Lead Data QA (Healthcare Payer focused)

*** This is a Contract to hire position. *** Position Summary We are looking for an experienced

Lead Data Quality Engineer

to oversee data testing and quality assurance efforts within large-scale healthcare payer environments. The ideal candidate brings deep knowledge of

payer data ,

HEDIS metrics , and

CMS Interoperability (FHIR) , along with hands-on expertise across the

Azure data ecosystem including

Databricks ,

SQL , and

Azure Data Factory . This role focuses on building automated validation processes, ensuring compliance, and maintaining trust in enterprise data pipelines. Core Responsibilities Quality Leadership Develop and execute a data QA roadmap that covers all aspects of data testingfunctional, non-functional, integration, and performance. Manage and mentor QA professionals working across data and analytics initiatives. Define measurable quality standards and dashboards to monitor key data assets. Testing and Validation Design, automate, and maintain testing frameworks for complex data pipelines and ETL processes. Validate payer data elements, including claims, provider, and membership datasets. Perform API-level validation aligned with CMS FHIR interoperability standards. Verify HEDIS measure calculations and regulatory data submissions for accuracy. Automation and Process Optimization Build reusable validation frameworks using

PySpark ,

Python , and

SQL . Implement automation checks in

Databricks Delta Live Tables

and

ADF

to detect schema drift, enforce data rules, and reconcile data movements. Integrate automated QA gates within

CI/CD pipelines

using

Azure DevOps . Collaboration and Technical Delivery Partner with data engineers, architects, and business analysts to resolve data integrity issues. Work with governance and compliance teams to align QA practices with

HIPAA ,

CMS , and internal audit standards. Drive continuous improvement in testing efficiency and platform performance. Required Skills and Experience Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. 10+ years of experience in data QA/testing, with at least 5 years leading teams. Hands-on expertise with

Azure Databricks

(Delta Lake, DLT, Unity Catalog) and

Azure Data Factory . Strong programming skills in

Python ,

PySpark , and

SQL

for automation. Familiarity with

Great Expectations ,

Azure DevOps , and

data governance frameworks . Proven ability to manage QA across cloud-based data platforms using Agile/DevOps principles. Preferred Skills Exposure to

HL7/FHIR data structures

and payer interoperability standards. Understanding of

Lakehouse and medallion architecture

concepts. Knowledge of

Power BI

or

Tableau

for validating analytical/reporting layers. Experience with tools such as

Collibra

for data governance integration. Professional certifications such as

Azure Data Engineer

or

Databricks Certified Engineer

are advantageous.