Director of Data

Opala

Director of Data building scalable, compliant infrastructure connecting healthcare payer, provider, EMR, and clinical data. Leading Opala’s data strategy, engineering team, and interoperability products.

Posted 8/18/2026full-timeRemote • Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $220,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in designing and implementing scalable data architectures within the healthcare domain, with a strong focus on FHIR, HL7, and data governance. Proven ability to lead technical teams, optimize data pipelines, and drive data-informed decision-making.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Healthcare Data ExperienceFHIR and HL7 ExpertiseDatabricks OptimizationData Architecture and EngineeringTechnical Team Leadership

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Data ArchitectureData EngineeringData Science MethodologiesPythonSQLSparkKafkaBatch ProcessingReal-Time Data IntegrationPub/Sub Architectures

Soft Skills

CollaborationMentoringCommunicationRecruitmentDecision-Making

Tools & Technologies

DatabricksAzureAWSGCPSFTPDelta SharingEMR SystemsInfrastructure as CodeAI/ML TechnologiesHealthcare Quality Measures

Certifications & Qualifications

Advanced Degree in Computer ScienceEngineeringData Science

Industry Keywords

Healthcare PayerProvider Data EcosystemsHIPAAHITECHFDACMSClinical WorkflowsValue-Based Care ModelsHealth Tech Startup ExperienceHL7 Da Vinci Organizations

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureGoogle Cloud PlatformKafkaPythonSparkSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and implement scalable data architectures integrating healthcare payer, health exchange, provider, and EMR data into unified golden records
Lead technical strategy for mapping healthcare data sources to HL7 FHIR and interoperability standards
Architect, implement, and optimize batch and real-time data pipelines and integrations
Drive technical decisions for Databricks, optimizing development velocity, cost efficiency, and operational excellence
Establish data governance and operationalize data quality, lineage, and documentation
Guide data integrations including SFTP, Delta Sharing, and EMR integrations
Lead and mentor data engineers, analysts, and QA engineers
Recruit, hire, and develop data talent
Collaborate with product, engineering, and operations teams
Establish engineering processes, code review standards, and quality assurance practices
Partner with the CTO on long-term data strategy and technology roadmap planning
Collaborate with product leadership to support product strategy
Drive data-informed decision-making through analytics and reporting

Requirements

What you’ll need

5+ years of experience in healthcare data
Deep understanding of payer and provider data ecosystems
Extensive experience with FHIR, HL7, X12, and clinical data formats
Proven experience with EMR systems, claims data, and clinical workflows
Strong understanding of HIPAA, HITECH, FDA, and CMS requirements
Advanced proficiency in data architecture, data engineering, and data science methodologies
Expert-level Databricks experience, including cost and performance optimization
Strong background in pub/sub architectures, batch processing, and real-time healthcare data integration
Proficiency in Python, SQL, Spark, Kafka, and related modern data stack technologies
Experience with Azure, AWS, or GCP and infrastructure as code
Familiarity with AI/ML technologies
3+ years of experience leading technical teams
Ability to recruit, develop, and retain technical talent
Ability to translate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
Collaboration with product, engineering, and clinical stakeholders
Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or related field preferred
Experience with HL7 Da Vinci organizations preferred
Previous health tech startup or healthcare technology company experience preferred
Knowledge of machine learning and AI applications in healthcare preferred
Experience building data products, federated data architectures, and customer-facing platforms preferred
Comfortable presenting and performing discovery with customers and partners
Familiarity with healthcare quality measures and value-based care models

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance
EAP
Short-term and long-term disability
16 days PTO
8 paid holidays
Fully paid holiday closure
Parental and family medical leave
401k
Stock options
Annual bonuses
Salary increases based on merit