Lead Data Scientist - Bioinformatics

Placements24; George; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote

Flexible hours

Professional development budget

Groundbreaking drug discovery work

Collaborative virtual team culture

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking an experienced Lead Data Scientist to spearhead bioinformatics research in a fully remote capacity. You will guide a team of data scientists, collaborate with biologists and chemists, and shape the strategic direction of data-driven drug discovery initiatives.

The role requires a PhD, 7+ years in data science, and deep expertise in Python or R, scalable data pipelines, and cloud platforms.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• 7+ years in data science with a bioinformatics or computational biology focus.
• Proficiency in Python or R and libraries (SciPy, NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn).
• Cloud experience (AWS, Azure, GCP) and big data tech (Spark).

Responsibilities

• Lead development and deployment of ML models for biological data.
• Design experiments to identify drug targets and biomarkers.
• Collaborate with biology and chemistry teams to define analysis strategies.
• Oversee scalable data pipelines and analytical platforms.
• Mentor a team of data scientists and communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Present findings to senior management and external collaborators.

Skills

Leadership

Remote team management

Communication

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics / related quantitative field

Tools

Python

R

SciPy

NumPy

Pandas

Scikit-learn

Spark

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking an experienced and visionary Lead Data Scientist to spearhead their bioinformatics research efforts, operating in a fully remote capacity. You will be instrumental in leveraging advanced computational techniques to analyze large-scale biological datasets, uncover insights, and drive innovation in drug discovery and development. This is a leadership role where you will guide a team of data scientists, collaborate with biologists and chemists, and define the strategic direction for data-driven research initiatives. The role demands a blend of deep technical expertise, strong analytical skills, and the ability to effectively communicate complex findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of sophisticated machine learning models for biological data analysis.
• Design and execute computational experiments to identify novel drug targets and biomarkers.
• Collaborate with research teams to define analytical strategies and interpret complex genomic and proteomic datasets.
• Oversee the development of scalable data pipelines and analytical platforms.
• Mentor and manage a team of data scientists, fostering a culture of innovation and scientific rigor.
• Present research findings and recommendations to senior management and external collaborators.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• Extensive experience (7+ years) in data science, with a specialization in bioinformatics or computational biology.
• Demonstrated expertise in programming languages such as Python or R , and relevant libraries (e.g., SciPy, NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn).
• Deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and their application to biological problems.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and big data technologies (e.g., Spark).
• Proven ability to lead projects and mentor scientific staff in a remote setting.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Fully remote work environment with flexible hours.
• Opportunity to work on groundbreaking research in drug discovery.
• Generous professional development budget for training and conferences.
• Collaborative and intellectually stimulating virtual team culture.