Research Database Scientist, Ocec

Description

The Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) in the Cumming School of Medicine invites applications for a Research Database Scientist. This Full-time, Fixed Term position is for approximately 12 months, with the possibility of extension.

This position reports to the Program Manager, Data Science who leads the execution of the Comprehensive Data Accelerator plan. The Research Database Scientist will facilitate reliable access to database objects, support the development of data processing pipelines, and champion the rollout of novel workflow and data management systems in support of the One Child Every Child (OCEC) Project. Data development tasks include establishing and managing data access role and permission infrastructure, configuring cloud compute cluster instances, ensuring reliable connectivity to the object store, and ingesting new data into the data lake. Software tasks include creating and maintaining a flexible development environment for OCEC researchers and developers, creating and maintaining CI/CD pipelines for data processing workflows, and troubleshooting data processing pipelines by debugging, reviewing, and modifying source code. Solution design for OCEC will include working with Research Computing Services (RCS) and other IT teams to coordinate OCEC usage with existing and new infrastructure.

Once Child Every Child is a Parallel Paths project that has Indigenous and non-Indigenous Paths. While this position will focus on lab work, all members of the program will perform training on work with Indigenous people, communities and data. Experience with Indigenous community-based work is an asset for members of the OCEC research team.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Database Development (50%):

• Build ingestion pipelines to integrate diverse source data into the data lake, including working with device technicians to seamlessly incorporate raw device data
• Contribute to the development and design of policies and procedures for user roles and access
• Maintain schemas for objects in the data lake
• Build and maintain automated data processing pipelines for multi-modal datasets using high-performance computing (HPC)
• Provide technical support to OCEC end users for data processing workflows and data access on virtual machines
• Monitor performance and tune as required
• Maintain permissions infrastructure for the data lake
• Create detailed documentation for infrastructure configuration and maintenance procedures

Computational Resource Provisioning (25%):

• Configure compute clusters with ongoing variable computational requirements
• Create and maintain development environments for OCEC end users
• Coordinate requirements and changes with RCS as necessary

Technical Leadership (25%):

• Understands institutional data practices, contributes to the ongoing development and design of additional data policies, and acts as a subject matter expert for data platform end users across the institution
• Establish and maintain code quality standards for all code used in OCEC projects
• Regularly reviews, approves, and offers feedback on incoming requests to merge code to a central repository
• Liaise, collaborate, and provide consultative advice to OCEC end users
  

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in quantitative field such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or Statistics
• 4-7 years of recent and directly related experience
• A combination of education and experience will be considered
• Excellent troubleshooting abilities with a strong understanding of:
  • Programming: Python, R, Java/Scala, Bash, C, or other languages
  • Database infrastructure: Object store platform such as AWS S3, MongoDB, or other NoSQL database
  • ETL/ELT pipelines: Databricks, Snowflake, dbt, or other warehousing platforms
  • Software development: CI/CD pipelines, Github workflows, documentation, and version control
  • Configuration management: Ansible, Terraform, or other infrastructure-as-code platforms
  • Experience in cloud computing with big data is required
• Ability to produce detailed technical reports under time pressure
• Highly proficient problem-solving skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to work independently in a dynamic environment while carrying out highly technical assignments and projects
• Demonstrated excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have an ability to effectively work in the Comprehensive Data Accelerator
• The ability and desire to work in a strong team-oriented environment

Application Deadline: May 13, 2024

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Technical Job Family, Phase 3.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.