Principal Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer

The Principal Data Engineer defines the long-term technical vision and enterprise architecture for data platforms supporting analytics, AI/ML, and regulated healthcare systems. This role serves as the highest-level technical authority in data engineering, driving innovation, governance, and cross-organizational alignment.

Responsibilities:

• Define enterprise-wide data architecture and long-term technical roadmap.
• Lead large-scale modernization and transformation initiatives.
• Establish governance frameworks for data architecture, scalability, and compliance.
• Partner with executive leadership to align data platform strategy with business objectives.
• Make final architectural decisions on critical data platform investments.
• Represent data engineering strategy in executive and cross-functional forums.
• Mentor Senior Staff engineers and shape technical career standards.
• Drive innovation while balancing risk, compliance, and operational stability.
• Perform other duties that support the overall objective of the position.

Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Or, any combination of education and experience which would provide the required qualifications for the position.

Experience Required:

• 15+ years of experience architecting and scaling enterprise data systems, including leadership of organization-wide technical strategy.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of: Enterprise architecture frameworks. Large-scale distributed systems and streaming architectures. AI/ML data ecosystem design. Healthcare regulatory and governance environments.
• Skill in: Enterprise technical strategy development. Executive-level communication. Complex systems evaluation and modernization. Cross-organizational influence.
• Ability to: Set enterprise technical direction. Influence executive and organizational decision-making. Lead transformation across multiple engineering domains. Balance innovation with long-term sustainability.

NextGen Healthcare is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.