Job summary
Employer heading
Bioinformatician
Band 7
Welcome to Public Health Wales, the national public health organisation for Wales
Our vision is Working to achieve a healthier future for Wales
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Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference
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Applicants are invited to apply in Welsh, any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English. To support our all Wales service, we particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.
Job overview
THIS POST IS FIXED TERM FOR 2 YEARS DUE TO THE NEEDS OF THE SERVICE.
The work of the Pathogen Genomics Unit is world-class and offers a varied, challenging and rewarding work environment. This is an opportunity to be at the forefront of Public Health Microbiology in Wales and internationally. The Bioinformatics team in the Pathogen Genomics Unit (PenGU) is the software development and analysis support arm of the Public Health Genomics Programme. This team supports genomic diagnostics, bespoke software development, genomic surveillance of communicable disease and infections in Wales, and Health Protection Teams in outbreak investigation and control.
This role is a two-year fixed-term post, focusing on using metagenomics approaches towards the collaborative development of a pathogen-agnostic, microbial identification service. In addition, the role will also involve the delivery, maintenance and improvement of existing UKAS accredited pathogen genomic services within PenGU.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be responsible for providing day-to-day running, monitoring, support, and maintenance of bioinformatics processes for all activities relevant to the pathogen genomics services run within the Unit. They will develop advanced, service delivery-level bespoke bioinformatics analysis software and pipelines, focusing on pathogen detection and characterisation, and work with the management team in the roll-out of new bioinformatic methods. Their work will contribute towards understanding infection processes and improving surveillance, leading towards reduction in the burden of disease.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.
Working for our organisation
We are Public Health Wales – the national public health organisation for Wales. Our purpose is ‘working together for a healthier Wales'. We exist to help all people in Wales live longer, healthier lives. With our partners, we aim to increase healthy life expectancy, improve health and well-being, and reduce inequalities for everyone in Wales, now and for future generations.
Together, our teams work to prevent disease, protect health, and provide leadership, specialist services and public health expertise. We are the main source of public health information, research and innovation in Wales. Never more has public health been so important as we come through the Coronavirus pandemic, face the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis and tackle and prevent the harmful effects of climate change.
Our organisation is guided by our Values, 'Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference'. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve and from those wishing to work part time or on a job share basis.
To find out more about working for us and the benefits we offer please visit https://phw.nhs.wales/careers/
For guidance on the application process, please visit https://phw.nhs.wales/working-for-us/applicant-information-and-guidance/
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The postholder will be required to:
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Work collaboratively both within PHW and with other UK organisations to develop new bioinformatic pipelines and services, with a primary focus on pathogen-agnostic microbial detection and characterisation, under the direction of the Senior Bioinformaticians and Head of Unit.
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Undertake specialist testing and evaluation requiring a higher level of professional expertise e.g. validation and assessment of bioinformatic tools, pipelines, and resources applicable to aid in the interpretation of results.
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Carry out, interpret, and report advanced bioinformatics procedures and investigations, providing timely and accurate responses to clinical queries related to the ongoing delivery of pathogen genomics services within PenGU
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Supervise day-to-day activities of junior bioinformatics team members and provide support and guidance for their professional development.
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Collaborate with the Unit Head and Senior Bioinformatician to maintain high standards of quality within PenGU Bioinformatics in compliance with external accredited regulatory bodies.
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Maintain high professional standards by continual professional development keeping up to date with advances in pathogen genomics and NGS technology.
Person specification
Qualifications and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Honours degree in Medical Microbiology or Molecular Biology or equivalent experience
- Post graduate qualification (e.g. MSc) in a relevant subject or equivalent experience
- Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of bioinformatics methods to analyse genomics data, including using metagenomic and pathogen-agnostic characterisation approaches
- Demonstrable understanding of theoretical knowledge underpinning conventional DNA sequencing and genomics analysis approaches
- Excellent understanding of microbiology of disease and disease processes, including molecular microbiology, metagenomics, molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analysis
- Understands and can apply the principles of good laboratory and clinical practice, and quality assurance
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of continuing professional development evidenced by Professional Portfolio developed within an appraisal framework
- Comprehensive knowledge of PC, server, storage & networking hardware, ethernet TCP/IP networking and Active Directory
- Thorough understanding of how pathogen genomics and microbiological principles can be applied within healthcare and public health surveillance settings
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in analysing metagenomics data
- Current evidence-based practical experience in software/pipeline development to analyse DNA sequence data using at least one of C/C++, Python or Java
- Evidence of project-based research work, analysing large and complex datasets (including high-throughput sequencing data) where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources
- Demonstrable experience of participating in and co-ordinating successful, collaborative, team projects in complex and challenging environments
- Application of bioinformatics tools to analyse genomics data using the UNIX command line
- Experience of using systems for versioning software (ideally git)
Desirable criteria
- Experience of implementing and querying SQL and NoSQL databases
- Experience working in a professional software development environment including procedures such as software versioning, generation of documentation and commenting of code
- Experience of developing pipelines using workflow manager languages, e.g. Nextflow
- Experience developing software within containers or virtual machines and configuration and software maintenance of UNIX servers
Skills and Attributes
Essential criteria
- Ability to supervise junior colleagues and provide technical instructions and training on relevant aspects of bioinformatics
- Ability to work reliably, effectively and efficiently, using own initiative to recognize problems and generate potential solutions, and making informed decisions in the absence of required information
- Ability to work calmly under pressure and to tight deadlines, correctly prioritising tasks and providing timely responses to urgent matters
- High level of literacy, numeracy, and attention to detail, particularly to communicate scientific/ clinical information to inform work colleagues or external contacts
- Ability to demonstrate understanding and application of our workplace values, together with the underpinning behaviours identified for success in this role
Desirable criteria
- Welsh Language Skills are desirable at level 1 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh
Other
Essential criteria
- Prepared to work flexibly throughout the laboratory to meet the needs of the service
Applicant requirements
Welsh language skills are desirable
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sara Rey
- Job title
- Senior Bioinformatician
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02921834010
- Additional information
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