Job Details

HYBRID - DIRECTOR OF DATA ENGINEERING

Location; Carlsbad, CA (3 days on site)

JOB DESCRIPTION
The Director, Data Engineering will serve as a senior technical leader focused on advancing Ionis's Databricks platform and cloud-based data engineeringto support analytics, AI, data science and automation. This role will oversee consulting resources, drive the adoption of modern engineering practices, and partner closely with data governance and analytics teams to ensure that Ionis's data infrastructure is trusted, scalable, and AI-ready. The Director will ensure that Ionis's data infrastructure supports Commercial launches, Clinical Trials, and Enterprise Systems (e.g., SAP).
Responsibilities

• Lead the design, automation, and optimization of data environments across development, test, and production (Databricks, Azure, Snowflake, ADF, AWS).
• Implement DevOps best practices for CI/CD, monitoring, cost optimization and ML Ops in Databricks to support advanced analytics and AI initiatives.
• Manage and coordinate external consulting resources to deliver high-quality engineering solutions by ensuring internal standards and sustainable knowledge transfer.
• Partner with data scientists, analysts, and IT teams to ensure reliable, scalable, and secure data platforms.
• Support Commercial product launches with scalable data pipelines and reporting infrastructure.
• Enable Clinical Trial data operations, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant data flows.
• Integrate with Enterprise Systems (e.g., SAP, CRM, ERP) to unify and optimize data access across the organization.
• Drive adoption of modern engineering practices (infrastructure as code, containerization, testing frameworks).
• Establish standards and documentation for Databricks operations and data engineering workflows.
• Troubleshoot complex technical issues and serve as a subject matter expert for cloud-based data engineering.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 10+ years of experience as a Data Engineer.
• Proven experience leading Databricks platform operations, DevOps, and data engineering.
• Strong expertise in Azure cloud services; experience with AWS also valuable.
• Experience leading consulting/vendor teams and driving complex projects to completion.
• Familiarity with Agile Scrum methodologies; able to work in fast-paced, iterative environments.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of enterprise systems (e.g., SAP, CRM, ERP) and data integration best practices preferred.
• Experience in the life sciences, biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry strongly preferred, with understanding of commercial and clinical data domains

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or related field required.
• Advanced degree a plus but not required.4

• Competitive compensation package (pay transparency encouraged).
• Comprehensive benefits including health, retirement, and wellness programs.
• Hybrid/flexible work arrangements available depending on team and project needs.