Data & Engineering Manager

Department

PSD Data Science: DDRI Leadership

About the Department

The Data Science Institute at the University of Chicago was established to support the development of emerging efforts in data science across the University. The staff in the Data Science Institute support the University’s community of scholars, their shared ideals, and the core values that make the University a singular intellectual destination. Together with the University's deans and department chairs, the Data Science Institute provides the opportunities, infrastructure, and resources that encourage our faculty and other scholars to pursue their finest work. We are part of the Physical Sciences Division which includes departments and several interdisciplinary research institutes and centers.

Job Summary

The Data & Democracy Research Initiative (DDRI) Data and Engineering Manager will lead the DDRI technical research team. The successful candidate will both understand how to establish and nurture software development best practices and is also excited by the opportunity to lead a team in a dynamic academic environment. They will have significant technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: cloud computing, database design, web-based applications or machine learning. The Engineering Manager will have significant decision-making capability on both which projects are selected to be worked on and how those projects are executed.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of engineers and students contributing to projects across DDRI activities driving the development of robust, scalable, core components.

• Provide mentorship to engineers and students and share your passion for staying on top of tech trends, experimenting with and learning new technologies.

• Establish processes to triage bugs, track software defects, and ensure their timely resolution. Define and steward technical standards and code quality .

• Oversee internal computing resources.

• Work closely with faculty to develop novel research and act as the principal liaison to faculty research partners.

• Develop, apply and communicate standards for evaluating project proposals based on technical merit and other institutional goals.

• Develop and communicate program priorities and performance standards and assess operations using these criteria.

• Participate and direct code review and code evaluation activities.

• Act a subject matter expert and technical lead on one or more areas of database design, cloud deployment, microservices, develops best practices.

• Manages professional staff that support and develop cluster partnership programs, consultant partnership programs, new faculty programs, and outreach programs.

• Monitors achievement of programmatic and operational goals. Directs the management of projects, as appropriate, including ensuring that all priorities are reasonably set and appropriately met.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced degree.

Experience:

• Significant experience with professional software development management.
• Experience using and developing on one of the major cloud providers (AWS, GCP or Azure).
• Significant experience developing code in Python with knowledge of Node.js and a compiled language such as C/C++.
• Project management experience using agile methodologies (scrum, kanban, etc.).
• Strong foundation in data management and data science.
• Cloud computing cost estimation and budgeting.
• Experience with research universities or research environments; experience working with faculty, students, and researchers.
• Strong analytical skills and problem solving.
• Student mentoring experience.
• Demonstrated communication skills and the ability to break down complex technical problems.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover letter (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

​
FLSA Status

Exempt

​
Pay Range

$135,000.00 - $150,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook .

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.