Remote Lead Computational Biologist - Bioinformatics Pipelines

Placements24; Mossel Bay; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Fully remote

Medical coverage

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Computational Biologist to head scalable bioinformatics pipelines for large-scale genomic datasets. The role is fully remote from anywhere in South Africa, reporting to a distributed team of scientists and engineers. You will design, optimize, and maintain robust workflows for population genetics, clinical genomics, and functional genomics.

The ideal candidate holds a Ph.D. or Master’s in a related field with at least 6 years of experience in pipeline development,

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in Computational Biology or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and maintenance of scalable bioinformatics pipelines for large genomic datasets (WGS, WES, RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq).
• Develop workflows for variant calling, genotyping, transcriptome analysis.
• Ensure reliability, reproducibility, and efficiency of pipelines.
• Collaborate with data scientists and researchers to define analytical requirements.
• Evaluate and integrate new bioinformatics tools into workflows.
• Mentor junior computational biologists and bioinformaticians.
• Contribute to proposals and publications leveraging the pipelines.
• Ensure data security and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Python

R

Perl

Shell scripting

HPC

Cloud computing

Docker

Singularity

Education

Ph.D. or Master’s in Computational Biology / Bioinformatics / CS / Statistics

Tools

GATK

BWA

Samtools

PLINK

VCFtools

Docker

Singularity

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a fast-growing genomics startup, is looking for a Lead Computational Biologist to join their fully remote team. This position is instrumental in building and optimizing the bioinformatics infrastructure that powers our client's innovative genomic analysis services. You will lead the design and implementation of scalable, robust, and efficient bioinformatics pipelines for various applications, including population genetics, clinical genomics, and functional genomics. Working remotely from anywhere in South Africa , you will collaborate with a distributed team of scientists and engineers to push the boundaries of genomic research. This is a unique opportunity to take on a leadership role, shape critical research tools, and contribute to advancements that have a profound impact on healthcare and biological understanding. You will be integral in ensuring our client's analytical capabilities remain at the cutting edge.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of scalable bioinformatics pipelines for processing and analyzing large-scale genomic datasets (WGS, WES, RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, etc.).
• Develop and optimize computational workflows for variant calling, genotyping, transcriptome analysis, and other genomic analyses.
• Ensure the reliability, reproducibility, and efficiency of bioinformatics pipelines.
• Collaborate with data scientists, bioinformaticians, and research scientists to define analytical requirements and deliver solutions.
• Evaluate and integrate new bioinformatics tools and technologies into existing workflows.
• Develop documentation, testing strategies, and quality control measures for bioinformatics pipelines.
• Mentor and guide junior computational biologists and bioinformaticians.
• Contribute to research proposals and publications, leveraging the capabilities of the developed pipelines.
• Ensure data security and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Champion best practices in software development and computational biology within the team.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in computational biology or bioinformatics, with a strong focus on pipeline development.
• Proven experience leading technical projects and/or teams.
• Expertise in programming languages such as Python, R, and/or Perl, and proficiency with shell scripting.
• Extensive experience with standard bioinformatics tools and databases (e.g., GATK, BWA, Samtools, PLINK, VCFtools).
• Strong understanding of cloud computing platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Singularity).
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) clusters.
• Excellent understanding of genomic data formats and analysis methodologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a remote, distributed team.

Benefits

• Competitive salary package with equity options.
• Fully remote work arrangement with flexible hours.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Generous annual leave and professional development budget.
• Opportunity to work with groundbreaking genomic technologies.
• Be part of a fast-paced, innovative startup environment.
• Direct impact on the company's scientific direction and success.
• Collaborate with a passionate and talented team of experts.