Bioinformatician - Genetics & Bioinformatics

Natera is seeking an Associate Director to lead a team of Bioinformatics Scientists in our Women's Health and Organ Health research organization. You will oversee the scientific planning and execution of research and assay-development of diagnostic projects, and you will be responsible for creating production-ready pipeline components. You will manage your team and its professional growth, the research strategy behind new product development, and the handoff of research work into production.

The role calls for deep experience in algorithm and assay development, NGS data processing across multiple modalities, and the full life cycle of diagnostic product research and development in a regulated (CLIA) setting. You will evaluate new technologies and NGS assays, implement methods to optimize performance, and help define the product profile from a bioinformatics perspective, with input from R&D, Product, and Laboratory Directors.

Team Leadership and Development: Lead and mentor a team of Bioinformatics Scientists. Research Strategy: Own the research strategy behind new product development, from scoping through execution, working with cross-functional stakeholders on what the team takes on and in what order.

Assay Science: Lead bioinformatics analysis for assay development and optimization, and troubleshoot experiments alongside laboratory scientists. It also spans short-read and long-read sequencing and both hybrid-capture and amplicon target enrichment.

Study Design and Data Quality: Partner with laboratory teams on study design at the research and feasibility stage, covering new technology assessment, optimization, and performance determination. Make sure the resulting data holds up before anyone builds on it.

Advise and prototype improvements to analysis pipelines, including variant detection, quality control, and modality-specific processing: methylation calling, fragment-size and end-motif analysis, error suppression for deep targeted panels, and structural-variant calling.

Move research prototypes into stable production workflows. Hold the team to software engineering practice, including version control, testing, continuous integration and delivery, and containerization. Automate the routine parts of research data management, pipeline execution, and reporting so the team's time goes to science.

Cross-functional Partnership: Work with data science, molecular biology, pipeline engineering, biostatistics, quality assurance, and laboratory operations on new products and on the transition of research work into production. The team has a research roadmap you own, and progress against it is visible outside the team.

You independently advise and guide research strategies in cross functional settings.

New analysis methods from your team are implemented within production code and demonstrate expected performance on benchmark studies..

D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Biostatistics, or a related field. (7+ years in bioinformatics, including 3+ years leading scientists and working across functions.

Demonstrated ownership of a team that took scientific research into real clinical use, not only to a result.

Deep expertise in next-generation sequencing analysis: hybrid-capture or amplicon-based target enrichment designs, sequencing quality control, secondary analysis, and variant calling.

Experience with cell-free DNA sequencing and other omics data, especially in a diagnostics setting. Strong Python, programming, and data analysis skills.

Fluency in exploratory data analysis and visualization on complex data sets, and the ability to translate findings into actionable recommendations.

Understanding of sequencing workflows from sample extraction through the instrument, deep enough to tell a biology problem from an analysis problem.

A demonstrated record of assessing a new platform, assay chemistry or method against established benchmarks..

The ability to run several objectives and timelines at once without close supervision.

R, shell scripting, or Java.

Cloud computing (AWS, GCP) and workflow orchestration (Snakemake, WDL, Nextflow, Cromwell).

Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) for reproducible, production-grade analyses.

The pay range is listed and actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications and specific office location. Remote USA

$Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

Competitive Benefits - Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.

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