Bioinformatics Programmer / Research Associate

Job Description

We are looking for a bioinformatician with expertise developing and running computational pipelines to study human genomic and transcriptomic data. The ideal candidate should have a strong foundation in pipeline development, ideally some hands-on experience with AWS, as well as experience analyzing large-scale, whole-genome, and transcriptome data sets. The candidate will be part of a growing team of computational biologists with expertise spanning bioinformatics, statistical genetics, population genomics, and functional genomics. We encourage candidates who are passionate about increasing the inclusion of underrepresented populations in genomic research to apply, as this is a core mission of Variant Bio. 

Responsibilities

• Run, maintain, and add to bioinformatics methods and workflows for analysis of large-scale data using AWS cloud compute.
• Process and analyze whole genome and exome sequencing data from diverse populations, including variant calling, imputation, and extensive quality control.
• Process and analyze bulk and single-cell transcriptomic data, including expression quantification, splicing quantification, and differential expression analysis.
• Work with software engineers and cloud architects to automate workflows and build robust infrastructure.
• Disseminate results internally and contribute to presentations and publications. 

Qualifications

• Masters degree with 2+ years, or Bachelors degree with 4+ years of relevant work experience in bioinformatics, computational biology, statistics, computer science, or a related field.
• Experience processing large-scale WGS data using standard bioinformatics software packages, such as FASTQC, BWA, GATK, samtools, bedtools, bcftools, etc. Experience working with RNA-seq data and relevant software packages is a plus.
• Strong programming skills and experience with high performance computing; proficiency in bash, Python, R; experience programming in Java/C++ preferred.
• Experience with cloud-based computing on AWS; hands-on experience with AWS Batch, ECR, Cloud Formation preferred.
• Experience with Nextflow on AWS Batch a plus. Familiarity programmatically interfacing with relational databases such as MySQL.
• Software development experience using e.g. git and Docker; Good working knowledge of public human genomic resources, such as the 1000 Genomes Project, the Human Genome Diversity Project, gnomAD, the UK Biobank and other biobanks.
• Publication record in the field of genomics a plus; Independent, creative, detail-oriented, and a critical thinker. Compelled by the company’s mission of great science, a strong ethical stance, and benefit sharing. 

Compensation & Perks

• Opportunity to be part of an early-stage startup in a rapid growth phase.
  
• Competitive salary and equity package.
  
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, short and long term disability, and life insurance.
  
• 401(k) plan that includes an automatic 3% employer contribution.
  
• Flexible paid time off.
  
• Choice of public transportation (Orca Card) provided by the company or subsidized parking.
  
• Central Eastlake location in a brand new Alexandria building with modern facilities.
  

Anticipated annual base salary for this position is $90,000 - $120,000 plus up to 10% bonus and an options package, for total compensation of up to $99,000 - $132,000, plus equity options.

The annual salary range above is based on the responsibilities and qualifications listed above. Individual salary will depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Don't meet every single requirement but are excited to join the Variant Bio team? If your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may still be the right candidate for this or other roles.