Bioinformatics Engineer

Novaflow (YC S25); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A pioneering biotech startup in San Francisco is seeking an entry-level bioinformatics professional to build and maintain bioinformatics pipelines. This role involves working with large-scale biological datasets and collaborating with scientists to drive the mission forward. You should have strong programming skills and familiarity with bioinformatics tools in a dynamic startup environment. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a rapidly scaling company and learn directly from the founders.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in a bioinformatics role.
• Experience at an early-stage company.
• Contributions to open-source bioinformatics tools.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain bioinformatics pipelines for sequence analysis.
• Work with large-scale biological datasets.
• Collaborate with scientists to translate biological questions into computational approaches.
• Improve the reliability and performance of our data infrastructure.
• Contribute to tooling, automation, and best practices.

Skills

Strong programming skills (Python, R, or similar)

Experience with common bioinformatics tools and formats

Familiarity with cloud infrastructure

Ability to work independently

Tools

samtools

bcftools

VCF

BAM

FASTA

AWS

GCP

Nextflow

Snakemake

WDL

Job description

Direct message the job poster from Novaflow (YC S25)

Novaflow is bridging the gap between researchers and technology, creating tools in order to make analysis more accessible and efficient for everyday biologists. We are leveraging AI to allow biologists to analyze their own data in real time rather than outsource the work to other bioinformatics services. As an early stage company, we’ve already seen incredible excitement about us and the work we’re doing. We’re backed by some amazing investors including Y Combinator who believe in our bold vision to transform how scientific data analysis is done.

The ideal candidate possesses strong technical skills, a bias for action, and a drive for making a large, measurable impact in an early‑stage environment. This individual thrives in complex, fast‑paced environments and plays a pivotal role in driving the mission of the company forward with passion, focus, and scale.

The position is based in San Francisco. Having biology knowledge and experience is not required but is nice to have.

What you'll do:

• Build and maintain bioinformatics pipelines for sequence analysis, variant calling, or other genomic workflows
• Work with large‑scale biological datasets—think sequencing data, omics, clinical annotations
• Collaborate with scientists to translate biological questions into computational approaches
• Improve the reliability and performance of our data infrastructure
• Contribute to tooling, automation, and best practices as we scale

What we're looking for:

• 2+ years of experience in a bioinformatics role
• Strong programming skills (Python, R, or similar) and comfort with the command line
• Experience with common bioinformatics tools and formats (samtools, bcftools, VCF, BAM, FASTA, etc.)
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP) and workflow managers (Nextflow, Snakemake, WDL)
• Ability to work independently, make pragmatic tradeoffs, and ship quickly and frequently
• Experience at an early‑stage company
• Contributions to open‑source bioinformatics tools

This is the perfect opportunity for someone who wants to experience what it’s like to build a startup from the ground up. You’ll work directly with the founders, gain visibility into product strategy, customer conversations, and fundraising, and see what it takes to scale a fast‑growing YC company. If you’re entrepreneurial and curious about being a founder one day, this role will give you the front‑row seat to how world‑class startups are built.

Seniority level

• Entry level

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Research, Analyst, and Information Technology

Industries

• Technology, Information and Internet