Mid-Level Bioinformatics Specialist

About the role:

We are looking for a person to work as a Scientist I (Bioinformatician), contributing to public health research projects through the analysis of genomic and epidemiological data. The selected person will join a multidisciplinary team in a highly collaborative environment, working on projects involving pathogen sequencing (especially viruses), epidemiological analyses, and the generation of scientific information applicable to epidemiological surveillance in Brazil.

The position will play an important role in supporting the planning, coordination, and execution of projects and initiatives of interest to ITpS, within the scope defined by the Institute's mission and vision. It will also contribute to technical leadership of genomic surveillance activities, supporting the definition of methodological approaches, the organization of reproducible analytical workflows, and coordination with institutional partners involved in collaborative projects. The selected person will work at the interface between science, technology, and public health, contributing to transforming complex technical results into understandable and useful information for different audiences, including scientific teams, managers, institutional partners, and decision-makers.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in the analysis of genomic sequencing data, including assembly, annotation, and phylogenetic/phylodynamic analyses of viruses and other pathogens, and their integration with epidemiological data and metadata relevant to health surveillance;
• Develop, adapt, document, and maintain pipelines and automated bioinformatics analysis workflows, ensuring reproducibility, traceability, and best practices in analysis;
• Develop and maintain scripts in Python, R, Bash, and other languages to optimize data analysis processes;
• Collaborate in processing and organizing large volumes of genomic data, ensuring data integrity;
• Contribute to the documentation of methods and results and the preparation of scientific reports and articles, presentations, technical notes, and supporting materials appropriate for different audiences;
• Work with other scientists on research projects focused on public health;
• Participate in team meetings to discuss results and plan new project stages;
• Support technical leadership of projects and initiatives related to pathogen genomics, contributing to methodological decisions, defining analytical priorities, and monitoring technical-scientific deliverables;
• Work in coordination with internal teams, partner institutions, collaborative networks, and stakeholders in the epidemiological surveillance system;
• Ensure that analysis practices comply with best practices and ethical standards;
• Contribute to generating scientific information applicable to strengthening epidemiological surveillance in Brazil.

Requirements:

• Completed PhD in Biology, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Sciences, Computer Science, or related fields;
• In-depth knowledge of biology, evolution, and epidemiology, and familiarity with genomic and health data analyses;
• Experience with assembly, annotation, phylogenetic inference, or other analyses applied to genomic epidemiology;
• Experience developing computational tools for automating data analyses;
• Experience presenting results through graphs and statistics;
• Ability to support technical coordination of scientific projects, especially in collaborative and multidisciplinary contexts;
• Ability to interact with institutional partners, scientific teams, managers, and other stakeholders involved in epidemiological surveillance or public health projects;
• Ability to communicate complex technical results clearly, orally and in writing, to technical and non-technical audiences;
• Intermediate or advanced English, required for reading scientific literature and participating in meetings and events;
• Willingness to learn new technologies and techniques in bioinformatics and public health;
• Interest in working on scientific projects with direct application in public health.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in research projects focused on public health, epidemiological surveillance, or response to outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics;
• Experience developing dashboards, tutorials, packages, or web services.

Behavioral competencies:

• Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, cooperating on deliverables, valuing different perspectives, and recognizing others' contributions;
• Ethical and respectful professional conduct, with courtesy in relationships, respect for diversity, and care with confidential information;
• Willingness to share knowledge, document learnings, and support colleagues' development, reducing dependence on individual knowledge;
• Clear and respectful communication, with active listening to understand needs, clarify doubts, and align expectations;
• Openness to giving and receiving constructive feedback and addressing differences through dialogue, with a focus on problem-solving;
• Organization and responsibility with deadlines and commitments, communicating difficulties and risks in advance and seeking support when necessary.

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Meal voucher
• Food voucher
• Transportation voucher
• Childcare/nanny assistance
• Complementary retirement plan
• Life insurance

Partnerships and perks:

• Financial products
• Iupp
• Pharmacy discount
• Partner gyms, Gympass, and Totalpass
• Access to Itaú Unibanco clubs

Work model and location:

Permanent position, under CLT (Brazilian labor law), with a 40-hour workweek. The work model is on-site, in São Paulo/SP.