Lead Data Scientist - Bioinformatics

Placements24; Centurion; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Remote work

Professional growth

Job summary

Placements24 invites a Lead Data Scientist to guide bioinformatics initiatives in Centurion. You will architect and deploy large-scale data analysis pipelines, mentor a team of data scientists, and partner with biologists and clinicians to translate complex data into actionable strategies for therapeutic development.

The role emphasizes leadership, advanced ML and statistical modeling, cloud and big data technologies, and delivering reproducible workflows with impact across research and

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in bioinformatics or quantitative field.
• 7+ years in data science with a strong focus on bioinformatics/genomics.
• Proficiency in Python or R and ML libraries.
• Experience with cloud platforms and big data technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and deployment of bioinformatics pipelines for genomic, proteomic, and clinical datasets.
• Design and implement ML models and statistical analyses to identify patterns and generate hypotheses from complex biological data.
• Manage, mentor, and guide a team of data scientists, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment.
• Collaborate with research teams to define analytical approaches, interpret results, and integrate findings into research strategies.
• Develop and maintain data visualizations and reporting dashboards for scientific and executive audiences in Centurion.
• Ensure the quality, reproducibility, and scalability of all data science workflows and infrastructure.

Skills

Bioinformatics

Genomics

Machine learning

Python

R

Leadership

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics

MS in related field

Tools

Python

R

TensorFlow

Scikit-learn

Pandas

SciPy

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking an experienced and visionary Lead Data Scientist to spearhead their bioinformatics initiatives in Centurion . This leadership role involves architecting and implementing advanced data analysis pipelines for large-scale biological datasets, driving insights that fuel critical research and development decisions. You will manage a team of data scientists, mentor junior members, and collaborate with biologists and clinicians to translate complex data into actionable strategies. This is a premier opportunity to shape the future of data-driven discovery in a fast-paced, innovative setting, leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning and statistical modeling techniques to unlock new biological understanding and drive therapeutic development within the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and deployment of bioinformatics pipelines for analyzing genomic, proteomic, and clinical datasets.
• Design and implement machine learning models and statistical analyses to identify patterns and generate hypotheses from complex biological data.
• Manage, mentor, and guide a team of data scientists, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment.
• Collaborate with research teams to define analytical approaches, interpret results, and integrate findings into research strategies.
• Develop and maintain data visualizations and reporting dashboards for scientific and executive audiences in Centurion .
• Ensure the quality, reproducibility, and scalability of all data science workflows and infrastructure.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• 7+ years of experience in data science , with a significant focus on bioinformatics and genomics.
• Proven expertise in programming languages such as Python or R, and experience with relevant libraries (e.g., SciPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow).
• Strong understanding of machine learning algorithms, statistical modeling, and data mining techniques.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and big data technologies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across the organization.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and comprehensive executive benefits package.
• Significant bonus potential and stock options.
• Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options.
• Access to cutting-edge computational resources and diverse biological datasets.
• Professional growth opportunities and leadership development programs in Centurion .