Senior Data Scientist/Engineer

• UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health

• Apply data engineer expertise to the ATLAS Research and Surveillance Network

• Be part of an organisation with a meaningful purpose and impact 

• Plan for your future with a generous 17% superannuation allowance 

• Based at the centrally located Toowong office

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world.

Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.

Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:

• 26 weeks paid parental leave or 14 weeks paid primary caregiver leave

• 17% superannuation contributions

• 17.5% annual leave loading

• Access to flexible working arrangements including hybrid working options and flexible start/finish times

• Health and wellness discounts – fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family

• Salary packaging options

About This Opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Data Scientist/Engineer to join the ATLAS Indigenous Primary Care Surveillance and Research Network within the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.

The ATLAS Indigenous Primary Care Surveillance and Research Network is a sentinel surveillance system led from the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. It was established to monitor sexually transmissible infection and blood-borne virus testing, diagnosis and management data, with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) as principal stakeholders. There are currently 38 sites involved in the ATLAS Network, contributing over 9 million records from more than 200,000 individuals. We are working to triple the number of ACCHOs participating in the network, connect with the mainstream services that also provide primary care to Indigenous communities, and expand surveillance to capture a wider range of clinical domains, such as vaccine-preventable and other infectious diseases. The project is building the largest connected Indigenous primary care surveillance network in Australia. Our work supports increased capacity for ACCHOs to provide high quality, evidence-based, best practice clinical care for improved health outcomes for Indigenous peoples.

The primary purpose of the Senior Data Scientist/Engineer is to lead the ongoing development and delivery of the ATLAS Network’s data pipeline.

The ATLAS Indigenous Primary Care Surveillance and Research Network uses the GRHANITE data extraction software—developed by the University of Melbourne—to link deidentified person-level clinical data within and between participating sites. Rapid expansion of both the reach and scope of the ATLAS network, adding both new sites and additional clinical domains, requires ongoing development of the project’s data pipeline, SQL server infrastructure and online dashboard security protocols. The Senior Data Scientist/Engineer will play a critical role in these activities, alongside the ATLAS Data Manager and ATLAS team Analysts.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Working as the senior member of the data team, provide specialist expertise on appropriate infrastructure, approaches, and methodologies as relevant to ATLAS.

• Leading the ongoing development of the ATLAS data pipeline and server infrastructure to ensure sustainable growth.

• Providing expert scientific and technical advice to maximise research outcomes at all stages of the research process life cycle.

• Contributing to the data infrastructure’s ongoing maintenance by undertake quality assurance and improvement activities in collaboration with the ATLAS Data Manager and Analysts.

• Contributing to quality assurance, control, and improvement activities, in collaboration with senior research staff and stakeholders.

• Contributing significant subject matter expertise to the maintenance of metadata, codebooks, and other administrative documentation to ensure the integrity and sustainability of the ATLAS network.

• Managing compliance with approved research ethics protocols.

• Complying with Safe Operating Procedures, Risk Assessments, and safety processes.

• Supporting a proactive safety culture and implement continuous improvement.

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term position for up to 2 years.

At HEW level 8 the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $106,838 - $119,780, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $125,000 - $140,143 annually. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

About You

• Completion of a post graduate qualification in software engineering, computer science, information technology or related discipline with considerable relevant experience or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.

• A PhD, Research Masters or progress towards a PhD/Research Masters in software engineering, computer science, information technology or related discipline would be highly regarded in this role.

• Substantial experience building and optimising data pipelines, architectures, and schemas (e.g., DBT, SSIS).

• Substantial experience in data manipulation and analysis using SQL and/or Python.

• Experience managing data system access and security.

• Experience with database administration (e.g., Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle).

• Experience with full-stack web development is highly desirable.

• Experience working with healthcare data, particularly primary healthcare data. Working knowledge of the GRHANITE tool is a significant advantage.

• High level of organisational ability and initiative, and the capacity to manage competing demands in a complex team environment.

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

• A commitment to upholding the highest standard of research integrity, ethics and workplace health and safety.

• Commitment to upholding the University’s values, and with the outstanding personal qualities of openness, respectfulness, and integrity.

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

• Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment. 

• Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits. 

Questions?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Dr Clare Bradley at [email protected] .

For application queries, please contact [email protected] stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line. 
 

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Cover letter addressing the ‘About You’ section  

• Resume 

Other Information

At UQ we know that our greatest strengths come from our diverse mix of colleagues, this is reflected in our ongoing commitment to creating an environment focused on equity, diversity and inclusion .  We ensure that we are always attracting, retaining and promoting colleagues who are representative of the diversity in the broader community, whether that be gender identity , LGBTQIA+ , cultural and/or linguistic , Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples , or people with a disability . Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected]  

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close Sunday 7 January 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (Job Reference Number - R-33210). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for week commencing 15 January 2024.

Please note that UQ will be closed from 23 December until 2 January (inclusive). All applicants for this position will be contacted in the new year. We thank you for your patience during this time.