Staff Software Engineer - Data Platforms
About the job
- You have led the architectural design of systems.
- You are highly proficient in cloud engineering, preferably in Azure, with AWS and Google Cloud Platform experience also relevant.
- You have experience building cloud-native solutions using Kubernetes, Helm, and Docker to move and process large amounts of data at pace and scale, including storing, searching, and filtering large-scale data.
- You are highly proficient with Infrastructure as Code, including Terraform and Ansible.
- You are highly proficient in Python.
- You have experience with Spark, Databricks, and data lakes or lakehouses.
- You have knowledge of data modelling and design patterns, in-depth knowledge of relational databases such as PostgreSQL, and familiarity with blob, document, and graph data stores.
- You are highly proficient in modern agile development practices, including code review, test-driven development, continuous integration and continuous delivery, and pairing, using tools such as Git and GitHub.
- You have experience operationally managing live software components or services, including observability, logging, error reporting, debugging, and live incident management, with tools such as Grafana, Prometheus, or New Relic.
- You have experience working with sensitive personal data.
- You have experience working in cross-functional teams consisting of engineers, product, user experience, and non-technical stakeholders.
- You can communicate with stakeholders and audiences at different levels.
- You understand operational, security, and legal factors in solution design and can articulate trade-offs and make informed technology decisions.
- You have experience working in small, growing organisations with significant ambiguity.
- You have a strong understanding of software quality principles and practices.
- You have experience mentoring and coaching less experienced engineers.
- You are comfortable facilitating technical discussions, encouraging collaboration, and providing direction.
- Guide the technical decisions made by the squad alongside the product manager and engineering manager.
- Represent technology, architecture, and engineering in cross-functional project teams throughout the project lifecycle, from ideation to implementation.
- Identify optimal solutions for challenges, communicate them to stakeholders, and work with others to implement them.
- Act as a guiding technical and architectural influence for the engineering area with the Head of Data Engineering and peer Staff and Lead Engineers.
- Identify areas for improvement and work with other leaders to implement them.
- Lead decision-making on critical technical strategy and implementations affecting the business area.
- Identify opportunities for and carry out high-impact hands-on engineering work.
- Work with partners and suppliers to integrate their systems with Our Future Health’s systems.
- Support colleagues through pairing, peer reviews, coaching, discussions, and other collaborative activities that help deliver high-quality software products.
- Participate in live operations support rotations, monitor live systems, react to potential incidents, and support operations teams such as customer support, including possible out-of-hours on-call work.
- Anticipate pipeline problems and take preventive action; identify and describe incidents and develop short- and long-term solutions.
- Keep current with software engineering best practices across industry, research, and government, and identify opportunities to apply them at Our Future Health.
- Experience with orchestration tools such as Dagster, Prefect, and Airflow.
- Experience working with health data, including genetic, clinical, or National Health Service data.
- Knowledge and experience with FHIR and health data models such as OMOP, PCORnet, i2b2, and CDISC.
About the company
Our Future Health is a UK charity running the country's largest health research programme. It invites up to five million adults to participate by completing a questionnaire and giving a blood sample, with their data linked to health records. This creates a detailed picture of the nation’s health to help researchers find new ways to prevent, detect, and treat diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and dementia. The project combines ethical, practical, and technological work to handle vast amounts of data and develop useful insights. Unlike smaller studies, it aims for large-scale, long-term data collection across the entire population. The ultimate goal is to help future generations stay healthier for longer by guiding better disease prevention and care.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Founded
2020
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- July 2025 government funding reached £354 million for 2026-2030 expansion.
- August 2026 Moorfields Eye Charity joined, widening disease-specific credibility and reach.
- Mobile clinics in Scotland and Wales broaden underrepresented recruitment across communities.
What critics are saying
- BMJ's July 2025 critique attacked consent, privacy, and polygenic risk feedback.
- Public trust faces conflict scrutiny after Sir John Bell's Roche shareholding controversy.
