Senior Data Services Engineer

Description of the Role

As a Senior Data Services Engineer, you will help design, build, and operate the clinical decision support and API-driven data delivery platform that enables Vytalize Health to embed timely, actionable clinical insights directly into provider workflows. Working cross-functionally with Data Engineering, Product, Clinical Operations, and EMR partners, your solutions will transform how clinicians access data—moving from external tools and workarounds to seamless, in-workflow decision support via CDS Hooks and real-time APIs.

You will own the technical foundation for Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Hooks, REST APIs, and the architectural patterns that ensure clinical data is accessible, trustworthy, and performant at the moment of care. This role sits at the intersection of healthcare interoperability standards, modern API design, and operational excellence. You will establish reliability metrics and SLAs that ensure CDS Hooks and APIs serve clinician workflows with consistent quality and performance. You will be part of a small, high-performing healthcare engineering team where engineers support each other's growth through mentorship and tight collaboration.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of the CDS Hooks platform, including card orchestration, hook context handling, EHR-side logic orchestration, and integration with downstream data services

• Own CDS Hook API contracts and evolution, ensuring compliance with SMART CDS Hooks specification while adding performance, reliability, and healthcare-specific optimizations

• Lead technical integration with EMR systems (Epic, NextGen, Athena, ECW) for CDS Hook discovery, execution, card rendering, and user action handling

• Design, build, and maintain public-facing REST and event-driven APIs exposing clinical data, quality metrics, care gaps, attribution data, and decision support content to partners and provider-facing applications

• Establish API contracts, versioning strategies, and deprecation policies that balance innovation with stability for external consumers

• Implement and maintain API security patterns including OAuth 2.0, scope-based authorization, rate limiting, and audit logging for compliant clinical data access

• Design and optimize real-time or near-real-time data pipelines feeding CDS Hooks and APIs—ensuring low latency, high freshness, and graceful failure modes

• Design and implement comprehensive testing and QA frameworks for CDS Hooks and APIs — including hook context validation, card rendering verification, and clinical workflow testing across EMR systems

• Establish reliability metrics and SLAs (latency, availability, freshness) for CDS Hook delivery and API performance; measure and track against clinical requirements

• Define and measure clinical impact metrics — adoption of CDS Hooks, clinician interaction rates, workflow integration success, and patient outcome influence

• Exercise architectural judgment across tradeoffs in correctness, latency, scalability, maintainability, and operational risk in clinical data systems

• Design and implement reliability patterns for CDS and API services including monitoring, alerting, failure detection, graceful degradation, and incident recovery

• Partner with Data Reliability Engineer to define and operate SLAs for CDS Hook delivery, API response times, and data freshness aligned to clinical needs

• Establish and uphold engineering standards for API design, data schemas, integration patterns, and interoperability; maintain high-quality technical documentation and OpenAPI specifications

• Partner with Data Engineering to align upstream data models, gold-layer datasets, and platform capabilities with clinical decision support and API requirements

• Serve as the technical authority on clinical interoperability standards (SMART CDS Hooks, FHIR, HL7, CDS Hooks, EHR integration patterns)

• Collaborate with Product, Clinical Operations, and Business stakeholders to clarify requirements, translate clinical workflows into platform features, and shape product direction

• Act as trusted technical advisor to EMR partners, healthcare systems, and external API consumers; ensure expectations and delivery are well-defined and predictable

• Ensure all CDS and API services comply with healthcare security, privacy, and regulatory requirements (HIPAA, state regulations, payer mandates)

• Partner with IT Security and Compliance teams to implement secure access controls, audit logging, encryption, and data protection measures across delivery mechanisms

• Design and implement audit trails for all clinical data access; support compliance audits and regulatory reporting

• Mentor team members through design reviews, pairing, and architectural guidance on clinical data integration and API design

• Document new and existing systems, designs, processes, and procedures

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience designing, building, and operating API platforms, service-oriented systems, or backend infrastructure at scale

• Demonstrated experience operating at a senior or staff-level individual contributor scope, owning complex systems end-to-end

• 3+ years of direct experience with healthcare data integrations, EMR workflows, clinical data exchange, or healthcare interoperability standards (FHIR, HL7, CDA, claims data)

• 2+ years of hands-on experience with CDS Hooks, SMART on FHIR, or similar clinical decision support APIs

• Strong experience designing and operating REST APIs, including contract design, versioning, error handling, and authentication/authorization patterns

• Deep understanding of healthcare data integrations, EMR workflows, and interoperability patterns (FHIR, HL7, CDS Hooks, SMART on FHIR)

• Expertise in designing for reliability, SLAs, and operational metrics; ability to translate clinical requirements into technical SLOs

• Experience defining and measuring API performance metrics (latency, availability, error rates); familiarity with SLA monitoring and enforcement

• Strong systems thinking with ability to design for scale, reliability, maintainability, and resilience

• Proficiency in modern backend languages (Python, Java, Go, or similar); comfort reading and reviewing code across languages

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Databricks, GCP) and containerized services (Docker, Kubernetes, or managed services)

• Proven ability to partner effectively across engineering, product, analytics, clinical operations, and business teams

• Clear written and verbal communication skills, particularly for explaining technical concepts and tradeoffs to clinicians and non-specialists

• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment with healthcare compliance and regulatory constraints

Strong Pluses

• Hands-on experience with CDS Hooks specification and SMART on FHIR implementations in production healthcare environments

• Experience implementing and testing CDS Hooks across multiple EMR systems (Epic, NextGen, Athena, ECW) including clinical workflow validation

