We are seeking a bioinformatics software engineer to join Vertex’s research site in Boston, MA. This position is part of a growing global Computational Genomics team focused on developing novel, innovative gene editing and genetic therapy treatments for serious human diseases. A key task will be to develop robust computational software tools and systems that will be leveraged for the development of genetic therapies. Strong software engineering skills, with an understanding of how to design and implement production-quality code, are critical. While no medical, genomics or scientific background is required, a passion for playing a critical role in the development of transformative therapies is essential.
Key responsibilities:
• Collaborate with project teams and computational biologists to understand scientific needs and define specifications
• Design and build state-of-the-art, generalizable, and robust software tools to enable the lifecycle of genetic therapy development
• Develop automated tests, including unit, integration, functional, regression, and scalability testing
• Optimize algorithms and methods as needed to facilitate rapid analysis of large-scale data from high-throughput experiments
• Compare multiple implementations to answer the same scientific problem to identify the best one for our needs, considering speed, accuracy, and scalability
• Provide clear documentation and training to computational biologists using your tools
• Communicate your work with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Work in a team-oriented development environment, including group design and code reviews
• Develop, champion, and evolve standards and best practices of software engineering, such as version control, modular software design, testing, code style standards, and development methodologies
Minimum Qualifications:
• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in computer science, computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field
• 3+ years of Software Development industry experience is preferred, though exceptional candidates with less experience will be considered
• Experience developing, testing, and delivering production-quality software in a team programming environment in a timely manner
• Strong programming skills, with the ability to write clear, maintainable, and well-tested code
• Expertise in Linux/Unix environments, Python, and R
• Detail-oriented and self-motivated approach to problem solving with excellent reasoning skills
• A positive attitude that enthusiastically tackles and overcomes challenges, with excellent organizational and time-management skills to prioritize needs and get things done
• A team-oriented growth mindset that welcomes feedback from others and supports other team members
Preferred qualifications:
• Experience in the analysis, visualization, and interpretation of genomic and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and familiarity with programs for analysis of sequencing data
• Experience with key data analysis technologies, such as high-performance and cloud computing, containers for application deployment (e.g. Docker), and tools for interactive data exploration and documentation (e.g. R Shiny, Jupyter)
• Scientific understanding of gene editing, the role of genetic variation in human disease, molecular biology, and cellular biology
• Expertise in applied statistics and machine learning