Data Engineer

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The Northwest Tribes have long recognized the need to exercise control over the design and development of health care delivery systems in their local communities. To this end, they formed the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (also referred to as NPAIHB or "the Board") in 1972.

Guided by a vision of "Health and Wellness for the Seventh Generation," NPAIHB is a 501(c)3 designated (non-profit) organization and Tribal organization, P.L. 93-638, under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) serving the 43 federally recognized Tribes in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (Northwest Tribes). Tribes become voting members of the Board through resolutions passed by their governing body. Each member Tribe designates a delegate to serve on the NPAIHB Board of Directors.

Led by our Board of Directors, NPAIHB's mission is to "eliminate health disparities and improve the quality of life of American Indians and Alaska Natives by supporting Northwest Tribes in their delivery of culturally appropriate, high-quality health programs and services." We have a staff of over 120 professionals dedicated to advancing Tribal health for the 7th generation in the Pacific Northwest.

The NPAIHB's Strategic Plan 2020-2025 can be found here.

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The Data Engineer plays a crucial role in designing, building, and maintaining a modern data infrastructure for the NPAIHB Northwest Tribal Data Hub ("Data Hub") and other data systems within the organization. The Data Engineer works closely with the Data Hub and other teams and to create the architecture needed for data storage, processing, analysis, and secure transfer to Tribal leaders, public health professionals, and clinical staff.

The Data Engineer's work is pivotal in enhancing the capacity of Tribal public health departments to conduct data-driven activities, advancing Tribal data sovereignty, and empowering Northwest Tribes to improve health outcomes within their communities. The Data Engineer collaborates with epidemiologists, data content experts, Information Technology staff, project directors, and others to develop and implement scalable solutions which align with the objectives of the NPAIHB.

The Data Engineer reports to the IDEA-NW Project Director. This scope of work is housed within the Northwest Tribal EpiCenter (NWTEC or "EpiCenter") Division. This position is based at NPAIHB's offices in Portland, Oregon. Local travel and/or overnight travel outside of the area is required approximately 10% of the time.

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• Supports the creation and implementation of capacity building and quality improvement strategies based on the needs and priorities of Northwest Tribes
  
• Carries out updated Data Hub, EpiCenter, and organizational priorities throughout the year, as directed by Northwest Tribes, and through the NPAIHB Strategic Planning process and/or annual federal and state policy priorities
  
• Creates new and enhances existing systems and pipelines which enable efficient, reliable, and secure flow of data, including data ingestion, processing, and storage
  
• Loads data into storage systems and/or data warehouses, and transforms, cleans, and organizes data with dimensional modeling techniques to ensure accuracy, consistency, and efficient querying
  
• Structures and transforms data to ensure it is optimized for use in data visualization software, and enabling accurate and effective visual representations of epidemiological data
  
• Clearly and thoroughly documents database architecture and workflows to promote sustainability, consistency, and ease of maintenance
  
• Applies rigorous data quality checks and validation processes to guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the data released, emphasizing the importance of delivering correct and trustworthy data to support public health initiatives
  
• Optimizes data pipelines, infrastructure, and workflows for performance and scalability
  
• Monitors data pipelines and systems for performance issues errors, and anomalies, and implements solutions to address them
  
• Implements security measures to protect sensitive information
  
• Ensures all project data is maintained with complete confidentiality in accordance with the Federal Privacy Act, Institutional Review Board (IRB) specifications, and organizational policies regarding data management, analysis, and dissemination
  
• Ensures the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data by implementing and maintaining Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) processes
  
• Maintains and applies up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in data engineering, and incorporates these into the organization's data infrastructure as needed and appropriate
  
• Communicates effectively with partners at all levels of the organization to gather requirements, provide updates, and present findings
  
• Collaborates with epidemiologists, analysts, and other partners to understand current and future data needs and requirements as well as ensure data infrastructure supports organizational needs and objectives
  
• In collaboration with cross-functional teams, designs scalable solutions that meet organizational needs and demonstrate a clear understanding of data requirements
  
• Provides training and technical guidance to NPAIHB staff and others on preparing and structuring of data for visualization, and leveraging knowledge of visualization tools to support the creation of meaningful and insightful visual outputs
  

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• Supports organizational workgroups and other collaborative activities related to improving the NWTEC's data science capabilities and services
  
• Assists with the identification and preparation of grant applications which support project goals and objectives as needed
  
• Participates in and leads workgroups, meetings, site visits, and conferences to achieve project and organizational objectives as required
  
• Maintains well-organized filing systems for required documentation and supporting records (both electronic and hard copy) in compliance with both NPAIHB and funding agency requirements, including securely archiving files as appropriate
  
• Submits a Monthly Activity Report (MAR) to the IDEA-NW Project Director at the end of each month, and any additional reports required to track project activities as needed
  

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• Performs other duties as assigned by the EpiCenter Director and/or Executive Director or designee
  

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• Act in service to the Tribes and Tribal communities we serve
  
• Uphold the Mission, Values, and Vision of the NPAIHB
  
• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality with all NPAIHB information and documentation
  
• Consistently exhibit professional behavior and a high degree of personal and professional integrity and impartiality appropriate to the responsible and confidential nature of the position
  
• Exercise good judgment and initiative in performance of duties and responsibilities
  
• Demonstrate high emotional intelligence in the performance of all duties and responsibilities
  
• Orientation toward learning, innovation, service, and the building of second-line leadership
  
• Commitment to building an organizational culture which centers NPAIHB's service to Tribes, promotes professional excellence, and builds an environment where employees grow and thrive
  
• Commitment to build an inclusive workplace across a range of identities and experiences, including (but not limited to) geography, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, language, disability, religion, spiritual practices, and immigration status
  
