Lead Bioinformatics Scientist

Placements24; Vereeniging; Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Competitive salary

Professional development budget

Health, dental and vision insurance

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Bioinformatics Scientist to join a fully remote research team driving personalized medicine through genomics and data science.

You will lead the development of advanced computational strategies to analyze large genomic datasets, identify biomarkers, and guide therapeutic target discovery, while mentoring junior scientists and collaborating across disciplines.

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics or related field
• 7+ years hands-on bioinformatics experience
• Proven expertise in genomics pipelines
• Python, R, Perl, Bash programming
• BLAST, Ensembl, and UCSC Genome Browser experience
• Statistics and ML knowledge for biological data
• NGS data platforms and cloud (AWS, GCP) experience
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Leadership and mentoring experience

Responsibilities

• Lead development of bioinformatics pipelines for genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data.
• Design and implement statistical and ML models to identify patterns and predict outcomes.
• Collaborate with biologists, geneticists, and clinicians to interpret datasets.
• Develop custom tools and scripts for data analysis and visualization.
• Manage and analyze NGS data, including variant calling and expression analysis.
• Contribute to experimental protocol design from a data perspective.
• Mentor junior bioinformaticians and share knowledge.
• Present findings to teams, collaborators, and at conferences.
• Ensure data integrity and reproducibility in analyses.

Skills

Python

R

Perl

Bash

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics or related field

Tools

BLAST

Ensembl

UCSC Genome Browser

AWS

GCP

Job description

About the Role

Our client is a revolutionary force in personalized medicine, leveraging cutting-edge genomics and data science to transform healthcare. They are seeking an exceptional Lead Bioinformatics Scientist to join their fully remote research team. This critical role involves developing and implementing advanced computational strategies to analyze vast genomic and related biological datasets. You will be instrumental in identifying novel biomarkers, understanding disease mechanisms, and driving the discovery of new therapeutic targets. As a fully remote organization, we foster a collaborative, flexible, and productive environment, equipped with the latest digital tools and support systems to ensure seamless global teamwork. This is a prime opportunity to make a profound impact on human health by harnessing the power of data from anywhere in the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and application of bioinformatics pipelines for large-scale genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data analysis.
• Design and implement statistical and machine learning models to identify biological patterns and predict outcomes.
• Collaborate closely with molecular biologists, geneticists, and clinical researchers to interpret complex datasets.
• Develop custom software tools and scripts to facilitate data analysis and visualization.
• Manage and analyze next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, including variant calling, gene expression analysis, and pathway enrichment.
• Contribute to the design of experimental protocols from a data analysis perspective.
• Mentor junior bioinformaticians and contribute to the team's scientific growth and knowledge sharing.
• Present findings to internal teams, external collaborators, and at scientific conferences.
• Ensure data integrity, reproducibility, and adherence to best practices in bioinformatics analysis.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• A minimum of 7 years of hands-on experience in bioinformatics analysis, with a strong track record in analyzing large biological datasets.
• Proven expertise in developing and optimizing bioinformatics pipelines, particularly for genomic data.
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in bioinformatics (e.g., Python, R, Perl, Bash).
• Extensive experience with bioinformatics tools and databases (e.g., BLAST, Ensembl, UCSC Genome Browser).
• Strong knowledge of statistical methods and machine learning algorithms relevant to biological data.
• Experience with NGS data analysis platforms and cloud computing environments (AWS, GCP) is essential.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, adept at working within a distributed team.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities and experience mentoring junior scientists.

Benefits

Our client offers a highly competitive salary, reflective of your expertise and leadership contributions, along with performance-based incentives. As a remote employee, you will enjoy unparalleled flexibility and work-life balance, supported by comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as a robust retirement savings plan. We provide a generous budget for professional development, including access to specialized training, online courses, and attendance at key bioinformatics conferences globally. Our client invests in advanced, secure cloud infrastructure and collaborative platforms to empower its remote workforce. The opportunity to work on impactful projects that advance personalized medicine and directly improve patient outcomes is a core benefit. Join a mission-driven organization at the cutting edge of genomic data science.