Lead Platform Engineer
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation3 months ago
Base Salary
$190k - $295k/yr
Responsibilities
- Define and evolve multi-year data and AI platform roadmaps aligned with enterprise architecture, security standards, and business strategy.
- Translate global business needs into designs and implement data and AI tooling for the Enterprise Data Platform.
- Implement data and platform governance, security controls, classification, auditing, and access patterns.
- Provide architectural leadership and hands-on development for scalable, secure, resilient, and maintainable platform frameworks.
- Lead platform tool, framework, vendor, and build-versus-buy evaluations.
- Develop engineering standards, reference architectures, and data access design patterns.
- Design and govern data and agentic AI applications using Databricks, OpenAI, Claude, and Snowflake Cortex.
- Manage improvements to the custom Data Portal for data cataloging, search, discovery, and sharing.
- Lead technical direction for multi-team delivery efforts and apply engineering and DevSecOps practices.
- Conduct architecture, design, code, and delivery reviews while improving automation, observability, governance, reliability, performance, and cost effectiveness.
- Partner with service managers and product owners on service strategies, roadmaps, investments, planning, modernization, and capacity.
- Serve as a practice lead and subject matter expert, mentor engineers and contingent staff, manage service partners, and represent IT in governance and cross-functional forums.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 12+ years of experience with data platforms focused on advanced analytics, AI/ML infrastructure, data security, and automation.
- Experience implementing managed and custom MCP servers, architecting data platforms, and processing unstructured data.
- Experience analyzing health and life sciences data using analytical and reporting tools.
- Experience co-developing solutions on an Enterprise Data Platform using Databricks and Azure and governing AI applications.
- Hands-on experience with Azure services, Terraform, Databricks, Lakeflow, Spark, Delta Lake, Databricks Applications, Unity Catalog, Snowflake, Iceberg, Horizon Catalog, Cortex AI, and secure data sharing.
- Experience designing API-driven data platforms, REST or GraphQL APIs, microservices, and API or AI gateways.
- Experience or familiarity with data sharing, external data cataloging, Databricks and dbt Cloud pipelines, orchestration, Docker, Kubernetes, and distributed systems.
- Strong understanding of RAG architectures, embeddings, vector databases, document chunking, indexing, retrieval, OCR, entity extraction, classification, Collibra, and data governance.
- Deep expertise in cloud infrastructure, networking, identity, security, automation, cost optimization, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, cloud-native operations, and version control.
- Programming or scripting proficiency in C#/.NET, Python, or PowerShell is desirable.
- Previous Salesforce experience is a plus.
- Strong communication, influencing, mentoring, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums.
- Generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, and regional holidays.
- Opportunities to participate in employee communities and an inclusive, accessible workplace.
- The role is located in Seattle or Washington, D.C., with a location-specific salary range for those offices.
- Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
Tech Stack
Categories
Data EngineeringDevOps
About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a Seattle-based private nonprofit that funds global health, development, U.S. education, and gender equality through grants and program-related investments. Founded in 2000, it partners with governments, researchers, and NGOs to fight infectious disease, improve agriculture and financial inclusion, and expand equitable learning opportunities. Its endowment, backed by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett, finances long-term initiatives in low- and middle-income countries.