Senior Data Platform Engineer (Contract)

Company Summary:

Founded through Flagship Pioneering’s venture creation engine, Terrana Biosciences is a cutting-edge agricultural biotechnology company developing innovative RNA-based products to address global agricultural challenges. We are committed to advancing sustainable farming solutions through precision technologies that ensure environmental safety and regulatory compliance.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a skilled and strategy-minded contract Senior Data Platform Engineer with strong database administration expertise to design, implement, and maintain scalable data systems that support our growing scientific and operational needs. This role will focus on building platform-agnostic, cloud-native infrastructure—primarily in AWS—that underpins key scientific software such as Benchling, ticketing systems, analytics platforms, and high-throughput lab workflows.

You will partner closely with bioinformatics, data science, and lab operations teams to ensure our data is structured, accessible, and reliable for both routine and high-volume needs.

You’ll play a pivotal role in transforming how we manage and leverage scientific data—helping us drive innovation, increase data integrity, and future-proof our data systems. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful science with cutting-edge infrastructure and a mission-driven team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain relational and non-relational databases in AWS (RDS, Redshift, DynamoDB, etc.)
• Lead data model architecture for scientific workflows, ticketing systems, and knowledge platforms
• Develop and manage data pipelines for ingesting, cleaning, and transforming lab and operational data
• Implement and enforce data governance, security, and access control best practices
• Collaborate with software engineers and domain scientists to ensure optimal database performance and alignment with scientific tools (e.g., Benchling)
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize database performance and resource usage
• Document and automate standard procedures for system maintenance, updates, and data access
• Leverage generative AI tools (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or custom LLMs) to accelerate scripting, automate documentation, improve query generation, or enhance system monitoring and diagnostic

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Bioinformatics, or a related field (required)
• 6+ years of experience in database administration, data engineering, or infrastructure roles in a life sciences or biotech environment
• Deep experience with AWS cloud services, including RDS, Athena, S3, and IAM
• Proficient in SQL, data modeling, and ETL/ELT workflows
• Familiarity with version control, CI/CD, and infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a technical field or equivalent professional experience in cloud-based data infrastructure or scientific computing preferred
• Exposure to platforms like Benchling, Smartsheet, or LIMS
• Familiarity with scientific data standards and FAIR principles
• Scripting experience (Python, Shell) for automation and data transformation
• Experience applying generative AI tools to support infrastructure automation, data engineering, or operational tooling.
• Interest in emerging AI-native workflows to enhance data and platform productivity.

About Flagship

Flagship Pioneering is a bioplatform innovation company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.