PH BIOINFORMATICS SCIENTIST 2 - 01202026-74372

Job Information

LOCATION OF (1) POSITION(S) TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, LABORATORY SERVICES DIVISION, DAVIDSON COUNTY

Transcripts are required for employment consideration.

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a related field of study, at least two years of full-time, pertinent work experience in bioinformatics, data analysis, or a related field of study, and at least 1 year of supervisory experience.

Necessary Special Qualifications: Must possess and maintain a valid motor vehicle operator's license throughout the duration of employment.

Substitution of Education for Experience: Graduate course work received from an accredited college or university in a related field of study may substitute for the required experience on a year-to-year basis to a maximum of one year (e.g., 24 graduate semester hours or 36 graduate quarter hours in a related field may substitute for one year of the required experience), with there being no substitution for the supervisory/managerial experience. A transcript with ALL credits is required to be uploaded with an employment application in order for the agency to properly evaluate a candidate's eligibility for a position in this classification. Additionally, up to two years of post-baccalaureate training (e.g., fellowships) in clinical and/or public health laboratory sciences may substitute for up to two years of the required experience.

Overview

The PH BIOINFORMATICS SCIENTIST 2 oversees day-to-day operations and staff of the bioinformatics section to support public health outbreak investigations and surveillance activities. The incumbent is responsible for the development, application, and maintenance of bioinformatics solutions and computational methods/tools of average difficulty for analyzing microbial sequencing data. The incumbent is expected to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to employ bioinformatics pipelines for pathogen identification, outbreak tracking, drug resistance detection/prediction, genotyping/variant analysis, and phylogenetic analyses on microbial genomic datasets. This classification performs responsibilities at an supervisory level under the general supervision by a PH Manager 4 (Assistant Director), PH Manager 3, or Division Director. This is a supervisory classification that has more responsibilities, broader scope of work, and higher level of work complexity compared to the PH BIOINFORMATICS SCIENTIST 1 classification.

Responsibilities

1. Plan, organize, schedule and direct the work and testing to effectively oversee the day-to-day operations of the bioinformatics section.
2. Manage and supervise bioinformaticians and data analysts. Performs supervisory functions for their assigned staff including interviewing, hiring and selection, training, and providing staff development through performance evaluation, mentoring, and corrective counseling.
3. Lead development, verification/validation, and implementation of advanced bioinformatics solutions using a variety of computational environments and tools to analyze sequencing and biological datasets for clinical and public health outbreak investigations and surveillance activities. Ensures modifications, upgrades, and other changes are implemented and managed effectively by applying quality assurance, quality indicators, and quality control practices for bioinformatics processes and procedures.
4. Employ various bioinformatics solutions and computational environments to analysis sequencing data from a variety of sequencing platforms (e.g., Illumina, Nanopore). Maintains performance, reliability, and integrity of bioinformatics pipelines and computational environments by performing routine maintenance of equipment and software as well as ensures bioinformatics workflows and methods comply with organizational and regulatory standards.
5. Collaborate and communicate with internal and external stakeholders across multiple infectious disease and public health disciplines to ensure data are properly interpreted, managed, and stored. Translates complex bioinformatics concepts and results to non-technical stakeholders in a clear and effective manner both written and oral formats.
6. Develop and implement processes, procedures, and quality assurance practices for the bioinformatics section.
7. Maintain current computational infrastructure, data storage, back-up systems, and stays up-to-date on emerging technologies and tools, trends, and best practices in public health and infectious disease bioinformatics and other related fields.

Competencies (KSA's)

1. Tech Savvy
2. Decision Quality
3. Drives Results
4. Organizational Savvy
5. Situational Adaptability

Knowledges:

1. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
2. Microbial Genomics
3. Data Science and Statistics
4. Programming and Database Management
5. Public Health Surveillance

Skills:

1. Management of Personnel Resources
2. Genomic Data Analysis and Interpretation
3. Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
4. Bioinformatics Pipeline Development
5. Project Management

Abilities:

1. Adaptability and Continuous Learning
2. Interdisciplinary Collaboration
3. Deductive Reasoning
4. Written/Oral Communication/Comprehension
5. Attention to Detail

Tools & Equipment

1. Cloud Computing and High-Performance Computing
2. Statistical Analysis and Machine Learning
3. Phylogenetic Analysis Tools
4. Sequencing and Genomic Analysis Tools
5. Data Management and Visualization Tools