• Sees diversity as a strength, and equity as a baseline
  
• Work in a cooperative manner with all levels of management and with all NPAIHB staff
  
• Effectively plan, organize workload, and schedule time to meet workload demands
  
• Use reasonable judgment to consistently display professional work attire during normal business hours, and/or dress appropriately for the workday, space, or event in lieu of a formal dress code
  
• Be present, available, and responsive for meetings and calls during regular working hours
  
• Commit to sharing knowledge and building expertise by participating in all virtual spaces in our workplace with cameras on
  
• Show consideration by communicating effectively and building collective understanding
  
• Recognize relationships are the cornerstone of NPAIHB's work by treating all NPAIHB delegates/ alternates, partners, staff, and American Indian/Alaska Native people with dignity and respect
  
• Participate willingly in NPAIHB activities
  

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Minimum education required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science or related field
  

Additional education preferred:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science or related field
  

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Minimum experience required:

• At least five (5) years of experience in a data engineering role
  
• Demonstrated experience building Structured Language Query (SQL) relational databases
  
• Demonstrated experience transitioning non-relational data into structured relational format, while ensuring seamless integration and optimized performance
  
• Experience gathering requirements, and designing and planning data models based on those requirements
  
• Experience transforming and preparing data into formats suitable for data visualization software, and structured for optimal use in dashboards and other visual outputs
  
• Experience providing training and technical assistance to upskill teams in data engineering and data science methods
  
• Experience with cloud computing platforms
  
• Experience working in a virtual environment with remote partners and teams
  

Additional experience preferred:

• Direct experience working with Tribes or Tribal organizations
  
• At least two (2) years of experience in a lead data engineering role
  
• Experience handling complex public health, health care, or other non-business data requiring advanced processing and analysis techniques
  
• Experience implementing data suppression techniques and familiarity with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Protected Health Information (PHI), and other data confidentiality regulations
  
• Experience transitioning Statistical Analysis System (SAS) datasets and analyses into relational database structures
  
• Experience with dimensional modeling in scenarios where dimensions and fields change over time
  
• Experience in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing environment, including building data pipelines such as AWS Relational Database Services (RDS), Amazon Aurora Serverless, AWS Glue, and Lambda
  
• Experience creating complex fields and visuals in AWS QuickSight or similar data visualization tools (Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, etc.)
  

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Minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required:

• Demonstrated knowledge, discretion, tact, judgment, and overall ability in working effectively with federal, Tribal, and other professionals, and facilitating participation and partnership in the activities of the NWTEC and Data Hub
  
• Strong understanding of database systems, including relational databases (such as MySQL or PostgreSQL) and NoSQL databases (such as MongoDB or Cassandra), with PostgreSQL preferred
  
• Comprehensive knowledge of data warehousing concepts and tools
  
• Expertise in data modeling, ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) processes, and data integration techniques
  
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies, software design patterns, and best practices
  
• Proficiency in SQL programming and other languages commonly used in data engineering, such as Python, Java, and Scala
  
• Proficiency with computer applications (specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office Suite programs)
  
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills
  
• Must be sensitive to cross-cultural differences, and able to work effectively within their context
  
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, exercise initiative, and make independent decisions and recommendations
  
• Ability to be flexible in adapting to evolving project requirements and priorities
  
• Ability to develop productive working relationships with colleagues and partners
  
• Ability to effectively convey technical concepts to non-technical partners
  
• Ability to make professional oral presentations in settings at the national, regional, and community levels, as well as in Tribal settings
  
• Ability to complete tasks in a timely and accurate manner
  
• Ability to travel occasionally (approximately 10% of the time)
  

Additional knowledge, skills, and abilities preferred:

• Proficiency in the object-relational database system Postgre SQL
  

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External applicants must agree to serve a minimum six-month probationary period during which time their employment can be terminated at will. For the purpose of evaluating job performance, internal applicants must agree to serve a minimum six-month probationary period when job duties change significantly.

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This position:

• Frequently involves sedentary work (exerting up to 10 pounds of force and/or a negligible amount of force to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body)
  
• Occasionally involves light work (exerting up to 20 pounds of force and/or up to 10 pounds of force and/or a negligible amount of force to move objects)
  

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This position:

• Consistently requires the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and expressing or exchanging ideas or important instructions accurately, loudly, or quickly
  
• Constantly requires working with fingers, rather than the whole hand or arm
  
• Constantly requires repetitive movement of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers
  
• Often requires walking or moving about to accomplish tasks
  
• Occasionally requires standing and/or sitting for sustained periods of time
  
• Occasionally requires ascending or descending stairs or ramps using feet and legs and/or hands and arms
  
• Occasionally requires raising objects from a lower to a higher position, or moving objects horizontally
  
• Occasionally requires stooping, which entails the use of the lower extremities and back muscles
  
• Infrequently requires crouching
  

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The worker is frequently subject to inside environmental conditions, which provide protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily from temperature changes, and is occasionally subject to outside environmental conditions.

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Local and/or overnight travel outside of the area is infrequently required. Attendance at quarterly NPAIHB Board Meetings is occasionally required. These meetings are held both locally and hosted by our member tribes on a rotating basis, typically taking place during the third or fourth weeks of January, April, July, and October, and typically require a minimum stay of two overnights per meeting.

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The individual must perform the essential duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation efficiently and accurately without causing a significant safety threat to self or others describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required of all personnel so classified.

Except as provided by Title 25, U.S.C. § 450e(b), which allows for Indian preference in hiring, the NPAIHB does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, politics, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, veteran or military status, genetic information, ancestry or any other characteristic protected by law.