Job Opportunity: Group Leader Clinical Bioinformatics
The ETH Zurich technology platform NEXUS Personalized Health is at the forefront of discovery and translational research in personalized health. We are equipped with a broad range of expertise in areas including Clinical Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Software Engineering, Systems Operations, and Screening & Lab Automation.
Within this collaborative environment, the Clinical Bioinformatics group focuses on translating computational biology into clinically applicable outcomes. We engage deeply in bridging biomedical research and clinical practice, which involves project-specific analyses and the integration of high-dimensional molecular data—from whole-genome variant calling and decision support to single-cell sequencing analysis. Our team develops and enhances robust analysis workflows and reusable components in partnership with academic institutions and hospitals.
Key Responsibilities
- Project Management: Structure and oversee projects from inception to completion, ensuring clear scope definition, milestone planning, risk management, and alignment with translational and clinical quality standards.
- Technical Leadership: Drive the development and extension of analysis pipelines using Nextflow and Snakemake, defining standards for workflow engineering, testing, documentation, and long-term maintainability.
- Delivery Ownership: Assume responsibility for timelines, quality, and stakeholder alignment across multiple projects with varying scopes.
- Project Acquisition and Customer Management: Build and maintain relationships with researchers, clinicians, and partners to shape projects and translate needs into clear deliverables.
- Clinical Reporting and Decision Support: Transform complex, multimodal data into accessible outputs for physicians, including interactive dashboards and web-based reporting tools.
- Clinician Partnership: Maintain open communication with clinicians to ensure the interface remains straightforward while managing the underlying technical complexities.
- Innovation and Scientific Advancement: Stay ahead of developments in bioinformatics, AI, and data-driven medicine, evaluating new methods and technologies, and translating them into practical clinical applications.
- Cross-Team Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Software Engineering, Systems Operations, Biostatistics, and Screening & Lab Automation teams to deliver cohesive end-to-end solutions.
- People Leadership: Mentor and develop your team members, fostering a culture of knowledge exchange and high performance.
- Resource Management: Plan capacity, prioritize team work, and contribute to budgeting and reporting for the group.
Who You Are
You will excel in this role if:
- You enjoy managing projects from initial conceptualization with clinicians to delivering robust, reusable solutions.
- You thrive in a cross-disciplinary setting, collaborating closely with clinicians and partners rather than working in isolation.
- You are comfortable in a leadership role, making prioritization decisions and ensuring timelines and quality are met.
- You take pride in developing workflows that others depend on, continually improving them for greater reproducibility and impact.
- You can distill complex data into useful decision-support outputs, focusing on the needs of physicians without overwhelming them with technical detail.
- You maintain high standards for workflow engineering, documentation, and team collaboration, and you enjoy guiding your team in meeting these standards.
Essential Qualifications
- Proven leadership experience in clinical bioinformatics, genomics, or translational research.
- Hands-on experience in developing and extending analysis pipelines.
- Familiarity with workflow management using Nextflow and/or Snakemake.
- Proficient in Git version control as a part of daily operations.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, especially in clinician-facing contexts.
- Fluency in English is required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Solid programming experience in Python or R, emphasizing high code quality practices.
- Demonstrated experience across various data types, including variant calling and single-cell sequencing analysis.
- Background in quality control and reporting within genomics/transcriptomics.
- Familiarity with high-performance computing (HPC) and Bash.
- Knowledge of the German language is an advantage.
Our Culture
At NEXUS, we value knowledge exchange and teamwork, promoting an environment where everyone contributes their expertise. We maintain flat hierarchies and a proactive approach to challenges. We offer flexible working hours, family-friendly models, training opportunities, and a dynamic field of work at the cutting edge of translational research.
Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Further Information
To learn more about NEXUS Personalized Health, visit our website. If you have questions regarding the position, please reach out to Dr. Daniel Stekhoven at stekhoven@nexus.ethz.ch, or Dr. Franziska Singer at singer@nexus.ethz.ch (no applications).
For recruitment services, the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.