--- title: 'Associate Director, Principal Data Engineer at Vir Biotechnology' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-principal-data-engineer-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-n2cqm4s4ssjq' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Associate Director, Principal Data Engineer at Vir Biotechnology - **Company:** Vir Biotechnology - **Location:** San Francisco California, United States - **Posted:** 2026-08-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/virbiotechnologyinc/jobs/4726014005 ## Job description Vir Biotechnology, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on powering the immune system to transform lives by discovering and developing medicines for serious infectious diseases and cancer. Its clinical-stage portfolio includes programs for chronic hepatitis delta and multiple PRO-XTEN® dual-masked T-cell engagers across validated targets in solid tumor indications. Vir Biotechnology also has a preclinical portfolio of programs across a range of infectious diseases and oncologic malignancies. Vir Biotechnology has exclusive rights to the universal PRO-XTEN® masking platform for oncology and infectious disease. PRO-XTEN® is a trademark of Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Sanofi company. We believe the success of our colleagues drives the success of our mission. We are committed to creating a company where everyone feels supported and encouraged to give their best. ## THE OPPORTUNITY Vir Biotechnology is seeking an Associate Director, Principal Data Engineer to lead scalable data, cloud, software, and AI-enabled research platforms that support scientific discovery, clinical data analysis, and program decision-making. This role will build the foundation for AI-powered research workflows, including AI agents for research, QC/QA, and scientific/regulatory reporting, while partnering across Research, Clinical, Data Science, TechOps, Competitive Intelligence, and IT. The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking technical leader who combines expertise in data engineering, scientific software, AWS cloud platforms, and practical AI implementation to transform complex scientific data into connected, searchable, and actionable insights. They excel at partnering with scientists, data scientists, and engineers to build trusted, scalable solutions that accelerate research while maintaining the highest standards of data quality, governance, validation, and reliability. Reporting to the Senior Director, Research, this role is based in San Francisco with an expectation of three days per week in the office ## WHAT YOU'LL DO - Build AI-enabled research workflows and agents that help scientists search, analyze, summarize, and connect Vir-generated - Develop AI agents for TCE research insights, Experimenta QC/QA review, and scientific/regulatory report - Design trusted LLM, RAG, knowledge-search, and agentic AI workflows with traceability, validation, governance, and human - Lead development and integration of scientific platforms, including SeqAssembler, HPD/dAIsY, SASTRY, OPAL Miner, and - Build scalable research and clinical data pipelines for bioinformatics, genomics, machine learning, and scientific decision-making. - Architect and operate AWS cloud infrastructure for AI/ML, bioinformatics, clinical analysis, and large-scale scientific data - Strengthen data quality, metadata, lineage, observability, security, governance, and platform - Partner cross-functionally to align data, cloud, application, and AI solutions with program - Provide senior technical leadership across architecture, engineering practices, mentoring, and roadmap ## WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU BRING - BS/MS in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Engineering, or a related technical - 12+ years of experience in data engineering, software engineering, scientific computing, cloud architecture, or scientific application - Strong hands-on experience with Python and/or Java, including scalable data pipelines, APIs, services, and production-grade data - Experience building AI/ML-enabled scientific applications using leading LLMs such as GPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar models, including RAG, knowledge search, agentic workflows, and governance - Experience integrating LIMS, ELN, scientific data platforms, or experiment-management systems such as Experimenta to support data capture, analysis, quality review, and scientific - Strong AWS cloud infrastructure experience, including compute, storage, networking, security, data processing, monitoring, automation, and operational - Experience with modern cloud-based data platforms and workflow technologies such as Databricks, Snowflake, Redshift, Spark, Airflow, Nextflow, or similar - Experience supporting bioinformatics, genomics, machine learning, clinical, healthcare, or other scientific data - Strong knowledge of data modeling, metadata management, data quality, observability, governance, lineage, and platform - Demonstrated technical leadership, including architecture ownership, roadmap development, mentoring, and cross-functional - Excellent communication and collaboration skills across Research, Clinical, Data Science, IT, and business ## #LI-AS1 #LI-Onsite ## WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE OFFER The expected salary range for this position is $176,500 to $246,500 per year. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors. Vir Biotechnology's compensation and benefits are aligned with the current market and commensurate with the person’s experience and qualifications. All full-time employees receive a package that includes compensation, bonus and equity as well as many other Vir Biotechnology benefits and perks such as health and welfare benefit plans, non-accrual paid time off, company shut down for holidays, commuter benefits, 401K match and lunch each day in the office. Applicants must currently be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.  We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. All employment decisions at Vir Biotechnology are based on legitimate, non-discriminatory business requirements, job duties and individual qualifications. Employment decisions are made without regard to any legally protected characteristics. This commitment extends to all management practices and decisions, including recruitment and hiring, compensation, appraisal systems, promotions, training and career development programs.  