Remote Lead Bioinformatics Scientist

Placements24; LegKraal Gate; Hybrid; ZAR 2,324,000 - 3,651,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Competitive bonus potential

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly experienced Lead Bioinformatics Scientist to join a fully remote R&D team. You will lead a group of bioinformaticians, guide development of pipelines for genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, and drive scientific and technical strategy in a remote-first environment.

The role requires a PhD, 8+ years in bioinformatics with leadership experience, strong programming in Python/R, and expertise in cloud/HPC and containerization.

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics or related quantitative field.
• 8+ years in bioinformatics with at least 3 in a leadership role.
• Proficiency in Python or R and bioinformatics libraries (Biopython, Bioconductor).
• Experience analyzing omics datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics).
• Experience with HPC, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containers (Docker, Singularity).

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic development and execution of bioinformatics projects for large-scale omics data.
• Design, build, and maintain robust, scalable bioinformatics pipelines using best practices in software engineering.
• Apply and develop advanced statistical and machine learning methods to extract meaningful biological insights from complex datasets.
• Collaborate effectively with bench scientists, clinicians, and stakeholders across different time zones and locations.
• Mentor and manage a team of bioinformatics scientists, fostering their growth and project success.
• Evaluate and implement new bioinformatics tools, technologies, and computational strategies.
• Communicate complex technical findings clearly to diverse audiences through presentations and reports.
• Contribute to grant proposals and research publications.

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics or related quantitative field

Tools

Biopython

Bioconductor

AWS

GCP

Azure

Docker

Singularity

Git

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly experienced and visionary Lead Bioinformatics Scientist to join their fully remote research and development team. This is a pivotal role for an individual passionate about leveraging cutting-edge computational approaches to analyze complex biological data. You will lead a talented group of bioinformaticians, guiding the development and implementation of advanced algorithms and pipelines for genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. This position requires strong leadership skills, a deep understanding of biological systems, and exceptional programming capabilities, all while thriving in a remote-first environment. You will be instrumental in driving key discoveries and shaping the future of biological data analysis for our client. The opportunity offers significant autonomy and the ability to make a substantial impact from anywhere.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development and execution of bioinformatics projects, focusing on large-scale omics data analysis.
• Design, build, and maintain robust, scalable bioinformatics pipelines using best practices in software engineering.
• Apply and develop advanced statistical and machine learning methods to extract meaningful biological insights from complex datasets.
• Collaborate effectively with bench scientists, clinicians, and other stakeholders across different time zones and locations.
• Mentor and manage a team of bioinformatics scientists, fostering their technical growth and project success.
• Evaluate and implement new bioinformatics tools, technologies, and computational strategies.
• Communicate complex technical findings clearly and effectively to diverse audiences through presentations and written reports.
• Ensure data integrity, reproducibility, and high-quality scientific output.
• Contribute to the writing of grant proposals and research publications.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience in bioinformatics or computational biology, with at least 3 years in a leadership role managing scientific teams.
• Expert proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R, and associated bioinformatics libraries (e.g., Biopython, Bioconductor).
• Extensive experience analyzing various omics datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.).
• Deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms, and data visualization techniques.
• Experience with high-performance computing environments, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), and containerization (Docker, Singularity).
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and leadership skills suitable for a remote work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver results.
• Familiarity with version control (Git) and agile development methodologies is highly desirable.

Benefits

This is a fully remote position offering a highly competitive salary, substantial bonus potential, and an exceptional benefits package. This includes comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, a generous retirement savings plan, and ample paid time off. We prioritize work-life balance and offer flexible working hours. Continuous professional development is strongly supported, with opportunities for attending virtual conferences, online courses, and accessing specialized training.