Lead Genomics Bioinformatics Scientist - Remote Options

Placements24; Mbombela (Nelspruit); Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Retirement fund

Annual leave

Professional development support

Occasional remote work

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Lead Geneticist specializing in bioinformatics in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. Lead a team of scientists, oversee pipelines from raw data to analysis, and drive disease association studies with large genomic datasets.

The role requires a PhD and 7+ years in genetics research with strong computational skills across GATK/PLINK/BCFtools/SAMtools, plus cloud experience. Occasional remote work may be available.

Qualifications

• PhD in genetics, bioinformatics or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive genetics research with bioinformatics focus.
• Experience with large-scale genomic data analysis tools and pipelines.
• Proficiency in Python, R, and/or Perl.
• Strong publication record in peer‑reviewed journals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of geneticists and bioinformaticians.
• Design and implement bioinformatics pipelines for NGS data (WGS, WES, RNA-Seq).
• Apply statistical methods for genetic association studies and variant calling.
• Interpret genomic data to identify disease mutations and traits.
• Collaborate with external institutions and manage genomic databases.
• Mentor researchers and contribute to grant writing and publications.
• Ensure data integrity, reproducibility, and regulatory compliance.
• Present findings at conferences.

Skills

Bioinformatics

Genetics

Population genetics

Python

R

Perl

GATK

PLINK

BCFtools

SAMtools

Leadership

Mentoring

Data interpretation

Education

Ph.D. in Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or related field

Tools

GATK

PLINK

BCFtools

SAMtools

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Lead Geneticist specializing in bioinformatics in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. Lead a team of scientists, oversee pipelines from raw data to analysis, and drive disease association studies with large genomic datasets.

The role requires a PhD and 7+ years in genetics research with strong computational skills across GATK/PLINK/BCFtools/SAMtools, plus cloud experience. Occasional remote work may be available.