AI and Data Engineer/ VCHRI

Staff - Non Union

Job Category

M&P - AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Information Systems and Technology, Level C

Job Title

AI and Data Engineer, VCHRI

Department

AI Hub | Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range

$6,747.50 - $9,701.42 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

March 21, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

April 19, 2027

This is a full-time one-year term position with the possibility of extension. Please submit a cover letter and resume as part of the job application.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is the research arm of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and a close partner of the University of British Columbia (UBC). It is the home of nationally and internationally recognized research centres and programs conducting cutting edge research that aims to improve health outcomes. VCHRI is also known for its breadth and depth of science from bench side to bedside, technology transfer, incubating spinoff companies, and is a central hub for research training, recruitment and retention of future leaders.

The AI & Data Engineer is a critical infrastructure-building role within the VCHRI AI Hub. This is an opportunity focused on laying the department's entire technical groundwork, including the construction of a new, secure development environment on the university cloud. The engineer will transition abstract research needs into robust engineering solutions by evaluating and implementing the initial stack of open-source tools necessary for processing complex medical data (text, image, video). This role serves as a technical catalyst, rapidly developing Proofs of Concept (POCs) that collaborate with world-class researchers to bridge the gap between theoretical science and practical patient care outcomes.

The AI & Data Engineer will champion the implementation and enforcement of robust cybersecurity policies and practices across the portfolio, ensuring compliance with Policy SC14 and the protection of sensitive data and systems. They will collaborate closely with UBC IT Cybersecurity teams to proactively identify and mitigate potential threats, maintaining a secure and resilient digital environment.

Organizational Status

This position is based at the VCHRI University/Hospital site. Reports to the Associate Director, AI & Advanced Analytics, VCHRI. Operates as a primary technical resource, collaborating directly with clinical researchers to translate complex research questions into actionable technical requirements. This role serves as the team's technical voice, responsible for demystifying AI technology for non-technical stakeholders and providing technical guidance on AI governance to ensure alignment with organizational goals.

Work Performed

1. Computing Environment Development & Management

• Takes ownership of establishing and architecting the department’s computing footprint on the university cloud, ensuring a robust foundation for AI research.
• Configures, secures, and maintains Linux-based development environments, utilizing Bash scripting and SSH to manage standard Virtual Machine (VM) environments.
• Design and implements a lean, agile, and secure development ecosystem optimized for rapid experimentation and innovation, avoiding unnecessary enterprise-grade DevOps overhead.
• Ensures the accessibility and reliability of the development environment.

2. Data Engineering & Technology Evaluation

• Acts as a technical scout for the department, continuously scanning and evaluating the rapidly shifting landscape of open-source tools and libraries.
• Tests and validates various open-source technologies to determine the optimal solutions for the department's specific data infrastructure needs.
• Develops recommendations and pipelines for the ingestion, storage, and processing of complex medical data, including tabular records, text, diagnostic images, and video.

3. Rapid Prototyping & Application Development

• Transforms abstract research concepts into functional technical solutions by building POCs and prototypes that demonstrate the value of AI in clinical settings.
• Iterates on pro