• Familiarity with healthcare data formats and standards: FHIR resources (Patient, Condition, Medication, etc.), CCD/C-CDA, claims data (837s, 835s), HL7 v2 or v3

• Experience designing and operating real-time or near-real-time data pipelines feeding clinical applications and decision support systems

• Knowledge of value-based care metrics, care gaps, quality measures (NQF, HEDIS), and HCC/RAF risk stratification

• Experience with API management platforms, developer portals, or partner ecosystem / API monetization patterns

• Familiarity with OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, and federated identity patterns in healthcare systems

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code, and safe deployment practices

• Background supporting provider-facing platforms or external clinical partners; deep understanding of provider workflows and constraints

• Experience in a healthcare startup or high-growth healthcare technology environment

• Familiarity with healthcare data governance, interoperability regulations (21st Century Cures, ONC rules), and clinical data quality frameworks

• Experience with API testing frameworks and quality assurance for distributed systems

OverviewApplication

Your Opportunity

We are looking for a Regional Medical Officer (RMO) to support as a strategic clinical leader responsible for overseeing Market Medical Directors and driving value-based care (VBC) transformation across their designated geographic area (CA/WA/AZ). This role involves leading and mentoring Market Medical Directors, fostering provider collaboration, and working cross-functionally with Vytalize Health’s leadership teams to implement high-impact clinical programs. The RMO ensures alignment with organizational objectives while optimizing practice performance (identifying and addressing practice-specific cost and utilization opportunities, accurate and complete documentation, quality of care, clinical recommendations as provided by Vytal Insights, and participation and engagement in Vytal Care and Vytal Network programs) and outcomes (decreased costs, improved health, increased shared savings).

What you will do

Leadership & Supervision

• Train, coach, and mentor Market Medical Directors to expand their influence and engagement with primary care practices.

• Exercise supervisory responsibility and ultimate accountability for pod performance, ensuring clinical and financial success.

• Meet regularly with Market Medical Directors to troubleshoot practice challenges, provide strategic guidance, and offer ongoing support.

• Provide guidance and keep Market Medical Directors abreast of regulatory and compliance issues as they pertain to CMS regulations and ACO contractual obligations.

Performance Oversight & Continuous Improvement

• Regularly review key performance indicators and clinical utilization metrics delivered by Market Medical Directors, highlighting areas that require focus or additional motivation.

• Ensure productivity targets are met related to practice meetings, pod meetings, and internal assignments.

• Identify opportunities to improve practice workflows, healthcare utilization, and clinical documentation accuracy.

• Drive continuous performance improvements by analyzing data trends and implementing strategic interventions at a regional level.

• Work with Market Medical Directors to ensure ACO practice compliance with Vytal Signs gates including, but not limited to, EMR access, EMR integration, use of Vytalize VBC tools, and participation in clinical programs.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Internal Strategy

• Work collaboratively across departments, including Regional Vice Presidents, Practice Transformation Managers, Risk & Quality Teams, and Product & Tech Teams, to align on value-based care strategies and clinical initiatives.

• Assess areas of greatest opportunity within ACO practices, identifying potential changes, enhancements, or new programs to optimize healthcare delivery.

• Promote value-based clinical strategy by supporting Vytalize Health's initiatives and lending clinical perspective to strategic discussions, including selection and prioritization of organization-wide initiatives.

• Provide clinical oversight for ongoing initiatives, shaping new strategies that align with evolving healthcare models and provider needs.

Provider Engagement & Best Practice Sharing

• Spread best practices across pods, sponsoring provider collaboration and knowledge-sharing sessions, particularly through pod meetings.

• Develop, refine, and propagate key initiatives, enabling Market Medical Directors to focus on direct physician engagement.

• Periodically present clinically (virtually or in person) to practices, reinforcing VBC principles and supporting PCP engagement.

Collaboration Across Vytalize Leadership Teams

• Collaborate across Vytalize’s Central and Market Medical Directors to share achievements, refine strategies, and seek advice and feedback.

• Engage in ACO leadership meetings, contributing insights to refine national and regional healthcare initiatives.

• Attend and participate in Vytalize Physician Advisory Council meetings.

Education

• Medical degree (MD or DO). Board certification in a primary care specialty (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, or Pediatrics) preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of clinical experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership role within an ACO or similar healthcare organization.

Licensure/Certifications

• Active medical license and board certification.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Strong analytical skills.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams.

• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting.

• In-depth understanding of value-based care.

• Knowledge of healthcare cost management and utilization review processes.

Other

• Compensation will be based on a combination of base salary and performance-based incentives correlated to the value-based care success of the practices within the pod.

• Standard benefits provided.

• Hybrid work environment with a combination of remote and on-site work.

• This position may require in-person travel to various primary care practices within the ACO.

Perks/Benefits

• Competitive base compensation.

• Annual bonus potential.

• Health benefits effective on start date

• Health & Wellness Program; up to $300 per quarter for your overall well-being available on start date.

• 401K plan effective on the first of the month after your start date; 100% match of up to 4% of your annual salary.

• Unlimited (or generous) paid "Vytal Time," plus 5 paid sick days after your first 90 days.

• Company-paid STD/LTD.

• Technology setup.

• Ability to help build a market leader in value-based healthcare at a rapidly growing organization.

Important Note

Please note: At no time during our screening, interview, or selection process will we ask for additional personal information (beyond your resume) or account/financial information. We will also never ask you to purchase anything; nor will we ever interview you via text message. Any communication received from a Vytalize Health recruiter during your screening, interviewing, or selection process will come from an email ending in @vytalizehealth.com.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.