The generation, management, and interpretation of clinical data at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and via its collaborations with Boston Children’s Hospital and other institutions is critical for the advancement of oncology care. This position will serve as the point person for the quality and availability of DFCI clinical data in the OMOP CDM format (Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership – Common Data Model)

We are seeking a Clinical Data Engineer who is passionate about the potential for a shared data model to accelerate observational research in oncology. The Clinical Data Engineer will be focused on ensuring the highest quality in our clinical data in its OMOP form, as well as for helping educate and enable researchers to utilize the DFCI OMOP CDM for both local and federated research.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

ETL Development and Management

• Understand and document data consumer requirements and translate to data resource designs
• Develop and maintain databases Develop and maintain ETL processes for large-scale data ingestion from various data sources into the DFCI OMOP CDM (Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership – Common Data Model)
• Develop, maintain, and quality check the OMOP CDM data pipelines to ensure optimal ETL execution and highest data quality for research; develop metrics and dashboards to monitor and improve the ETL data pipelines
• Collaborate with the Research Data Services team to incorporate the OMOP CDM into the research data delivery process
• Document data pipelines and transformations so data consumers can understand data lineage
• Work with data analytics and data science teams to assist in data modeling and data warehousing tasks
• Stay current with industry trends and technologies, and evaluate and adapt new tools as needed
• Provide operational support for data platforms, including resolving incidents and performing root cause analysis

Research Support

• Develop and maintain knowledge of, and operate, OHDSI community open source tools
• Assist researchers in formulating OMOP queries, concept sets, and phenotypes
• Assist researchers with participation in OMOP network studies
• Proactively clarify requests and ensure accurate implementation of OMOP network study protocols and analytical specifications

OMOP Community

• Monitor and/or participate in OMOP forums and working groups, as appropriate
• Develop knowledge and expertise about OMOP conventions and best practices
• Contribute to advancement of OMOP Oncology community via participation in working groups, presentations at meetings and symposia, or publications

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in data engineering, computer science, biomedical informatics, health services research, epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, or a subject area with a strong focus on the management and research use of clinical data. A Master’s degree may substitute for 2 years of experience.
• A minimum of 4 years of hands-on programming and data analysis experience is required, of which at least 2 years must involve hands-on experience in a quantitative or computational field.
• Strong skills in SQL on a database such as Snowflake, SQL Server, Oracle, etc.
• Experience building ETL and performing additional data engineering using the OMOP CDM.
• Proficiency with Python, R, Scala, Java or another modern programming language used in data engineering

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on experience in using various OHDSI open-source tools, such as Atlas, HADES, and Strategus
• Knowledge of visualization software such as Neo4J or R Shiny
• Hands on experience with Snowflake

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED

• Demonstrated experience developing documented ETL pipelines
• Knowledge of professional software engineering practices, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and devops
• Able to deploy data pipelines and infrastructure for on-premise and/or cloud-native infrastructure
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage various tasks and projects reliably and in a timely manner 
• Requires minimal direction from leadership and possesses the ability to adapt to new challenges as they arise 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, passionate about innovative solutions
• Self-motivated with the ability to produce clear documentation and generate results with a clear and professional presentation
• Detail-oriented with excellent communication skills
• Able to identify, communicate, and advocate for best practices
• Can work independently and efficiently to meet aggressive timelines where needed

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong.  As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff.  Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

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