Ben Liyanage

Senior Data Engineering Manager @Vida Health

US

Vida Health supports patients in the management of chronic conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension and Anxiety.As the founding leader of the Data Engineering function, I built and scaled the company’s data infrastructure, analytics capabilities, and compliance frameworks—enabling a shift toward data-driven, AI-assisted operations across clinical, product, and business teams.Key Achievements* Built and led Vida’s Data Engineering organization from inception, establishing the core infrastructure, hiring and mentoring a high-performing team, and defining technical and operational strategy.* Directed a $2 million technology budget, achieving a 50% cost reduction through architectural modernization, vendor negotiation, and platform consolidation.* Defined and delivered a modern data platform ecosystem (BigQuery, Airflow, dbt, Looker, Terraform, and Workato) powering analytics, automation, and AI model development.* Championed an AI-enabled workforce strategy, designing a multi-year roadmap for how engineering and non-engineering teams can leverage generative AI, automation, and workflow optimization to increase output without proportional headcount growth.* Partnered with Product, Data Science, and Clinical Operations to advance initiatives in EHR integration, ML (Vertex AI, BigQuery ML), and real-time engagement analytics.* Established data governance and compliance frameworks aligned with HIPAA and HITRUST, ensuring data privacy and regulatory readiness.* Shaped data and AI strategy and OKRs, aligning technical investments with company goals and influencing executive roadmap decisions.

Goucher College

Bachelor of Arts, Computer Science