Data Engineering Functional Lead

Mission Neko is redefining what prevention means, from treating illness when it arrives, to sustaining health before it's ever at risk. Our mission: make data-driven, preventative care accessible to more people, before symptoms appear. In a single, non-invasive visit under an hour, proprietary technology and direct clinical care combine to deliver personalised, actionable insights. It's a team that thinks in 10x, not 10%. Every role here plays a part in building a world where prevention is the norm, and where your work genuinely helps people live longer, healthier lives. Neko Health is a Swedish healthcare technology company co-founded in 2018 by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Daniel Ek. Neko's vision is to shift healthcare from reactive treatment toward preventative health and early detection. This requires completely reimagining the patient's experience and incorporating the latest advances in sensors and AI. Neko Health has developed a new medical scanning technology concept to make it possible to do broad and non-invasive health data collection that is convenient and affordable for the public. The company is based in Stockholm, offering the Neko Body Scan experience at locations in Stockholm, London and Manchester, with over 500 employees. THE ROLE We are hiring a Data Engineering Functional Lead (DE FL) to join our Data & AI leadership team and support Neko’s AI vision and execution. This role will be central to how we build and scale AI and Analytics across the company. Specific areas of responsibility include developing our data infrastructure and data systems supporting the needs of Data Science and Data Analytics, enabling efficient delivery of data-driven products and insights at relevant scale of operations WHAT YOU’LL DELIVER IN THE FIRST 6–12 MONTHS - Own and execute Neko’s Data Engineering strategy, establishing a long-term vision for our data infrastructure that keeps us at the forefront of preventive health (Chase 10X, not 10%). - Build and scale data systems for large-scale ingestion, multi-regional needs, storage, and data modelling — delivering the platform that underpins our Data Science and Analytics teams (Tech-enabled, human-centred). - Establish clear ways of working and common tooling across engineering, driving efficient communication and alignment that improves delivery velocity and cross-functional integration (Hard truths, high hopes). - Build a data platform supporting responsible AI — embedding fairness, privacy, explainability, and compliance (EU MDR, FDA, HIPAA, GDPR) into how we work from day one (Member-first, always). - Contribute hands-on to key deliverables while balancing current execution with future architectural needs, setting the standard for technical excellence across the team. - Support the growth, well-being, and performance of the data engineering function, fostering a positive and collaborative culture that attracts and retains world-class talent. Minimum Qualifications - 5+ years in Data Engineering leadership, with proven track record of scaling data systems from startup to large and international scale. - Experience building scalable data infrastructure (data platforms) and data governance frameworks for multi-region, sensitive data environments. - Strong software design, SQL, and Python skills. - Ability to inspire and grow a world-class team. - Strategic leader with both hands-on credibility and organizational influence. - Adept at delivering impact working in circumstances with large uncertainty and in discovery-driven phases. PREFERRED - Experience leading Data Engineering in a global, mission-driven company. - Experience with sensitive data, ideally health data, and compliance. - Experience with GPU workloads in Databricks. ABOUT THE ENGINEERING TEAM DISTRIBUTED AND REMOTE FIRST We are nearly 100 full time engineers at the company, working from Berlin, Chamonix, Hamburg, Lisbon, Marseille, Vilnius, and Stockholm, spanning diverse disciplines such as Hardware Engineering, Firmware