Data Engineer - Business Technology Solutions Associate Consultant

ZS is a place where passion changes lives. As a management consulting and technology firm focused on improving life and how we live it , our most valuable asset is our people. Here you'll work side-by-side with a powerful collective of thinkers and experts shaping life-changing solutions for patients, caregivers and consumers, worldwide. ZSers drive impact by bringing a client first mentality to each and every engagement. We partner collaboratively with our clients to develop custom solutions and technology products that create value and deliver company results across critical areas of their business. Bring your curiosity for learning; bold ideas; courage an d passion to drive life-changing impact to ZS.
Our most valuable asset is our people .
At ZS we honor the visible and invisible elements of our identities, personal experiences and belief systems-the ones that comprise us as individuals, shape who we are and
make us unique. We believe your personal interests, identities, and desire to learn are part of your success here. Learn more about our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and the networks ZS supports to assist our ZSers in cultivating community spaces, obtaining the resources they need to thrive, and sharing the messages they are passionate about.
Lead Data Engineer
The Health Plan and Provider (HPP) team within ZS is a growth venture, focused on a strategic set of offerings and client segments that can unlock the ZS mission/vision - helping improve life and how we live it. Within ZS, HPP operates like a mission-oriented start-up backed by a large global firm. HPP's goal is to build the ecosystem of payer/provider clients that have a similar mindset to long term partnership, innovation in the healthcare industry, and unlocking the synergies across various sectors within healthcare and beyond. The team is growing quickly and looking for passionate team members who care first and foremost about impact and core values - we pride ourselves on being true to spirit of client value creation, true culture of collaboration, and human-centric service. Through our vision, strategy, and investments, we seek to disrupt the traditional healthcare consulting market and elevate our society to new levels of functioning. This venture is not for the feint of heart - we work hard, play hard, and bring our complete selves to work.
What You'll Do

• Lead cross-functional teams (including specialists, developers, and operators) to deliver end-to-end data engineering solutions that support critical decision-making in the payer and provider space.
• Architect and implement scalable, secure, and high-performance data pipelines and platforms using Python, Spark, and Databricks, particularly for payer data and analytics, value-based care analytics, STAR ratings, healthcare interoperability, clinical decision support, population health management, , operational efficiency, capacity planning, data governance, compliance and remote patient monitoring use cases.
• Translate complex healthcare client needs into actionable technical requirements and build solutions that drive measurable business value.
• Design and deploy cloud-based architectures on platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP that support high-throughput, resilient data workflows.
• Establish and maintain data engineering best practices for coding, performance tuning, documentation, and pipeline monitoring.
• Collaborate with ZS consultants, client teams, and internal engineering stakeholders to deliver solutions aligned with project goals and regulatory expectations (e.g., HIPAA).
• Lead the development of reusable frameworks and components to improve efficiency and consistency across healthcare engagements.
• Contribute to client presentations and discussions, articulating technical designs and project impact to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in data engineering, cloud platforms, and the healthcare data ecosystem.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field.
• 6-8 years of experience in data engineering, with at least 3 years in a consulting or client-facing role in healthcare or life sciences.
• Strong programming skills in Python with deep experience in Apache Spark for building distributed data processing pipelines.
• Hands-on experience using Databricks for developing, optimizing, and deploying large-scale data solutions.
• Proven ability to design data solutions leveraging event-driven architectures (e.g., Kafka, Kinesis) for near-real-time analytics use cases.
• Experience with data observability and lineage tools to ensure data quality, traceability, and governance.
• Design and optimize data pipelines and feature stores that support AI/ML lifecycle needs-including model training, inference, monitoring, and retraining-working closely with data scientists and MLOps teams.
• Demonstrated success in translating healthcare business KPIs into actionable data strategy and engineering outcomes.
• Experience collaborating with product managers or business leaders to define data products and roadmaps, particularly in payer/provider contexts.
• Strong consulting acumen with the ability to independently lead discovery sessions, propose technical solutions, and scope work with clients.
• History of influencing senior stakeholders through story-driven technical presentations and well-structured recommendations
• Proficiency in both structured (SQL-based) and unstructured (NoSQL) data systems; experience with cloud-native tools (e.g., AWS Redshift, Azure Synapse, GCP BigQuery).
• Experience integrating real-world healthcare datasets (e.g., EHRs, claims, patient registries, clinical trial data) is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with healthcare compliance standards such as HIPAA, and experience building secure, auditable data solutions in a regulated environment.
• Experience with CI/CD tools, version control (e.g., Git), and workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, Azure Data Factory).
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills with a demonstrated ability to work across multidisciplinary teams.

Additional Skills:

• Strong client presence. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing technical concepts to all audiences;

• Ability to manage a virtual global team environment that contributes to the overall timely delivery of multiple projects;

• Knowledge of current data modeling, and data warehouse concepts, issues, practices, methodologies, and trends;

• Experience with analyzing and troubleshooting the interaction between databases, operating systems, and applications;

• Significant supervisory, coaching and hands-on project management skills;

• Willingness to travel to other global offices as needed to work with client or other internal project teams.

Perks & Benefits:
ZS offers a comprehensive total rewards package including health and well-being, financial planning, annual leave, personal growth and professional development. Our robust skills development programs, multiple career progression options and internal mobility paths and collaborative culture empowers you to thrive as an individual and global team member.
We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections.
Travel:
Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.
Considering applying?
At ZS, we're building a diverse and inclusive company where people bring their passions to inspire life-changing impact and deliver better outcomes for all. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and recognize the value that candidates with all backgrounds, including non-traditional ones, bring. If you are interested in joining us, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet 100% of the requirements listed above.
ZS is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment and advancement opportunities without regard to any class protected by applicable law.
To Complete Your Application:
Candidates must possess or be able to obtain work authorization for their intended country of employment.An on-line application, including a full set of transcripts (official or unofficial), is required to be considered.
NO AGENCY CALLS, PLEASE.
Find Out More At:
www.zs.com
Salary: $117,500.00 - $155,000.00