Senior Cloud Data Engineer

Would you like to use your data engineering expertise to enhance the safer use of medicines and vaccines? Do you excel in diverse, multicultural teams and find satisfaction in tackling problems that deliver tangible benefits? Are you eager to drive a dynamic development culture that transforms research discoveries into impactful products? Then this position is right for you!

Since 1978, Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) has been dedicated to developing, supporting, and expanding the field of pharmacovigilance science and practice. As a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre, we support work around the world to examine the potential adverse effects of medicines and vaccines and contribute to safer, more informed care of patients. We are a diverse, international group of pharmacists, physicians, data scientists, system developers, communicators, and many other professionals motivated by a deep belief that the work we do matters.

We are seeking an experienced cloud data engineer to assist us in enhancing our data-related processes, ensuring the security, accessibility, maintenance, and cost-effectiveness of our cloud data infrastructure. The ideal candidate will be instrumental in developing new data assets and significantly enhancing the value of our current data assets.

As senior cloud data engineer, you will report to the Head of Data Science within the Research department, working alongside a team of data scientists to make sure our data infrastructure remains fit for purpose. You will be in a unique position to leverage research outputs, adding value for both internal and external stakeholders within a fun and dynamic multidisciplinary department.

What you will do

- Collaboration and support- Work closely with research data scientists, software developers, IT specialists, and the enterprise architect.- Support data scientists in developing and deploying data pipelines to Azure, according to their data engineering competence.- Act as the interface between the Data Science team and the systems development team, ensuring the alignment and harmonisation of data infrastructures.
- Data management- Ensure regular updates to the main internal databases based on production environment data.- Develop and manage automated pipelines for fetching and compiling external data through APIs and bulk downloads.- Create and maintain versioned databases with regular updates via automated processes.- Re-evaluate and redesign existing database structures to enhance efficiency and performance.- Monitor databases costs and usage through key performance metrics.
- Security and compliance- Ensure robust security measures and policy compliance for all data and infrastructure.- Implement and manage maintenance processes to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
- Quality and optimisation- Ensure data quality and fitness for purpose through rigorous validation and cleansing processes.- Optimise database accessibility and performance within the cloud environment.
- Best practices and innovation- Champion good development practices, fostering a culture of CD/CI, DevOps, and MLOps within the team.- Propose and implement initiatives for automation and harmonisation to improve team efficiency.
- Analysis and implementation- Conduct data analysis and create visualisations to extract insights from our unique database of medicines and vaccines side effects.- Advise on and lead the deployment of purpose-built data infrastructures on Azure, leveraging analytical insights.
- Documentation and trends- Develop and maintain thorough documentation for the cloud data infrastructure.- Stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in cloud data engineering, continuously improving processes and systems.
Who you are

- You have at least 5 years hands-on experience of managing databases in cloud infrastructures, specifically Microsoft Azure.
- You have an in-depth understanding of cloud security best practices and compliance standards.
- You have experience with ETL processes and tools.
- You have excellent knowledge of DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
- You have a deep understanding of data governance principles and data lifecycle management.
- You have hands-on experience of monitoring and logging tools to ensure database performance and availability.
- You have solid programming skills and demonstrate rigour in documentation and testing.
- You have soliud data analysis and data visualisation skills.
- You are proficient in SQL, Python, and one IaC language – knowledge of R is a plus.
- You hold a master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or another quantitative field.
- You have strong interpersonal skills and are comfortable working with multiple stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and nationalities.
- You are innovative, independent, driven, and can quickly devise fit-for-purpose deployment solutions.
- You are generous and enjoy helping others to solve problems.
- Certification in Azure (e.g. Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate) is a plus.

Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) is a non-profit foundation established in 1978 through an agreement between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the government of Sweden as a WHO Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring.

UMC is custodian of the WHO global database of adverse event reports for medicines and vaccines and strengthens global safety surveillance through science and innovation, signal analysis and pharmacovigilance tool development, standardisation with the WHODrug dictionary, and education and communication.

UMC’s working language is English. We normally apply a probationary period to new appointments.

UMC follows the collective agreements between the Swedish Agency for Government Employers and Saco-S and ST. Union representatives are Malin Zaar (Saco-S) and Jessica Avasol (ST), +46 (0)18-65 60 60.