Staff Backend Engineer – Distributed Systems, Data Platform

Staff Data Engineer leading critical data architecture and initiatives at H1, enhancing healthcare data access and insights through AI technology. Collaborating cross-functionally to optimize data workflows and reliability.

Posted 7/19/2026full-timeNew York City • New York • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $170,000 - $190,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in building and operating scalable data systems, with strong proficiency in Python and SQL. Capable of leading cross-functional initiatives and mentoring engineers while ensuring high-performance data pipelines and architecture.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Large-Scale Data ProcessingPython ProgrammingSQL Query OptimizationData Pipeline DesignCloud Environment Deployment

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Data EngineeringBackend EngineeringScalable Systems DevelopmentComplex Query WritingData Pipeline Optimization

Soft Skills

Self-StarterOwnershipMentoringInfluencing Stakeholders

Tools & Technologies

SparkPySparkEMRGitJIRACI/CDAWSKubernetesAirflowKafka

Industry Keywords

Real-World EvidenceHealthcare DataRegulated Data Domains

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AirflowAWSCloudKafkaKubernetesPySparkPythonSparkSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Act as a self-starter who drives execution independently, taking ownership and initiative with minimal need for day-to-day direction.
Lead high-visibility RWE projects, starting with claims data, and keep multiple initiatives moving by proactively unblocking teams.
Own the end-to-end architecture for critical data assets, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, and aligned with H1’s long-term vision.
Design, build, and optimize large-scale data pipelines (hundreds of TBs) for performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
Partner with Product, Data Science, and downstream engineering teams to align priorities, manage dependencies, and deliver high-value outcomes.
Represent engineering in cross-functional forums, shaping roadmaps and reducing reliance on senior leadership for day-to-day decisions.
Develop deep domain expertise and mentor other engineers, helping raise the technical bar and influence the evolution of our data products.

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years as a software, data, or backend engineer building and operating scalable, production-grade systems.
Experience with large-scale data processing (e.g., Spark/PySpark on EMR or similar) or scalable distributed backend systems, with the ability to quickly deepen expertise in our data stack (PySpark, EMR, Hudi/Delta).
Strong proficiency in SQL, including writing and optimizing complex queries over large datasets.
Strong programming experience in Python (or a modern language with the ability to quickly ramp up in Python).
Experience designing systems or large-scale datasets/pipelines with attention to performance, reliability, and maintainability.
Hands-on experience with modern engineering workflows and tooling such as Git, JIRA, and CI/CD systems (e.g., CircleCI).
Comfort deploying and troubleshooting distributed workloads in cloud environments such as AWS EMR or Kubernetes.
Experience with workflow orchestration or job scheduling tools (e.g., Airflow, Argo).
Demonstrated ability to independently drive complex, cross-team technical initiatives and influence stakeholders without formal authority.
Experience with streaming/messaging technologies (e.g., Kafka, Kinesis) nice to have
Background in RWE, healthcare data, or other complex/regulated data domains is preferred
Experience using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) to accelerate development while maintaining quality is encouraged

Benefits

Comp & perks

Full suite of health insurance options, in addition to generous paid time off
Pre-planned company-wide wellness holidays
Retirement options
Health & charitable donation stipends
Impactful Business Resource Groups
Flexible work hours & the opportunity to work from anywhere