Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Data Engineer, Data Platform
at Recursion
🏢 About Recursion
Recursion is a biotechnology company pioneering a unique approach to drug discovery by combining automated experimental biology with advanced data science and AI. They generate massive, diverse biological datasets (chemistry libraries, cellular microscopy images, assay results) and use computational platforms to map diseases and discover new treatments. This role offers the chance to build the data infrastructure powering groundbreaking biomedical research that could accelerate treatments for complex diseases.
About This Role
As a Senior Data Engineer on the Data Platform team, you'll architect, build, and scale the core platform that enables scientists and researchers to discover and query across Recursion's heterogeneous biological datasets. This role is impactful because you'll directly enable the company's mission by making complex, multi-modal data (images, chemical structures, assay results) reliably accessible and analyzable for drug discovery. You'll also mentor other engineers and help shape technical strategy.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve collaborating with data scientists to understand requirements for querying new assay datasets, designing and implementing scalable data pipelines (e.g., using Spark on Kubernetes) to process cellular microscopy images, and mentoring a junior engineer on best practices for data quality checks. You could also spend time evaluating a new data orchestration tool to improve platform reliability, and participating in cross-functional meetings with biologists to align on data model changes.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Recursion Is Looking For
- Has 5+ years hands-on experience building cloud-based data platforms (likely AWS, GCP, or Azure) that handle petabyte-scale, diverse data types (not just tabular data).
- Demonstrates a pragmatic understanding of data architecture trade-offs (e.g., data lake vs. warehouse, batch vs. streaming) and stays current with tools like Spark, Airflow, dbt, or modern data stack components.
- Thrives in ambiguous, cross-functional environments—able to collaborate with biologists, data scientists, and software engineers on complex projects spanning multiple systems.
- Shows genuine excitement for learning new technologies and a 'people-first' mindset, evidenced by mentoring experience and collaborative project leadership.
📝 Tips for Applying to Recursion
Tailor your resume to highlight specific projects where you built or scaled a data platform for large, heterogeneous datasets (mention data types like images, time-series, or unstructured data if relevant).
Explicitly mention your experience with cloud data services (e.g., AWS Glue, BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks) and how you've evaluated trade-offs between different architectures.
In your application or portfolio, include an example of how you mentored junior engineers or collaborated with non-technical stakeholders (like scientists) on a data project.
Research Recursion's data philosophy—they've published about their 'Recursion Data Universe'—and reference how your skills align with making biological data queryable and relatable.
Avoid generic data engineering jargon; instead, describe how your work enabled specific business or research outcomes (e.g., 'reduced query time for scientists by X%' or 'enabled new analysis of microscopy images').
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Explain why you're drawn to applying data engineering to drug discovery and biotechnology, referencing Recursion's mission or specific datasets (e.g., cellular microscopy images).", 'Detail one complex, ambiguous data project you led, emphasizing how you navigated technical complexity and collaborated across teams.', 'Highlight your mentoring or coaching experience, and how you foster learning and growth in technical teams.', "Briefly mention a relevant technology trend or tool you've learned recently, tying it to how it could benefit Recursion's data platform."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Recursion's published research or blog posts about their data platform and 'Recursion Data Universe' (search their website or tech blogs).
- → The company's drug discovery pipeline and therapeutic areas (e.g., oncology, neurology) to understand the biological data context.
- → Their tech stack mentions from job postings, engineering blogs, or LinkedIn profiles of current data engineers (look for tools like Python, Spark, AWS, Kubernetes).
- → Recent news about Recursion's partnerships, acquisitions, or funding rounds to understand strategic direction and growth.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Presenting yourself as purely a tools expert without discussing architectural decisions or business impact (e.g., focusing only on listing tools like Spark or Airflow without context).
- Failing to demonstrate experience with non-tabular or heterogeneous data types—this role specifically mentions chemistry libraries, images, and assay results.
- Neglecting to show collaborative or mentoring experience, as the role emphasizes being a 'mentor, coach, and sponsor' across teams.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!