Job Title: Lead Data Systems Engineer

Position Summary:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is seeking top talent for its Lead Data Systems Engineer Role. This position at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is responsible for architecting, building, administering, and maintaining the organization’s data platforms, cloud infrastructure, and business-critical applications, with primary ownership of AWS-based databases, automated data pipelines, and integrations involving Salesforce, SmartSimple, and other enterprise systems. Responsibilities include designing and building secure, reliable, and cost-conscious solutions; building and troubleshooting Python, SQL, and API-based workflows; monitoring and validating production processes; supporting legacy platforms; and enabling staff through governed data access and clear documentation. This role partners directly with stakeholders across the organization, manages technical delivery with vendors, and operates at a strategic level, setting priorities and evaluating architectural trade-offs while leading technical delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders to gather technical requirements, translate business needs into implementation plans, and manage delivery

Independently prioritize and lead complex work from planning through implementation. Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and knowledge sharing to help other team members strengthen their skills and successfully deliver their work

Architect, administer, and optimize AWS-based data and application infrastructure, including databases, storage, compute, networking, monitoring, and access controls

Build and operate automated data pipelines, database backup and restore processes, and production workflows with strong validation, logging, alerting, rollback, and recovery practices

Lead complex data migrations, integrations, and production cutovers. Develop and troubleshoot Python, SQL, REST API, SFTP, and bulk data solutions connecting Salesforce, SmartSimple, and other enterprise platforms

Administer and support business-critical applications and legacy systems. Implement least-privilege access, PII protections, retention policies, and cost-conscious architecture

Enable analysts and staff through governed database access, troubleshooting, and clear documentation
Partner with vendors and consultants on architecture, implementation, validation, and handoff
Provide technical direction and oversight while advancing infrastructure such as code, automation, and reliable version-controlled deployment practices

Qualifications and Skills:

Proven experience in data engineering, cloud engineering, systems integration, or related technical roles, including supporting production systems in enterprise environments

Proven experience with AWS services, including RDS, EC2, S3, Lambda, Glue, IAM, CloudWatch, and VPC networking

Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL for data pipelines, automation, database development, and troubleshooting

Experience designing, integrating, and operating production data workflows, including APIs, file-based ingestion, high-volume data loads, monitoring, validation, alerting, and recovery

Strong knowledge of Salesforce data models, APIs, integration patterns, sandboxes, and bulk-data tools

Strong understanding of cloud and database security, including access controls, credential management, network security, PII protection, and data retention

Experience with infrastructure as code, version control, and automated deployment practices; Terraform, CloudFormation, and GitHub preferred

Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions and collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Ability to work independently, make sound technical and architectural decisions, and provide technical guidance to engineers and vendors
Experience with platforms such as SmartSimple, Redshift, Athena, AppFlow, Domo, or comparable data and business systems is preferred; nonprofit experience is a plus.

Compensation & Benefits
Individual compensation for this role is dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, qualifications, skillsets, and applicable laws. In addition to salary, the Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

15+ options for medical insurance (with the Foundation paying 90 percent of the premiums)

Competitive dental and vision plans

401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution

Flexible spending accounts

Employer paid life and disability insurance

18 Vacation Days; 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4

Flexible work environment. We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done.

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. The Foundation provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events.

Salary Range

$150,000—$170,000 USD

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing through examples, their specific qualifications and interest in the position. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, please apply. Applicants who best match the position’s needs will be contacted.

About Us:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Visit www.michaeljfox.org for more information.

Research has shown that people from marginalized communities apply to roles only when they meet 100% of the job requirements. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, and you are someone who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Salary Range 150000 - 170000 USD

About the company

What does the Michael J. Fox Foundation do? It funds Parkinson's disease research with a focus on speed and scale, to move science toward a cure and better treatments. How does its work operate? It provides grants and resources to scientists, supports collaborations, and helps advance therapies from discovery to clinical testing, so new drugs and treatments reach patients sooner. How is it different from others? It concentrates only on Parkinson's research, targets aggressive funding and practical translation of findings into therapies, and works across the research community to accelerate progress. What is its goal? To find a cure for Parkinson's disease and to ensure improved therapies are available for people living with it today.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

2000

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

September 2026 launched All Grit. No Quit., targeting $2.5 billion.
MJFF awarded $101 million across 142 grants in December 2025 and January 2026.
July 13, 2026 ADDF partnership adds $5 million for biomarkers and precision medicine.