- Existential risk: weak participant understanding and industry bias damage recruitment before five million.
What makes Our Future Health unique
- UKRI-backed cohort reached 2,021,810 questionnaires by June 2026.
- First cohort of its kind offering researchers 2 million-plus questionnaire records.
- Clinical Research Recruitment Service launched April 2026 for selective trials by genotype.
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Benefits
Paid Vacation
Parental Leave
Employee Referral Bonus
Flexible Work Hours
Remote Work Options
Wellness Program
Mental Health Support
Company News
Mobile health study clinic opens at Chepstow Tesco car park. A mobile health research clinic by Our Future Health has arrived in Chepstow (Image: Supplied) A mobile health research clinic has arrived in Chepstow. Part of the UK's largest health research programme, Our Future Health, the programme aims to help improve disease prevention, detection, and treatment. The Chepstow clinic will operate for two weeks from the Tesco car park on Station Road. Dr Raghib Ali, chief executive and chief medical officer of Our Future Health, said: "We're thrilled to launch our mobile clinic roadshow this summer, enabling even more people to get involved in Our Future Health. "It's essential that our programme represents people across the UK, so that research can reflect the health and needs of people in these areas. "We are committed to ensuring that the people who participate reflect the whole of Wales, including younger people and those from more deprived backgrounds, both groups who are often under-represented in research. "These new clinics will travel to areas of Wales that we haven't been to before, so more people can take part to learn about their own health and help to improve the health of everyone in Wales." The 15 to 20 minute appointments include a blood sample, basic health measurements, and a brief questionnaire about health and lifestyle. Participants will also be given information about their blood pressure. The research programme aims to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as cancer, dementia and diabetes. Volunteers must be aged 18 or over and can sign up at the Our Future Health website. More Stories
Its Future Health's mobile clinics launch in Scotland. From early July, Its Future Health's mobile clinics will travel across Scotland to enable more people to take part in health research. The programme has been running in Scotland for over two years and this expansion will help around 60,000 more people be part of the UK's largest health research programme over the next six months. Healthy life expectancy, which refers to the number of years a person can expect to live in good health, has been decreasing in Scotland over the last 10 years. Scottish people are currently expected to live in good health for roughly 59 years on average, and this is even less for people who live in the most deprived areas of the country. Its Future Health aims to change this by making it easier for Scottish people to take part in health research which will support everyone live longer, healthier lives. Over 2.7 million people have signed up, including 91,000 people in Scotland, and the programme is launching three new mobile clinics which will travel around Scotland so even more people can take part. Its Future Health aims to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions like cardiovascular disease, as well as other conditions such as cancer, dementia and diabetes. With up to five million volunteers right across the UK, the goal is to create one of the most detailed pictures ever of people's health. Health research informs new discoveries and treatments for diseases - including cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and strokes) which cause 28% of deaths in Scotland, which translates to 50 Scots dying from cardiovascular diseases each day. At their clinic appointment, as well as giving a blood sample and some physical measurements taken, volunteers will be offered information about their own health, including their blood pressure. The appointment lasts 15-20 minutes and will be conducted by a trained member of staff. As part of signing up, people will consent to Its Future Health linking to their medical records and will also complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire. In the future, volunteers will also be given the option to receive feedback about their risk of some diseases and can take part in cutting-edge research studies. An Its Future Health video includes more information about what happens at the clinic appointment. The new mobile clinics will visit cities and rural areas of Scotland over the next six months, to raise awareness of the programme and include people who may not have had the opportunity to have an Its Future Health clinic appointment. Once people have signed up to the programme online, they can book a clinic appointment in advance. The clinics will visit locations including Aberdeen, Arbroath, Bathgate, Cumbernauld, Dundee, Elgin, Forfar, Glenrothes, Inverness, Inverurie, Kilmarnock, Leven, Linlithgow, Livingston, Motherwell, Perth, Peterhead and Straiton - with more locations across Scotland to come. Its Future Health has created a Google Maps page which further information about all new locations will be added to. It is important that Its Future Health's volunteer cohort accurately represents the UK so that discoveries made using Its Future Health benefit everyone. That's why people need to represent Scotland in the programme, so the future of healthcare can reflect the diverse populations and health needs of Scottish people. Its Future Health is aiming to reach people who have been under-represented in health research in the past, including people under 30 years old and people from more deprived backgrounds. Anyone over the age of 18 living in Scotland can join by signing up online, completing an online health questionnaire, and booking a short clinic appointment. Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Chief Scientist (Health) at Scottish Government and one of the world's leading cardiovascular experts said: "Its Future Health has been running in Scotland for over two years, but these mobile units provide the opportunity to reach even more people. By moving up and down the country, visiting cities and rural locations and being visible in places like car parks or leisure centres it offers greater convenience and makes it easier for people to take part. "This is really important. To move healthcare from reactive treatment to prevention, researchers need to understand our entire population - and that means involving volunteers from all different backgrounds. The data volunteers provide to Our Future Health can help better identify who is at risk of developing diseases, build targeted prevention strategies and support earlier treatments. Ultimately, we want to help people live healthier lives for longer and need the support of willing volunteers to do this." Dr Raghib Ali, Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Its Future Health, said: "We're thrilled to launch our mobile clinic roadshow this summer, enabling even more people to get involved in Our Future Health. It's essential that our programme represents people across the UK, so that research can reflect the health and needs of people in these areas. We are committed to ensuring that the people who participate reflect the whole of Scotland, including younger people and those from more deprived backgrounds, both groups who are often under-represented in research. These new clinics will travel to areas of Scotland that we haven't been to before, so more people can take part to learn about their own health and help to improve the health of everyone in Scotland." People who don't live near one of the new Scottish locations are encouraged to still sign up to Its Future Health online and complete the questionnaire, as this provides useful information that researchers can study to better understand health in Scotland. Publication date: 8th July 2026
Blog - Its Future Health, "revolutionising the way we fight diseases" May 25, 2026 Voluntary Health Scotland is working with Its Future Health, the UK's largest health research programme, to find new ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases. Too often, Voluntary Health Scotland detect and treat diseases only when people start showing symptoms. Yet diseases like dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke often start in the body long before symptoms are detectable. Its Future Health is bringing together up to 5 million volunteers to revolutionise the way Voluntary Health Scotland fight diseases. Volunteers share information about their health and lifestyle, helping researchers to better understand how diseases develop and how Voluntary Health Scotland can treat them. The programme needs volunteers from communities across the UK, so that researchers can identify differences in how diseases begin and progress in people from different backgrounds. It means future discoveries can benefit everyone. Help everyone live longer and healthier lives. Find out more and sign up today at: Its Future Health By: Chloe Gunstone, Community Engagement Manager, Its Future Health
Our Future Health, the UK's largest health research programme, is set to open 16 new clinics this month, including one in Hexham.
London, February 4, 2025 – Coulter Partners, the global expert in building leadership teams for Health, Science and Technology innovation businesses, successfully completed a search assignment for Our Future Health and is pleased to announce the placement of Andrew Miles, as Chief Business Officer (CBO).Our Future Health is an ambitious collaboration between the public, charity and private sectors to build the UK’s largest ever health research program – bringing people together to develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat disease such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and stroke. The organization is supported by UK Research and Innovation, life sciences companies and disease-related charities. Ground-breaking in its scale and ambition, Our Future Health is recruiting five million volunteers to take part, from all backgrounds and from every nation across the UK. Since the program was launched in Autumn 2022, over two million volunteers have signed up to take part.Andrew Miles is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in life sciences and technology sectors. Having held senior roles at Pfizer, Merck, GSK and Google, he has driven strategic growth, innovation and impactful collaborations worldwide. Previously, he spearheaded Google Cloud’s Healthcare and Life Sciences vertical for EMEA, transforming it into the company’s fastest-growing industry