts to improve how we structure, validate, and deliver critical scientific and clinical data. This role is based in Sunnyvale, California. We are moving to our new headquarters in Sept so you may visit us at our Menlo Park offices during the interview process but your work will be done in Sunnyvale. GRAIL offers a flexible work arrangement, with the ability to work from GRAIL's office or from home. Our current flexible work arrangement policy requires that a minimum of 60%, or 24 hours, of your total work week be on-site. Your specific schedule, determined in collaboration with your manager, will align with team and business needs and could exceed the 60% requirement for the site. At our Sunnyvale campus, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the key days where we encourage on-site presence to engage in events and on-site activities.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement software systems that turn raw clinical, lab, and operational data into reliable, analysis-ready datasets
• Partner with scientists, clinicians, lab operations, and data teams to understand data generation, transformation, and usage needs
• Develop services, libraries, data models, and workflow components that enforce data integrity, access control, and compliance by design
• Navigate complex data requirements such as schema evolution, blinding, consent, and privacy compliance
• Collaborate on cross-functional initiatives involving data quality, testing strategy, monitoring, and operational excellence
• Lead software engineering efforts for long-lived systems that must evolve alongside active clinical and research programs
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with scientists to ensure software decisions support both technical and scientific outcomes
• Contribute to documentation, onboarding materials, and processes that support cross-functional adoption and data literacy across teams
• Participate in incident response or investigation processes related to data quality or availability issues in production systems

These responsibilities summarize the role’s primary responsibilities and are not an exhaustive list. They may change at the company’s discretion.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience building production-grade software systems
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including system design, data modeling, API design, and writing well-tested production code.
• Experience building and operating data-intensive software systems, not just declarative pipelines or SQL-only workflows
• Proficiency in Go or Python (or similar general-purpose language)
• Experience with data modeling, validation, and transforming real-world data into usable formats
• BS in Computer Science, Engineering or Bioinformatics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years experience working in regulated or clinical data environments (e.g., HIPAA, CLIA, GCP, FDA compliance)
• Direct experience working with or supporting scientific teams (e.g., bioinformatics, wet lab, clinical research)
• Experience designing systems that manage laboratory or bioinformatics data (e.g., LIMS, sequencing pipelines, assay metadata)
• Familiarity with GxP practices and regulatory reporting requirements in clinical studies is a plus
• Prior experience working in biotech, diagnostics, or life sciences companies
• Experience supporting sample tracking, structured scientific data pipelines, or cross-functional data lifecycle management
• Experience designing systems with data sequestration, permissioning, or privacy controls
• Experience writing or contributing to software libraries, shared tooling, or reusable components used by other teams
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in computer science, engineering, bioinformatics or a related discipline

The expected, full-time, annual base pay scale for this position is $169k-$224k

At GRAIL, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the contributions our employees make to our mission and success. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for additional compensation, including an annual bonus and/or other incentives, in accordance with applicable plans and the company's discretion. The posted range reflects our good‑faith estimate of the base pay we expect to offer for this position at the time of hire. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and other relevant considerations.

At GRAIL, we invest in the health, well-being, and future of our employees and their families. Employees in this role are eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support what matters most, including flexible time off or vacation, a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and thoughtfully selected well-being programs. Benefits are offered in accordance with applicable plans and policies.

GRAIL is an equal employment opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Additionally, GRAIL will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at [e-mail] if you require an accommodation to apply for an open position.

GRAIL maintains a drug-free workplace. We welcome job-seekers from all backgrounds to join us!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.