Vir Biotechnology also strongly commits to providing employees with a work environment free of unlawful conduct or harassment. Vir Biotechnology Human Resources leads recruitment and employment for Vir Biotechnology. Unsolicited resumes sent to the company from recruiters do not constitute any type of relationship between the recruiter and Vir Biotechnology and do not obligate us to pay fees should we hire from those resumes. We ask that external recruiters and/or agencies not contact or present candidates directly to our hiring manager or employees. For hires based in the United States, Vir Biotechnology, participates in [E-Verify](https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf). [Candidate Privacy Notice](https://www.vir.bio/candidate-notice/) ## About Vir Biotechnology ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Vir Biotechnology is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on engineering powerful antibody-based medicines to treat infectious diseases and cancer. - **Entity Type**: Public (Ticker: VIR) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Not publicly available (the company was formed with founding investments from ARCH Venture Partners, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Biotechnology (Immunology, Infectious Disease, Oncology) - **Target Customers**: Patients with serious infectious diseases (e.g., chronic hepatitis delta, COVID-19, Ebola) and specific cancers; the company's customers are effectively patients and healthcare systems, with revenue coming from partnerships and product sales. - **Mission/Purpose**: "Power the immune system to transform lives" by delivering potentially transformative medicines for patients with high unmet medical needs. ## Products & Services - **Next-Generation Antibody Platform**: A proprietary platform that enables the rapid discovery, optimization, and advancement of antibody candidates for infectious diseases. - **PRO-XTEN® Protease-Releasable Masking Technology**: A platform (exclusive rights for oncology and infectious disease) used to engineer conditionally activated antibodies that are designed to be safer and more effective in treating cancer. PRO-XTEN® is a trademark of Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Sanofi company. - **Pipeline Programs**: The company’s pipeline includes leading programs in chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and strategically expanding into oncology. They have demonstrated their ability to discover and develop antibody-based medicines for COVID-19 and Ebola. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Market cap fluctuates with stock price. As of recent reporting, it is in the range of several billion USD. For the most current figure, refer to financial data providers. - **Key Metric**: As a public company, key metrics include R&D spending, cash position, and pipeline progress. The company had significant revenue from its COVID-19 antibody partnership (sotrovimab) but is now focused on advancing its pipeline. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Founding investors include ARCH Venture Partners and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Key partners include Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi (via the Amunix/PRO-XTEN platform). - **Growth Signals**: The company is actively expanding its oncology pipeline, appointing an SVP of Oncology and a Vice President of Clinical Research-Oncology. It continues to hire across R&D, regulatory, and business development, signaling a phase of growth and pipeline advancement. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep Immunology Expertise**: The company has a world-class team with deep knowledge of immunology and antibody engineering. - **Dual-Platform Strategy**: Combining a powerful antibody discovery platform with the PRO-XTEN® masking technology gives it a unique ability to create both potent and safer therapies. - **Proven Track Record**: Successfully developed and brought to market a COVID-19 antibody (sotrovimab) and an Ebola treatment (mAb114) on an accelerated timeline, demonstrating execution capability. - **Focus on Unmet Needs**: Concentrates on diseases with limited treatment options, such as chronic hepatitis delta and hard-to-treat cancers. ## Strategic Focus - **Infectious Disease Foundation**: Continuing to advance its core programs in infectious diseases, with a leading program in chronic hepatitis delta. - **Strategic Oncology Expansion**: Building a robust oncology pipeline using its antibody and PRO-XTEN® platforms, with a focus on indications with high unmet need. - **Pipeline Acceleration**: Leveraging its platforms to rapidly identify, optimize, and advance candidates from concept to clinic. - **Building for the Long Term**: The company is strategically building its capabilities and team to become a multi-product, multi-indication biotech. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: Employees are directly contributing to developing transformative medicines for patients with serious diseases. - **World-Class Team**: Opportunity to work alongside industry-leading scientists, clinicians, and business leaders in the U.S. and Europe. - **Commitment to Fair Pay**: The company has an "unwavering commitment to fair pay" with a rigorous, proactive approach to compensation based on skills and experience. U.S. salary ranges are shared internally for transparency. - **Generous Benefits**: Includes health benefits and wellness program, unaccrued time off with structured holidays, on-site paid parking, lunch, and transit spending account (in the U.S.). - **Workplace Culture**: The company emphasizes "Virtues" over values and a culture of urgency and impact. - **Locations**: Primarily San Francisco, CA, with some remote options for specific roles (e.g., Regulatory Writer). European offices are also part of the company. ## Sources 1. [vir.bio](https://www.vir.bio/) 2. [vir.bio/careers](https://www.vir.bio/careers/) 3. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/virbiotechnologyinc](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/virbiotechnologyinc) 4. [vir.bio/about/strategy](https://www.vir.bio/about/strategy/) ## Other roles at Vir Biotechnology - [Senior Director, Head of Clinical Pharmacology](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-head-of-clinical-pharmacology-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-3qer9j2yqjys) — San Francisco California, United States - [Executive Assistant (Temporary)](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-assistant-temporary-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-california-7r7tz26bm485) — San Francisco California, United States - [Associate Director, Research Strategic Planning and Operation-Project Management](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-research-strategic-planning-and-operation-project-management-edgsh2kh6vve) — San Francisco California, United States - [Director, HR Business Partner](https://feeny.ai/job/director-hr-business-partner-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-california-x9kr46zchf99) — San Francisco California, United States - [Associate Director, Clinical Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-clinical-operations-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-5js245pesmxf) — San Francisco California, United States - [Director, Competitive Intelligence and Insights-Oncology](https://feeny.ai/job/director-competitive-intelligence-and-insights-oncology-vir-biotechnology-san-k8tedfn0r43x) — San Francisco California, United States - [Director, Toxicology](https://feeny.ai/job/director-toxicology-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-california-w6j0ynmcyhgc) — San Francisco California, United States - [Director, Bioanalytics](https://feeny.ai/job/director-bioanalytics-vir-biotechnology-san-francisco-california-d1m2wx6g1rgd) — San Francisco California, United States - [Associate Director, Clinical Transactional Counsel](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-clinical-transactional-counsel-vir-biotechnology-san-zczwjc2nvjck) — San Francisco California, United States - [Senior Director, Clinical Research-Infectious Disease](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-clinical-research-infectious-disease-vir-biotechnology-san-fhjn8b4m07p5) — San Francisco California, United States