Senior Python / GCP Data Engineer

Position: Senior Python / GCP Data Engineer
Location: Remote
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $2,000–$3,000 USD per month (depending on experience)
Working Hours: Must be available during U.S. business hours (Eastern Time Zone)
Experience Level: Mid-Level to Senior (4+ years preferred)

Job Overview
We are looking for an experienced Python / GCP Data Engineer to design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines, backend APIs, and cloud-based data processing systems.
The ideal candidate has strong experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Python, FastAPI, BigQuery, Apache Iceberg, and DuckDB, along with a solid understanding of modern data engineering architectures.
Experience in the healthcare industry is highly preferred, particularly working with healthcare datasets, FHIR, HL7, or HIPAA-compliant systems.

Key Responsibilities
Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows using Python and GCP.
Develop high-performance RESTful APIs and microservices using FastAPI.
Build and optimize analytical data solutions using BigQuery, Apache Iceberg, and DuckDB.
Integrate data from multiple sources, including REST APIs, databases, cloud storage, and third-party systems.
Design and maintain data lake and lakehouse architectures.
Work with GCP services such as Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, Dataflow, Dataproc, and Cloud Composer.
Optimize SQL queries, data processing performance, and cloud infrastructure costs.
Implement data validation, quality checks, monitoring, and error handling.
Develop automated testing and CI/CD pipelines for backend services and data workflows.
Collaborate with engineering and product teams to deliver reliable, production-ready solutions.
Implement secure data access, authentication, and authorization following cloud security best practices.

Required Qualifications
4+ years of professional experience in Python backend development or data engineering.
Strong hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Advanced Python programming skills, including asynchronous programming and data processing.
Production experience building APIs using FastAPI.
Strong SQL skills and experience with Google BigQuery.
Experience with Apache Iceberg, DuckDB, or similar modern analytical data technologies.
Experience building ETL/ELT pipelines and handling large datasets.
Familiarity with data modeling, partitioning, indexing, and query optimization.
Experience with Docker, Git, and CI/CD pipelines.
Understanding of cloud IAM, service accounts, authentication, and security.
Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
Good English communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Previous experience in the U.S. healthcare industry.
Knowledge of healthcare data standards such as FHIR, HL7, and EHR/EMR integrations.
Understanding of HIPAA compliance and secure handling of PHI/PII.
Experience with GCP Healthcare API and FHIR data processing.
Experience with Apache Airflow, dbt, Apache Beam, or PySpark.
Familiarity with Terraform and Infrastructure as Code.
Experience with PostgreSQL, Redis, or other database technologies.
Knowledge of data governance, observability, and performance monitoring.

Working Hours & Availability
U.S. time zone availability is a strict requirement for this position.
Must be available during U.S. Eastern Time (ET) business hours.
Full-time commitment of approximately 40 hours per week.
Must be able to attend daily standups, technical discussions, and team meetings.
Strong communication skills and responsiveness during working hours are essential.
Candidates unable to maintain consistent U.S. time zone availability will not be considered.