Director, Software Engineering - Data

Biohub is leading the new era of AI-powered biology to cure or prevent disease through its 501c3 medical research organization, with the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

The Team

Biohub is a 501c3 biomedical research organization building the first large-scale initiative to combine frontier AI and frontier biology to solve disease. With our compute capacity, AI research and engineering, and state-of-the-art technology for measuring, imaging, and programming biology, we are enabling scientists worldwide to use AI-powered biology to study how cells operate and organize as systems—ultimately understanding why disease happens and how to cure or prevent it.

Biohub is leading the first large-scale effort that systematically combines frontier AI capabilities with cutting-edge biological research to unlock new dimensions of biological understanding.

This role sits at the heart of this ambitious mission. You will leverage state-of-the-art AI to accelerate discovery and drive transformative insights in biology. Working at the frontier of both disciplines, you'll contribute to developing novel AI models purpose-built for biological research, engineering robust systems that enable breakthrough science at unprecedented scale, and translating these advances into practical tools that empower researchers worldwide.

Our approach is comprehensive and integrated. We bring together world-class AI model development with exceptional engineering talent, high-quality biological data, powerful computing infrastructure, and strategic partnerships. Success requires excellence across five interconnected pillars: training frontier AI models specifically for biology, building engineering systems that maximize research velocity and efficiency, executing a sophisticated data strategy that fuels AI development, operating a world-class AI compute platform, and creating impactful products that transform AI capabilities into accessible scientific tools.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of biological research by pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve in science. You'll work alongside leading experts in AI and biology, with the resources and mandate to tackle some of the most important questions in human health.

The Opportunity

These scientific challenges require unprecedented scientific datasets to support biological modeling and innovation. We are creating a resource of:

• Billions of single-cell transcriptome measurements, with a focus on measuring genetic and environmental perturbations
• 10s of thousands of donor-matched DNA & RNA samples
• 10s of PBs of static and dynamic imaging datasets
• 100s of TBs of mass spectrometry datasets
• Diverse, large multi-modal biological datasets that enable biological bridges across these measurement types and facilitate multi-modal model training

As Director of Software Engineering - Data in the Science Technology Organization, you would be leading a group of highly motivated and talented engineers to build the Data Platform to ingest, standardize, store, serve, and manage the lifecycle for these data. 

This role will lead a growing software engineering team, working closely with data scientists, AI scientists, and AI engineers, and cross-functionally with Product Managers, Application Scientists, and Computational Biologists to design, build, and maintain data pipelines and a data platform. Our Data Engineering function will create the largest public repository of cell biology data, a critical part of the Virtual Cell Platform, and our mission to build an AI model of the cell and to cure, prevent, and manage disease by the end of the century.

What You'll Do

• Lead an engineering team focused on Data services, developing and supporting data pipelines (to ingest high volumes of imaging, mass spectrometry and sequencing data), a data platform, and preparing data for AI training.
• Work cross-functionally with internal and external partners to develop and deliver on the roadmap and plan the long-term strategy for how Data is a key enabler for our Science ambitions. 
• Participate in and encourage Agile software development practices to deliver frequent value to our users and enable continuous feedback loops.
• Set the technical direction and guide the team on technical decisions, and oversee that best practices are being followed. 
• Ensure quality in the work we deliver. Be a hands-on manager to the team.
• Provide mentoring and career development support to direct reports.
• Hire and onboard engineers to fill resource gaps. Attract, evaluate, and hire exceptional software engineering talent with speed and precision, building a high-performing team in a competitive market.

What You'll Bring

• 12+ years of experience in Software Engineering, with 5+ years of engineering leadership experience (as a people manager).
• Demonstrated ability to architect, deliver, and operate PB-scale data solutions for hybrid on-premise and cloud infrastructure that support model training from rapidly evolving data types.
• Expert knowledge of software engineering with the ability to translate theoretical knowledge into practical approaches involving research, analysis, conclusions, and the creation and execution of action plans.
• Experience in hiring managing, and growing a team of software engineers and building and evolving a high-performance and high-impact culture.
• Experience working with an interdisciplinary team to shape product requirements and designs, and deliver software solutions.
• Ability to serve as an example on providing direction and guidance by communicating clearly, directly and respectfully while inspiring growth and collaboration across multiple audiences, with proven ability to coach and develop engineers’ skills and careers.
• Ability to contribute to software design discussions and decisions. Demonstrated ability to contribute to and guide software design discussions, driving strategic technical decisions and fostering alignment across teams.

Compensation

The Redwood City, CA base pay range for this role is $270,000 - $371,800. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process.

Better Together

As we grow, we’re excited to strengthen in-person connections and cultivate a collaborative, team-oriented environment. This role is a hybrid position requiring you to be onsite for at least 60% of the working month, approximately 3 days a week, with specific in-office days determined by the team’s manager. The exact schedule will be at the hiring manager's discretion and communicated during the interview process.

Benefits for the Whole You

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible. 

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice.
• Funding for select family-forming benefits.
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving.

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

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