Lead Bioinformatician - Genomics

Placements24; Polokwane; Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Professional development budget

Conference sponsorship

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Lead Bioinformatician to spearhead Genomics research in a fully remote setup. You will guide a team of bioinformaticians and computational biologists, developing cutting-edge strategies for large-scale genomic data analysis across projects in personalized medicine and disease research.

You will lead NC pipelines, mentor staff, and collaborate with clinicians and scientists to translate findings into impact, ensuring data quality and reproducibility in all analyses.

Qualifications

• PhD in bioinformatics or related quantitative field.
• 7+ years in bioinformatics with a genomics focus.
• Experience leading scientific teams and mentoring researchers.
• Proficiency in Python and R; shell scripting experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and application of bioinformatics pipelines for NGS data (WGS, WES, RNA-Seq).
• Manage and mentor a team of bioinformaticians; provide technical guidance.
• Collaborate with geneticists, biologists and clinicians to design genomic studies and interpret results.
• Develop and maintain data management systems and computational infrastructure for genomics data.
• Contribute to scientific strategy, grant writing and publication of findings.
• Ensure best practices for data analysis, QC and reproducibility.

Skills

Leadership

Team mentorship

Genomics analysis

Python

R

Shell scripting

Data quality & reproducibility

Education

Ph.D. in Bioinformatics/Genomics/Computational Biology

Tools

GATK

Samtools

STAR

DESeq2

Job description

Our client is seeking a highly experienced Lead Bioinformatician to spearhead their Genomics research efforts. This fully remote position offers a unique opportunity to guide a team of bioinformaticians and computational biologists in analyzing large-scale genomic datasets, driving discoveries in personalized medicine and disease research. You will be responsible for developing and implementing cutting-edge computational strategies, ensuring the highest standards of data quality and analytical rigor. The role requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and excellent communication skills to foster collaboration across research disciplines and contribute to significant scientific advancements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and application of bioinformatics pipelines for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis (e.g., WGS, WES, RNA-Seq).
• Manage and mentor a team of bioinformaticians, providing technical guidance and fostering professional growth.
• Collaborate with geneticists, biologists, and clinicians to design genomic studies and interpret results.
• Develop and maintain robust data management systems and computational infrastructure for genomic data.
• Contribute to the scientific strategy, grant writing, and publication of research findings.
• Ensure the implementation of best practices for data analysis, quality control, and reproducibility.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, or a related quantitative field.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in bioinformatics, with a significant focus on genomics research.
• Proven experience leading and managing scientific teams.
• Expertise in analyzing diverse genomic datasets using tools such as GATK, Samtools, STAR, DESeq2.
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python and R , and experience with shell scripting.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a fully remote setting.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.
• Significant impact on cutting-edge genomic research and personalized medicine.
• Fully remote work arrangement offering maximum flexibility.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous professional development budget and opportunities to attend leading conferences.