Staff Bioinformatics Software Engineer

About the role

Staff Bioinformatics Software Engineer

Location: Houston, TX (On-Site)

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Staff Bioinformatics Software Engineer to play a key leadership role in the development of innovative software solutions supporting advanced genomic and molecular diagnostics technologies. This position combines bioinformatics expertise, software engineering excellence, and technical leadership to drive the creation of scalable analytical platforms used for processing and interpreting complex sequencing data.

The successful candidate will partner closely with scientists, laboratory teams, operations stakeholders, and software engineers to develop next-generation capabilities across a growing life sciences technology portfolio. This individual will help shape technical strategy, guide architecture decisions, and lead the delivery of sophisticated bioinformatics applications and data analysis pipelines.

Technical Leadership

Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of bioinformatics software applications and analytical platforms.

Drive technical direction for new product initiatives and enhancements to existing systems.

Establish engineering best practices to improve quality, scalability, automation, and maintainability.

Provide mentorship and technical guidance to software engineers and scientific team members.

Bioinformatics & Data Analysis

Develop and optimize computational workflows for large-scale sequencing data processing and analysis.

Design algorithms used for genomic analysis, variant detection, sequence alignment, and biological interpretation.

Collaborate with research scientists to support experimental design and evaluate analytical outcomes.

Apply statistical and computational methods to solve complex biological and genomic challenges.

Product & Innovation

Contribute to long-term platform strategy and future product development efforts.

Evaluate emerging technologies and implement innovative solutions that improve bioinformatics capabilities.

Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure successful delivery of software and data analysis solutions.

Required Qualifications

Technical Expertise

Extensive experience building and maintaining Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis pipelines and workflows.

Strong knowledge of genomic data processing, including:

FASTQ

SAM/BAM

VCF

Advanced programming experience using Python, R, or similar scientific computing languages.

Deep understanding of Linux environments and command-line development.

Experience creating and maintaining automated bioinformatics workflows and analysis platforms.

Hands-on experience with industry-standard bioinformatics tools such as:

BWA

Bowtie2

GATK

SAMtools

FastQC

Strong knowledge of cloud-based infrastructure, particularly:

Amazon EC2

Amazon S3

Amazon RDS

Experience with source control systems and modern software engineering practices.

Familiarity with unit testing methodologies and test-driven development approaches.

Workflow & Infrastructure Experience

Experience using workflow management frameworks such as:

Nextflow

Snakemake

Exposure to containerization and reproducible development environments including:

Docker

Conda

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in:

Bioinformatics

Computer Science

Computational Biology

Statistics

Mathematics

Data Science

Related scientific discipline

Experience with targeted sequencing panel design and optimization.

Knowledge of genome assembly methodologies and genomic data interpretation.

Strong understanding of statistical modeling techniques.

Familiarity with Hidden Markov Models and related computational methods.

Experience with GPU-accelerated bioinformatics technologies such as NVIDIA Parabricks.

Professional Attributes

Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction and lead large-scale development initiatives.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

Track record of mentoring engineers and fostering technical growth.

Continuous learner with a passion for advancing computational biology and software engineering practices.

Results-oriented mindset with a focus on quality, efficiency, and execution.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field required.

Master's degree or Ph.D. preferred.

Experience

Minimum of 7 years of relevant software engineering, computational biology, or bioinformatics experience.

Proven history of increasing technical responsibility and leadership.

Additional Information

On-site position based in Houston, Texas.

Approximately 10% domestic and international travel may be required.