Senior Data Engineer Core Science

We are redefining how people approach their health

ZOE is combining scientific research at a scale never before imagined and cutting-edge AI to improve the health of millions.  

Created by the world’s top scientists, our personalised nutrition program is reimagining a fundamental human need – eating well for your own body. Currently available in the US and the UK, ZOE is already helping > 100k ZOE members to adopt healthier habits and live better. Our work and expertise in biology, engineering, data science, and nutrition science have led to multiple breakthrough papers in leading scientific journals such as Nature Medicine, Science, The Lancet, and more.

To learn more, head to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Audible to listen to our Science & Nutrition Podcast (with 3 million listens!) 

A remote-first, high-growth startup, we are backed by founders, investors, and entrepreneurs who have built multi-billion dollar technology companies. We are always looking for innovative thinkers and builders to join our team on a thrilling mission to tackle epic health problems. Together, we can improve human health and touch millions of lives. 

We value inclusivity, transparency, ownership, open-mindedness and diversity. We are passionate about delivering great results and learning in the open. We want our teams to have the freedom to make long-term, high-impact decisions, and the well-being of our teammates and the people around us is a top priority.

Check out what life is like for our tech team on ZOE Tech.

We’re looking for a Senior Data Engineer to take ZOE even further.

About the team

The mission of the Core Science team is to transform research trials and data into personalised actionable recommendations that reach our members. We are currently developing a feedback loop to measure the efficacy of ZOE's nutrition and health advice, which will drive the evolution of our recommendations. In addition, the team is conducting supplementary studies in key areas, such as the microbiome, and constructing a platform to facilitate these trials alongside the main product. The team also maintains close collaboration with other stream-aligned teams to deliver scientific discoveries directly to the app.

We operate in a very dynamic and rewarding environment, where we work closely with all sorts of stakeholders to find the best solutions for both the business and our potential customers. Our agile, cross-functional teams use continuous delivery and regular feedback to ensure we deliver value to our customers on a daily basis. Our systems make use of Python, dbt, Apache Airflow, Kotlin, Typescript, React, and FastAPI. We deploy and operate our software using Kubernetes and ML models using VertexAI in GCP. 

About the role

As a Senior data engineer in the Core Science team, you will be working with scientists, data scientists and other engineers to build a platform that empowers our team to conduct scientific research trials and improve the efficacy of ZOE’s nutrition and health advice. Every line of code you write will be a catalyst for groundbreaking discoveries.

In this role, you will also have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the personal and professional development of our team by providing guidance, support, and expertise. You will play a crucial role in helping individuals achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and maximise their potential.

• Defining the data requirements from the research trials that the core Science team will run alongside data coming from the main product experience.
• Automating data collection from a variety of sources (e.g. labs, questionnaires, study coordination tools).orchestrating integration of data derived from these trials into our data warehouse. 
• Coordinating with different product teams to ensure a seamless App experience for both study participants and paid customers. 
• Ensuring consistency and accuracy of all study data used for research and product development.  
• Conducting exploratory data analysis to understand data patterns and trends. 
• Creating algorithms and ML models when necessary.  
• Ensuring data security and compliance with regulatory standards.
• Ensuring data accessibility to internal and external stakeholders with up-to-date documentation on data sources and schemes. 

• +6 years of experience in data engineering roles, with a proven track record of working on data integration, ETL processes, and data warehousing 
• Are proficient in Python and SQL and have experience with Data Warehouses (ex: BigQuery, SnowFlake) and interactive computing environments like Jupyter Notebooks.
• Have knowledge of data governance principles and best practices for ensuring data quality, security, and compliance with regulatory standards.
• Are detail-oriented and data-savvy to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data. 
• Are someone who strives to keep their code clean, tests complete and maintained, and their releases frequent.
• Have experience with cloud platforms like Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and platforms to schedule and monitor data workflows like Apache Airflow.
• Have a solid understanding of best practices around CI/CD, containers and what a great release process looks like. 
• Have the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Have a mindset of collaboration, innovation, and a passion for contributing to groundbreaking scientific discoveries.

• Have experience with dbt and Apache Airflow. 
• Have experience with ML modelling and ML Ops. 
• Have experience with privacy-preserving technologies such as federated learning and data synthesis.

These are the ideal skills, attributes, and experience we’re looking for in this role. Don’t worry if you don’t tick all the boxes, especially on the skills and experience front, we’re happy to upskill for the right candidate. 

Life as a ZOEntist – what you can expect from us:

As well as industry-benchmarked compensation and all the hardware and software you need, we offer a thoughtfully-curated list of benefits. We expect this list to evolve as we continue supporting our team members’ long-term personal and professional growth, and their wellbeing. 

Remote-first: Work flexibly – from home, our London office, or anywhere within the EU 

Stock options: So you can share in our growth 

Paid time off: 28 days paid leave (25 holiday days, plus 2 company-wide reset days, and 1 “life event” day) 

Enhanced Parental Leave: On top of the statutory offering

Flexible private healthcare and life assurance options

Pension contribution: Pay monthly or top up  – your choice. 

Health and wellbeing: Like our Employee Assistance Program and Cycle to Work Scheme

Social, WFH, and Growth (L&D) budgets. Plus, multiple opportunities to connect, grow, and socialise 

We’re all about equal opportunities 

We know that a successful team is made up of diverse people, able to be their authentic selves. To continue growing our team in the best way, we believe that equal opportunities matter, so we encourage candidates from any underrepresented backgrounds to apply for this role. You can view our Equal Opportunities statement in full here. 

A closer look at ZOE 

Think you’ve heard our name somewhere before? We were the team behind the COVID Symptom Study, which has since become the ZOE Health Study (ZHS). We use the power of community science to conduct large-scale research from the comfort of contributors’ own homes. Our collective work and expertise in biology, engineering, and data/nutrition science have led to multiple breakthrough papers in leading scientific journals such as Nature Medicine, Science, The Lancet, and more.

Seen ZOE in the media recently? Catch our co-founder Professor Tim Spector (one of the world’s most cited scientists) and our Chief Scientist Dr Sarah Berry on this BBC Panorama, and listen to CEO Jonathan Wolf unpack the latest in science and nutrition on our ZOE podcast.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why ZOE? It translates to “Life” in Greek, which we’re helping ZOE members enjoy to the fullest.

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