Director of Engineering

Who we are: At Arkana Laboratories, everyone has an important role to fill. Come join us and be a part of a team dedicated to making life better for those who need it most.

This place is packed with super-smart people who do their best work together. We work hard every day to advance our understanding of disease and provide world-class care to our patients in hopes of leaving our corner of the world a little better than we found it. While we are committed to improving the lives of thousands of patients, we never lose sight of the realization that they are the reason we get to create change in our field.

Built on generosity, teamwork, and the freedom to try new things, we take great pride in our work. Great ideas come from everywhere in this company and we celebrate each success and failure for the opportunity it gives us to keep reaching. For more than twenty years after our founder, Dr. Patrick Walker, wrote his goals on the back of a napkin, our people, culture, and values have remained strong.

About the position: Arkana Laboratories is the largest and most advanced renal pathology laboratory in the country. We're building AI models that change how pathologists work, architecting a proprietary LIS from the ground up, and scaling our engineering capabilities to match our ambitions. We need a Director of Engineering to lead a team of ~9 (growing to 12-15), partner with our CTO and Product team, and make foundational technical decisions that will help define our competitive advantage for years. If you're a builder who gets excited by architecting systems from early stages, implementing AI in production healthcare environments, and scaling teams—this is your role.

WHAT YOU'RE WALKING INTO

Day 1 Team:

• Manager of Data & Analytics (direct report)
• ~6-8 software and data people
• Close partnership with Product team and Manager of Technology Operations

What You'll Build:

• Proprietary LIS from early stages (one module may be live when you start—you'll help architect the rest)
• AI/ML models integrated into production pathology workflows
• Arkana Connect platform (React-based) and custom applications
• Data infrastructure supporting advanced analytics and ML deployment
• Engineering practices and team capabilities as we scale

The Reality:

• Early-stage proprietary technology with high impact potential
• Legacy systems transitioning to cloud-native platforms
• Dedicated Product function—you'll work side-by-side, not in a vacuum
• Significant influence on architecture, AI strategy, and development standards
• Opportunities for expanded scope as we grow
• Other duties as assigned

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Build & Architect

• Own technical architecture for our proprietary LIS, making foundational decisions on stack, data models, and system design
• Drive AI/ML implementation in production pathology workflows
• Lead development of Arkana Connect and custom applications
• Establish engineering standards, CI/CD practices, and development processes

Partner & Deliver

• Work closely with Product on roadmap, feasibility, and delivery planning
• Collaborate with Manager of Technology Operations on cloud infrastructure and security
• Come alongside the data and analytics team in expanding the great work they've started
• Translate product vision into technical strategy and executable plans

Lead & Scale

• Mentor Manager of Data & Analytics and engineering team
• Expand your team over next 12 months
• Build collaborative culture between engineering and product
• Create scalable processes and team structures that grow with organizational needs

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Experience:

• 8-10 years software engineering
• 3-5 years engineering leadership
• Track record scaling engineering teams
• Healthcare or regulated industry strongly preferred

Technical:

• Modern software development (React, JavaScript frameworks)
• Custom application architecture from early stages
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Data engineering, analytics platforms (Tableau preferred)
• Agile/DevOps methodologies, CI/CD practices

Preferred:

• CS or Engineering degree
• LIS, EHR, or healthcare platform experience
• Healthcare data standards (HL7, FHIR) and HIPAA compliance
• AI/ML deployment and lifecycle management
• System architecture for scalability and maintainability

What Makes You Successful:

• You're a builde