Head of Data Platform Engineering
Benchling
Biotechnology is rewriting life as we know it, from the medicines we take, to the crops we grow, the materials we wear, and the household goods that we rely on every day. But moving at the new speed of science requires better technology.
Benchling’s mission is to unlock the power of biotechnology. The world’s most innovative biotech companies use Benchling’s R&D Cloud to power the development of breakthrough products and accelerate time to milestone and market.
Come help us bring modern software to modern science.
ROLE OVERVIEW
Benchling’s Data Platform powers high‑scale scientific workflows at the world’s leading biotech firms. In collaboration with peers from Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Stripe, our Platform & Infrastructure teams build the core architecture, AI infrastructure, and platform services that ensure our system is extensible, performant, reliable, and secure by default.
We are seeking a visionary, deeply technical senior leader to own the architecture, strategy, and delivery of our Data Platform. This person will direct development across:
- Data modeling & schema systems
- Data storage layers (transactional and reporting data lakes / warehouses)
- Data Lineage and quality management systems
- Data Processing pipelines, including CDC and batch systems
- Search and indexing infrastructure
- APIs and extensibility to enable self-service
You will report to our VP/SVP of Engineering and help shape a platform that scales with our ambitious growth.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership & Architecture
- Define and drive the long‑term platform roadmap aligned with business and digital transformation goals .
- Architect cloud‑native, hybrid data systems (AWS-native, lakehouse, Snowflake/Databricks integrations) while owning build-vs-buy and financial strategies.
Technical Strategy & Execution
- Own core technology decisions: data models, storage frameworks, pipeline frameworks, search infrastructure.
- Manage risks and resolve issues that affect release scope, schedule and quality
- Champion a "platform as a product" mindset, focusing on developer experience, self-service capabilities, and robust documentation to empower engineering, analytics, and data science teams.
Team Leadership & Enablement
- Hire, mentor and grow a multi-team organization of 25 engineers and managers.
- Mentor senior engineers and facilitate cross‑functional collaboration across applications, AI/ML, infrastructure, and product teams.
Data Governance & Quality
- Establish and evolve standards for data governance, lineage, metadata, and data quality.
- Collaborate tightly with Data Governance, Security, and Product teams to ensure enterprise-level compliance and best practices .
Innovation & Emerging Tech
- Stay current with trends in AI/ML, real-time streaming, lakehouse architecture, and DevOps/DataOps best practices .
- Drive continuous research and POCs to ensure our platform remains innovative and future-proof.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 12+ years of experience in data architecture, pond computing, data engineering, or platform roles.
- Proven track record of leading large-scale, enterprise-grade data platforms at SaaS or high-growth technology companies.
- Hands-on experience designing and operating data lakes, warehouses, lakes, real-time pipelines, search indexing, and data APIs.
- Proficiency in SQL, Python, and ETL/ELT frameworks; experience working with Databricks, Snowflake, or similar technologies.
- Strong leadership in governance, security, compliance, and performance optimization of cloud data environments.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills - able to translate complex technical concepts into business value.
- Bachelor’s degree in CS, Engineering, or equivalent experience; advanced degrees a plus.
HOW WE WORK
We offer a flexible hybrid work arrangement that prioritizes in-office collaboration. Employees are expected to be on-site 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday).
SALARY RANGE
Benchling takes a market-based approach to pay. The candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and work location. For this role the base salary range is $232,344 - $348,516
To help you determine which zone applies to your location, please see this resource. If you have questions regarding a specific location's zone designation, please contact a recruiter for additional information.
Total Compensation includes the following:
- Competitive salary and equity
- Broad range of medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and their dependents
- Fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits
- Four months of fully paid parental leave
- 401(k) + Employer Match
- Commuter benefits for in-office employees and a generous home office set up stipend for remote employees
- Mental health benefits, including therapy and coaching, for employees and their dependents
- Monthly Wellness stipend
- Learning and development stipend
- Generous and flexible vacation
- Company-wide Winter holiday shutdown
- Sabbaticals for 5-year and 10-year anniversaries
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Benchling welcomes everyone.
We believe diversity enriches our team so we hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
We are an equal opportunity employer. That means we don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Please be aware that Benchling will never request personal information, payment, or sensitive details outside of Greenhouse or via email. All official communications will come from an @benchling.com email address or from an approved vendor alias. If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent Benchling and are unsure of their legitimacy, please reach out to us at recruiting-fraud-alert@benchling.com to verify the communication.
