Careers

Position Summary:
In this role you will provide data engineering and software development expertise to interdisciplinary projects ranging from basic research & discovery to clinical sample processing & analysis and machine learning models. Motivated by the chance to help decipher fundamental biological processes that directly impact patient outcomes, the ideal candidate will exude a deep passion for science and through this will:

• co-develop and/or maintain pipelines, software, databases and/or UIs for such
• embrace collecting, annotating & shepherding access to internal & external data
• prioritize data credibility towards the extraction of actionable scientific insight
• continuously optimize scalability, software & data quality, and internal SOPs
• harden, benchmark, and deploy cutting-edge bio-informatic methods
• iterate with stakeholders on requirements gathering to identify & fill gaps in data, software tools and documentation
• The Ideal Candidate Would Possess These Experiences and Skills
  • B.S or M.S. degree in CS, Math, or Bioinformatics; Biology candidates with considerable evidence of successful coding experience may be considered
  • 2-5+ years’ experience in similar role (clinical/biotech/pharma setting a big plus)
  • Strong coding proficiency in Python and/or R; evidence of experience with HTML, JavaScript, UNIX shell & Java would be strong pluses
  • Proficiency in SQL databases (Postgres preferred; NoSQL a plus) & extracting insight from evolving or unstructured data into warehouse
  • Proficiency in developing /using APIs to collect data, process & compute upon it
  • Experience with public datasets used in biomedical research
  • Experience performing root cause of failure analysis on data & processes to answer specific research questions or identify opportunities for improvement
  • Portals for data visualization & dashboarding with Jupyter, PANDAS, Streamlit, R/Shiny
  • High-throughput computation on cloud infrastructure (preferably GCP and/or AWS)
  • Strong oral & written communication skills, and attention to detail
  • Capable of working from incomplete information, without micromanagement
  • Able to systematically prioritize deliverables across multiple projects
  • Strong drive and resilience in the face of challenges, with positive attitude
  • Evidence of ability to translate external software tools, data repositories or research publications into concrete deliverables aligned with organizational goals

  Proficiency In or Exposure to the Following Would be Strong Pluses

• NextFlow, CWL, WDL workflow orchestration languages
• Terra, Synapse, CodeOcean, Foundry data management & analysis systems
• Storage, pipelined analysis, and interpretation of large-scale:
  • DNA and RNA sequence data (bulk and single cell)
  • spatial profiling and pathology image data
  • clinical data elements
• Multi-omic bioinformatics, statistics, data cleansing, integration, and analysis
• Biomarker discovery, clinical trial sample processing and analysis
• Cloud and/or big data toolchains: Docker, Kubernetes, Spark, Kafka, Hadoop
• Oncology, immunology, immunotherapies for cancer

Responsibilities

• Serve as proactive and engaged liaison to specific projects within the Break Through Cancer portfolio; Working closely with Institutional project managers, clinical research coordinators and TeamLab members to align goals and meet timelines and deliverables for experimental, clinical, and computational aspects of projects;
• Manage and provide support for TeamLab meetings, presentations, and written reports;
• Manage and track TeamLab progress, budgets, and expenditures, communicate with stakeholders, and implement metrics for monitoring success;
• Organize content for training sessions and engagement activities including retreats, in-person team meetings, and hackathons;
• Lead internal scientific summary meetings to keep the Break Through Cancer team fully updated on TeamLab progress and challenges
• Prepare notes and minutes for key scientific meetings and well as strategic programmatic memoranda, and;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences required; advanced degree (e.g. master’s or PhD) in biology, medicine or equivalent experience preferred;
• Experience in managing complex collaborations across multiple disciplines, departments, and institutions; experience with Agile preferred
• Expertise with project management (human subjects and large-scale datasets preferred—ideally in both academic and industry environments);
• Familiarity with budgeting and reconciliation;
• Desire to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment to promote and drive superior team performance;
• Excellent external and internal communication, organizational; and
• Solutions-oriented problem solver.

To apply for the Science Portfolio Manager role, please send a cover letter and CV to careers@breakthroughcancer.org. Please address the following in your cover letter:

1. What has motivated you to apply for the Science Portfolio Manager role at Break Through Cancer, and in particular, what inspires you to work for a foundation that is dedicated to cancer research?
2. Describe your experience managing multi-institutional collaborations
3. Provide examples of how you have navigated politically complex and matrixed environments

Break Through Cancer is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We treat our fellow Break Through Cancer colleagues and applicants fairly and respectfully. We seek to employ people with skill and integrity, and provide them with the means to develop professionally. We hire without regard to race, color, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, disability (including neurodiversity), genetic information, veteran status, and any other legally protected group, in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local law.