What critics are saying

The September 17, 2026 $2.5 billion campaign exposes MJFF to donor fatigue.
MJFF spent over $3 billion since 2000; a cure remains undiscovered.
Celebrity-led brand risk rises if Michael J. Fox visibility declines or fundraising stalls.

What makes The Michael J. Fox Foundation unique

MJFF’s PPMI reaches 50,000 volunteers and 50 sites across 12 countries.
Its open-access model shared PPMI data over 50 million downloads.
Fox Trial Finder and Team Fox mobilize patients, donors, and trial enrollment.

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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Flexible Spending Accounts
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Hybrid Work Options
Flexible Work Hours

Company News

AD HOC NEWS

Oct 13th, 2026

Captor Therapeutics wins $2M non-dilutive grant for Parkinson's drug project

Captor Therapeutics secured a $2 million non-dilutive grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation on September 29, 2026. The money will support its NEK7 project, a brain-penetrant candidate for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease. The Warsaw-listed biotech keeps the intellectual property rights tied to the project. The grant adds funds without a share issue or convertible debt. Captor reported a first-half 2026 net loss of PLN 22.76 million, up from PLN 20.47 million a year earlier. It held PLN 71.5 million in cash and investments at the end of the period, and expects that to fund operations through the third quarter of 2027. The company publishes third-quarter results on November 19, 2026.

PR Newswire

Sep 29th, 2026

Phylo's Target Atlas cuts drug target review time from months to days with AI agents

Phylo has launched Target Atlas, an AI-powered app that accelerates drug target prioritisation from months to days. Built on the company's Biomni Lab platform, the tool uses AI agents to curate and synthesise evidence across thousands of target–disease assessments whilst leaving final decisions to scientists. The Michael J. Fox Foundation has partnered with Phylo to develop a Parkinson's edition of Target Atlas. The foundation's Targets to Therapies initiative established a transparent prioritisation framework that Target Atlas now makes openly explorable with source-linked analyses. Target choice is critical in drug development, with mechanisms supported by human genetic evidence showing 2.6-fold higher probability of approval success. Target Atlas addresses this by creating continuously updateable, auditable evidence layers across genetics, expression, clinical activity, and safety data. The public edition is free with a Biomni account. Phylo raised $13.5 million in seed funding co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures' Anthology Fund.

South Jordan Journal

Sep 22nd, 2026

AstronauTx receives grants from Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson's UK for sleep-based Parkinson's research

AstronauTx has received research funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Parkinson's UK to investigate sleep-based treatments for Parkinson's disease. The biotechnology company, which develops therapeutics for neurological disorders by improving sleep architecture, will use the grants to explore whether enhancing restorative sleep mechanisms can reduce pathological protein accumulation linked to Parkinson's. The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant will support research into a potential disease-modifying treatment targeting prodromal Parkinson's disease, particularly REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder, an early indicator of the condition. Meanwhile, Parkinson's UK is funding collaborative research with University College London to examine whether increasing slow-wave sleep can enhance the brain's natural waste-clearance pathways. AstronauTx is preparing its lead programme for clinical development in 2027.

GlobeNewswire

Sep 22nd, 2026

AstronauTx awarded research funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson's UK to explore sleep-based approaches for Parkinson's disease.

