Principal Bioinformatician - Drug Discovery

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Retirement annuity fund

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 in Cape Town is seeking a Principal Bioinformatician to lead data analysis initiatives in drug discovery. You will integrate genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and clinical data to identify drug targets and biomarkers, and mentor a growing computational biology team.

You will develop advanced pipelines, apply ML models to predict efficacy and safety, and communicate insights to scientists and stakeholders in a dynamic research environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Statistics, or a closely related quantitative field.
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in bioinformatics, with a significant focus on drug discovery or pharmaceutical R&D.
• Demonstrated expertise in programming languages such as Python or R, and experience with bioinformatics software and databases.
• Proven experience in developing and applying statistical and machine learning models to biological data.
• Strong understanding of molecular biology, genetics, and drug development pipelines.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP) and high-performance computing environments is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-experts.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities and experience mentoring scientific staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of advanced bioinformatics pipelines for analyzing large-scale biological datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.).
• Design and execute sophisticated statistical analyses to identify potential drug targets, biomarkers, and patient stratification strategies.
• Develop and apply machine learning models for predicting drug efficacy, toxicity, and patient response.
• Collaborate closely with experimental biologists, chemists, and clinicians to integrate computational findings with experimental data and clinical outcomes.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of drug discovery programs by providing data-driven insights and recommendations.
• Manage and curate biological databases, ensuring data integrity, accessibility, and quality.
• Mentor junior bioinformaticians and contribute to building a strong computational biology team.
• Present findings to internal stakeholders and external scientific community through reports and publications.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in bioinformatics, computational biology, and drug discovery.

Job description

About the Role

Our client is a prominent pharmaceutical company based in Cape Town, Western Cape , seeking a highly skilled Principal Bioinformatician to spearhead their data analysis initiatives within the drug discovery domain. This senior position is crucial for interpreting complex biological datasets, developing predictive models, and extracting actionable insights that will guide the development of new pharmaceutical products. The ideal candidate will possess a strong computational background combined with a deep understanding of biological systems and drug development processes. You will play a key role in integrating diverse data types, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and clinical data, to identify novel drug targets and biomarkers. This role offers the chance to work with cutting-edge technologies and collaborate with world-class scientists in a vibrant research environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of advanced bioinformatics pipelines for analyzing large-scale biological datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.).
• Design and execute sophisticated statistical analyses to identify potential drug targets, biomarkers, and patient stratification strategies.
• Develop and apply machine learning models for predicting drug efficacy, toxicity, and patient response.
• Collaborate closely with experimental biologists, chemists, and clinicians to integrate computational findings with experimental data and clinical outcomes.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of drug discovery programs by providing data-driven insights and recommendations.
• Manage and curate biological databases, ensuring data integrity, accessibility, and quality.
• Mentor junior bioinformaticians and contribute to building a strong computational biology team.
• Present findings to internal stakeholders and external scientific community through reports and publications.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in bioinformatics, computational biology, and drug discovery.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Statistics, or a closely related quantitative field.
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in bioinformatics, with a significant focus on drug discovery or pharmaceutical R&D.
• Demonstrated expertise in programming languages such as Python or R, and experience with bioinformatics software and databases.
• Proven experience in developing and applying statistical and machine learning models to biological data.
• Strong understanding of molecular biology, genetics, and drug development pipelines.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP) and high-performance computing environments is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-experts.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities and experience mentoring scientific staff.

Benefits

Our client offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive base salary, performance bonuses, and comprehensive benefits such as private medical insurance, a retirement annuity fund, and paid time off. We invest in our employees' growth through ongoing training, access to scientific conferences, and opportunities for internal advancement. The work environment in Cape Town is stimulating and collaborative, encouraging innovation and scientific exchange. Employees benefit from a focus on work-life balance and a commitment to employee well-being. This is an exceptional opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of medicine within a respected organization.