Head of Data

MDCalc is the most trusted and broadly used medical reference for clinical decision making tools, used by millions of clinical users worldwide. We're the #1 medical reference for clinical decision tools and content and we're used by more than 65% of US doctors quarterly.

To continue to further accelerate and steward our growth, we are seeking an exceptional data leader, who possesses a rare combination of deep technical expertise, strategic business acumen, and a palpable passion for our mission. The ideal candidate is a proven builder and a servant leader who is excited by the opportunity to build a world-class data function from the early stages. This role will be critical to MDCalc’s expanded success in continuing to support our millions of clinical users worldwide in taking care of hundreds of millions of patients.

The Head of Data will be a senior leader with a mandate to build and lead a centralized data team covering multi-disciplinary needs across business functions. The scope of responsibility is comprehensive, covering data strategy, team leadership and mentorship, and the full spectrum of technical execution across data engineering, analytics, and data science.

• Develop the Data Roadmap: This leader will define, own, and champion the vision, strategy, and execution plan for all data functions at MDCalc. This involves creating a roadmap that aligns data initiatives with overarching product goals and company objectives, ensuring that our data capabilities evolve to meet future business needs.

• Executive Partnership: The Head of Data will serve as a primary data thought partner to the CTO and the broader executive leadership team. They must possess the ability to translate complex analytical findings and technical concepts into clear, concise, and actionable business strategies. This involves not just presenting data, but telling compelling, data-driven stories that influence strategic priorities and guide resource allocation.

• Foster Technical Excellence: This leader will cultivate a team culture grounded in innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. They will establish and promote technical best practices in areas such as software development, version control, DataOps, and MLOps, ensuring the team's work is scalable, maintainable, and of the highest quality.

• Provide Servant Leadership: As a player-coach, the Head of Data will provide both strategic direction and hands-on mentorship. They will be responsible for the professional development of their team members, defining clear roles, setting ambitious goals, and creating career paths that allow individuals to grow and thrive at MDCalc. Their success will be measured not only by the team's output but also by its health, engagement, and growth.

• Broad Data Responsibility: This leader will have ownership over Data Engineering & Infrastructure, Analytics & Business Intelligence, and Data Science team members.

  • Oversee the architecture, implementation, and maintenance of a modern, scalable data platform capable of handling our diverse and growing data assets

  • Deliver the critical insights that drive the business forward. This encompasses product analytics (e.g., user engagement, feature adoption, conversion funnels), content analytics (e.g., calculator usage trends by specialty, identification of content gaps), and business performance reporting.

  • Identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities to apply predictive modeling, natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning techniques. Initial focus areas could include enhancing clinical decision support, personalizing the user experience, and developing a new suite of commercial analytics products for our life sciences partners.

• Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in data-related fields (data engineering, analytics, data science), with at least 5 years in a people management role leading, mentoring, and developing data professionals.

• Proven Builder: Demonstrated success in building and scaling a data function, preferably in a startup or high-growth technology environment. Experience taking a team from a small, nascent stage to a mature, high-impact organization is a critical requirement for this role.

• Full-Stack Data Expertise: Deep, hands-on expertise across the modern data stack. This is not a purely managerial role; the ideal candidate must have the technical credibility to lead a team of experts. Required expertise includes:

  • Data Engineering: Extensive experience with modern data warehousing platforms (e.g., Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift), ETL/ELT frameworks and tools (e.g., dbt, Fivetran, Airflow), and cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred).

  • BI & Analytics: Mastery of SQL and deep experience with data visualization and business intelligence tools (e.g., MetaBase, Tableau, Looker, Power BI). A strong understanding of product analytics methodologies (e.g., cohort analysis, funnel optimization) is essential.

  • Data Science: A strong foundation in statistical methods, predictive modeling, and machine learning concepts. Proficiency with Python or R and their associated data science libraries (e.g., pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow) is required.

  • Data Privacy and Security: A strong understanding of data privacy and security principles, with a working knowledge of compliance requirements for handling sensitive data types (e.g. PII, PHI, financial, etc.)

• Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical Commercial Data Experience (Nice to Have): Experience in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, or biotech industries is highly desirable. A strong candidate will have a deep understanding of the commercial data ecosystem and how data is used to drive marketing, sales, and brand strategy.

• Strategic Mindset: The ability to think beyond immediate technical challenges to develop and articulate a long-term data strategy that directly enables and accelerates business outcomes.

• Exceptional Communicator: World-class communication skills are non-negotiable. The candidate must be able to distill complex technical and analytical concepts into clear, concise language for diverse audiences, from junior engineers to the clinicians Advisory Board.

• Stakeholder Management: A demonstrated track record of building strong, collaborative, and trust-based relationships with cross-functional partners in product, engineering, finance, and business operations.

• Pragmatic Problem-Solver: A bias for action and an ability to navigate ambiguity with a calm, structured approach. The ideal candidate makes pragmatic, data-informed decisions that effectively balance the pursuit of long-term architectural excellence with the need to meet short-term business goals.

• Ability to make a true difference in medicine: MDCalc is the most broadly used medical reference by physicians, used by over 65% of US attending doctors weekly

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Coverage, with option to extend to your dependents

• Company-sponsored short-term insurance

• Fully-paid 8 week parental leave, after 6 months of employment

• Company-sponsored 401k, after 3 months of employment

• Unlimited vacation for salaried roles - we trust you to take the time you need

• Bi-annual company offsites to connect, reflect, and plan together (most recently in Asheville and Mexico City)

• Work from home monthly stipend

• Hybrid work environment with a great team office in Greenwich Village, NYC

• A culture of fun and motivated team members who believe in a greater mission here at MDCalc