Sr. Director, Data Engineering & Architecture
Position Description
The Sr. Director, Data Engineering & Architecture is responsible for leading CAQH’s enterprise data architecture, data engineering strategy, and platform development initiatives. This includes building and scaling the Enterprise Data Lake and Data Warehouse, identifying and integrating authoritative third-party data sources, and creating a centralized data hub for provider and member data. The Sr. Director will play a key leadership role in establishing a modern, secure, and high-performance data environment that supports advanced analytics, data governance, and strategic business initiatives.
This is a full-time, exempt, remote position reporting to the Senior Vice President, Data and Analytics.
Base Salary Range: $225,000 to $250,000 annually.
Specific Responsibilities:
Enterprise Data Architecture & Engineering:
- Design and implement a scalable, cloud-native enterprise data architecture to support structured and unstructured data across CAQH
- Lead the development of the Enterprise Data Lake and Enterprise Data Warehouse, enabling seamless data access.
- Establish robust data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes to support batch and real-time data ingestion and transformation.
- Identify and integrate authoritative third-party data sources to enrich enterprise data assets and improve decision-making.
- Define and implement architecture standards, best practices, and development frameworks for data engineering.
- Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting across pipelines and data environments
- Ensure high availability, fault tolerance, and recovery strategies for data platforms.
Centralized Data Hub Development:
- Lead the design and implementation of a centralized data hub for provider and member data, enabling unified access and sharing across internal and external stakeholders.
- Work closely with data governance and business stakeholders to ensure data hub alignment with quality, lineage, and metadata standards.
- Drive initiatives to ensure interoperability, consistency, and standardization of core data assets.
Data Integration & Interoperability:
- Oversee integration of internal and external data sources (including APIs, FHIR, flat files, and third-party feeds).
- Ensure data engineering practices support data lineage, provenance, and traceability.
- Collaborate with external partners and vendors to optimize data acquisition and utilization strategies
Cloud Modernization & Data Tooling:
- Lead cloud platform modernization using Azure and other cloud-native services; optimize cost, performance, and scalability.
- Select and implement modern data engineering tools and frameworks (e.g., dbt, Snowflake, Azure Data Factory, Airflow).
- Ensure best practices in development, version control, deployment, and data operations.
Collaboration & Leadership:
- Work closely with senior leadership, business units, and IT teams to ensure that data initiatives align with strategic objectives.
- Act as a thought leader on data management best practices, advising internal and external stakeholders on data-related opportunities and challenges.
- Lead and mentor a high-performing data governance, data quality, and data engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
- Partner with external vendors and technology providers to optimize data tools and infrastructure.
- Oversee operational performance and reliability of the enterprise data platform in collaboration with Infrastructure and InfoSec teams.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Direct supervision of data engineers, solution architects, and platform developers.
- Matrix collaboration with data governance, analytics, and IT operations teams.
Skills:
- Proven ability to establish and drive an enterprise data strategy that aligns with business priorities.
- Strong experience collaborating with senior leadership to integrate data-driven decision-making into strategic initiatives.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex data topics into business-friendly language.
- Expertise in cloud-native data architecture (e.g., Azure, Snowflake, dbt) and modern data engineering frameworks.
- Expertise in data governance frameworks, data stewardship, and regulatory compliance (HIPAA, HITRUST, GDPR).
- Strong hands-on knowledge of ELT/ETL processes, APIs, and real-time data streaming technologies.
- Understanding of healthcare data standards (e.g., FHIR, HL7, X12) is a plus.
Experience:
- 10+ years of experience in data governance, data strategy, or data management.
- At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role managing teams focused on data governance, data quality, and advanced analytics.
- Proven track record of implementing scalable data governance frameworks and improving data quality.
- Experience working with cloud-based data architectures, data lakes, and modern data integration tools.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, or a related field required.
- Master’s degree preferred.
- Certifications in data governance, cloud platforms (Azure), or MDM tools are a plus.
Who We Are
The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) was formed by health plans who came together nearly 25 years ago with the desire to make healthcare work better. Today, we are trusted by stakeholders from across the healthcare ecosystem to improve business processes and offer the most comprehensive provider and member data in the United States.
What You Get
CAQH recognizes that its most important asset is its growing team of smart, creative, collaborative, forward-thinking and passionate professionals – and that a comprehensive employee benefits package is an important factor for them in choosing where to work. CAQH offers competitive compensation along with an extensive benefits package for all full-time employees, including medical, dental and vision coverage, tuition assistance and a 401k. We offer full-time remote work to all staff from any location and maintain a physical office in downtown Washington, DC.
At CAQH, we are proud of our active commitment to equal opportunities for all. Our teams work diligently to foster a workplace where all individuals are valued, respected, and empowered. We embrace different perspectives and are dedicated to providing equal opportunities for everyone to thrive. Join us in our mission to transform healthcare through innovative technology solutions while making a positive impact on the lives of diverse communities.
CAQH is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, source of income, place of residence, or any other characteristic protected by law. CAQH will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination, and any such conduct is strictly prohibited.
Applicants have rights under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA). If you are interested in applying for employment with CAQH and need an accommodation to apply for a posted position, contact CAQH Human Resources at 202-517-0436.