AstronauTx awarded research funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson's UK to explore sleep-based approaches for Parkinson's disease. September 22, 2026 03:00 ET | Source: AstronauTx * MJFF grant will support development of a potential disease-modifying treatment for prodromal Parkinson's disease by targeting restorative sleep mechanisms * Parkinson's UK-funded research with University College London (UCL) will further explore the link between enhanced slow-wave sleep and glymphatic flow, the brain's natural waste-clearance mechanism LONDON, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - AstronauTx Ltd ("AstronauTx"), a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders by improving sleep architecture, today announces that it has received funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and that Parkinson's UK is funding an additional complementary research effort in collaboration with University College London (UCL). The MJFF-funded project, titled 'Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Modulation as a Disease-Modifying Treatment for Prodromal Synucleinopathies', will explore whether enhancing restorative sleep mechanisms using novel compounds developed by AstronauTx can reduce the accumulation of pathological proteins linked to Parkinson's disease. In particular, REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD) is a recognised early indicator of Parkinson's disease, and AstronauTx aims to generate data supporting the development of one of its compounds as a potential disease-modifying treatment for this prodromal stage of Parkinson's disease, where there may be a significant opportunity to influence disease progression. The MJFF grant was awarded through the Foundation's Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program, which supports preclinical and translational research aimed at evaluating promising therapeutic approaches and advancing them toward clinical development. "Restorative sleep mechanisms are an emerging area of interest for therapeutic development in Parkinson's disease, with the potential to offer new opportunities to intervene earlier in the disease process," said Shalini Padmanabhan, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Translational Research at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. "The studies supported through this award will generate important preclinical evidence to evaluate this therapeutic approach and help determine its potential to advance toward clinical development." In parallel, Parkinson's UK is funding a complementary project with UCL, led by Ian Harrison and supported by AstronauTx, to investigate whether increasing slow-wave sleep can enhance the brain's natural waste-clearance pathways. The Parkinson's UK-funded study, titled 'Measuring the Effects of Increasing Slow-Wave Sleep Using a Novel Mechanism on Glymphatic Transport of Alpha-Synuclein in a Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model', will evaluate whether a novel sleep-enhancing compound that increases slow-wave activity and enhances glymphatic flow results in the removal of the neurotoxic protein alpha-synuclein from the brain. Jane Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer of AstronauTx, commented: "We are grateful for the support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson's UK as we investigate the relationship between restorative sleep mechanisms and Parkinson's disease and evaluate the therapeutic potential of these approaches. By targeting the mechanisms that regulate restorative sleep, we aim to unlock a completely new approach to treating Parkinson's disease and other neurological diseases at their earliest stages, and we believe this grant-funded work has the potential to directly support the development of new disease-modifying approaches for patients." Together, these research programmes will provide insights into the relationship between sleep biology and Parkinson's disease, supporting AstronauTx's broader mission to develop therapeutics targeting sleep architecture to treat neurological disease. Alongside these grant-funded Parkinson's disease research programmes, the Company is preparing its lead programme for clinical development in 2027, further advancing its pipeline of first-in-class therapies targeting sleep architecture as a novel treatment approach for Alzheimer's disease and related neurological conditions. About AstronauTx Ltd AstronauTx is targeting sleep architecture as a therapeutic approach to treat neurological disease. Our thesis is that changes in sleep architecture underpin disease and that sleep is a modifiable risk factor for chronic neurodegeneration. By improving slow-wave sleep quality, we aim to slow cognitive decline associated with aging and dementia. Our approach is grounded in a combination of well-defined, quantifiable biological endpoints, such as EEG-based sleep architecture metrics and measurable improvements in cognitive function and glymphatic flow. Founded by SV Health's Dementia Discovery Fund, AstronauTx completed a £48 million/$61 million Series A financing in October 2023, led by the Novartis Venture Fund, with participation from SV's Dementia Discovery Fund, MPM BioImpact, Brandon Capital, EQT Life Sciences and Bristol Myers Squibb. For more information, visit our website.

JubileeCast

Sep 3rd, 2026

Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford team up with one message: 'keep showing up.

Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford team up with one message: 'keep showing up. Published: Sep 03, 2026 07:15 PM EDT Michael J. Fox and Harrison Ford are teaming up again - this time off-screen - for a new public service video aimed at helping people support a friend or loved one diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The video, titled "So... Your Friend Has Parkinson's," was released Sept. 2 by The Michael J. Fox Foundation in partnership with Maximum Effort, the entertainment company founded by foundation board member Ryan Reynolds. In it, Fox offers Ford - playfully cast as the "friend" learning the ropes - a simple set of guidelines for how to show up for someone facing the disease. "People worry so much about saying the wrong thing that they stop saying anything," Fox says in the video. By the end, Ford repeats the advice back: "Don't make it weird. Start simple. Help, don't fix. Keep showing up." Fox then jokingly declares Ford "officially qualified to be a friend." The pairing builds on the real-life bond the two actors formed filming Apple TV+'s "Shrinking," where Ford plays a therapist living with Parkinson's and Fox guest stars as a fellow patient who becomes his mentor and friend. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 at age 29, has spent over two decades turning his own diagnosis into a platform for hope, raising billions of dollars for research through his foundation. At its heart, the video's message reflects a truth worth remembering far beyond Parkinson's: love isn't complicated, and presence matters more than perfect words. Sometimes the most faithful thing a person can do for someone hurting is simply not leave.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation

Lead Data Systems Engineer

About the job