Director, Data Engineering – RWD

Overview

As Director of Data Engineering (RWD), you will lead strategic and hands-on efforts to move real-world data into Parexel’s Enterprise Data Lake and deliver standardized data products across clinical, safety, and corporate domains. You will partner with Data & Technology, the Analytics Center of Excellence, and business stakeholders to ensure trusted, well-governed data with consistent definitions. You’ll shape the lakehouse strategy and oversee scalable, high-quality data pipelines. This role combines leadership with hands-on engineering to drive data-driven decision making across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Shape and execute the lakehouse architecture strategy (medallion-based) to support reporting and analytics across operational, clinical, financial, and safety needs
• Direct data ingestion, transformation, storage, and optimization within the Enterprise Data Lake
• Oversee data quality, performance, security, governance, and lifecycle management in the data lake
• Ensure scalable data pipelines across domains aligned with governance requirements
• Act as SME for data delivery and align data products with organizational priorities
• Lead cross-functional prioritization and delivery processes for cohesive outcomes
• Promote transparency and communication of data roadmaps across the organization
• Build and mentor global data engineering teams and develop cloud engineering capabilities (Databricks, CI/CD, SQL, Python)
• Foster a culture of innovation, rigor, and customer-focused delivery

Key requirements

• 12+ years IT experience with large-scale enterprise integration and multi-environment deployment
• Experience with Real World Data in clinical/medical space
• 8+ years leading data delivery management and analytics projects
• 6+ years of management experience across multiple projects and resources
• Extensive experience with cloud platforms for data initiatives
• Expertise in Azure Databricks and medallion architecture-based data lakes
• Advanced SQL proficiency and query tuning
• Proficiency in Python, data transformation, relational databases, and related frameworks
• Strong understanding of architectural best practices and enterprise ecosystems
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field

• cross-functional leadership
• stakeholder alignment
• communication and transparency
• Azure Databricks
• medallion architecture
• lakehouse architecture

…