Bioinformatics Analyst

Bioinformatics Analyst

Location: PHO Corporate Office & Toronto Laboratory, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON

Department: Laboratory Information, BioComputing Centre

The Role:

Please note this posting is for 2 positions.

To lead the development and implementation of a robust genomics program at Public Health Ontario (PHO) to monitor genomic changes and rapid detection of emerging variants of pathogens of public health significance for Ontario. PHO has been mandated by the province to lead the establishment of a hub and spoke model for integrated program model for COVID-19 genomics in Ontario, working in collaboration with Ontario Health and other clinical laboratories and researchers undertaking genomics. The program will enable and support early identification and containment, enhanced case and contact management, outbreak management, surveillance and epidemiological analysis and reporting.
As the hub for this program, PHO will increase its capacity to undertake genomics for COVID-19 variants of concern and contribute to sequencing up to 1000 specimens a week (of the anticipated provincial total sequencing need of 2000 specimens per week). PHO will also provide enhanced COVID-19 analytics and host a provincial expert advice on variants of concern (VoC) to provide advice to decision-makers for improved methods, tracking and interpretation of emerging mutations and variants, and meaningful public health action. The immediate focus is to strengthen and expand COVID-19 genomics program resulting in direct medical and/or public health action for the pandemic response. The goal of this program is to enable the delivery of an integrated genomics initiative for Ontario's COVID-19 public health response.

Key Responsibilities-

• Provides support to researchers and clinicians in several bioinformatics domains such as sequencing (WGS/exome sequencing, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and other OMICS technologies), genome assembly, annotation, variant analysis, comparative and population genomics, functional genomics, metagenomics, phylogenomics, and in implementation of analyses into reproducible workflows.
• Provides support in public health data management in creating and maintaining databases, data warehouses and data marts.
• Provides support simultaneously to different projects and meeting deadlines, frequently in collaboration with other clinical and research groups.
• Assist in maintaining tools and scientific libraries on Unix-based servers and develop analysis pipelines in Galaxy and/or in other workflow management systems.
• Provides support to users on a daily basis, assembling training materials (e.g. writing of wiki-based documentation/how-to) and organizing tutorials

Knowledge and Skills-

• Expertise in conducting data analysis in Next-Generation Sequencing technologies including data quality assessment, genome re-alignment, assembly and annotation, variation identification and characterisation, metagenomics, phylogenomics and comparative genomics.
• Highly skilled in scripting (Shell, Perl and Python), object-oriented programming (Java, C++ and Ruby), database administration (MySQL and PostgreSQL) and database development.
• Experience working on High Performance Computing clusters and cloud infrastructures.
• Knowledge of the Software Development Cycle and best practices
• Knowledge of Laboratory Information Systems and integrating those in support of bioinformatics clinical frameworks.

Education and Experience-

• Undergraduate degree in bioinformatics and/or computer science from an accredited university with 2-3 years of experience OR equivalent related education and experience.
• Specialized training in genomics, molecular biology and/or microbiology and knowledge of statistics, epidemiology, and public health.

Attributes and Competencies-

• Written communications skills to write technical reports, contribute towards scientific manuscripts and to create and maintain standard operating procedures,
• Oral communications skills to work with team colleagues in response to requests and directions in the analysis of data.
• Oral communication and interpersonal skills maintain linkages with external laboratories to facilitate collaboration.
• Provides bioinformatics services and support to research and clinical staff as directed by the manager
• Maintains a highly responsive approach to meeting urgent requests for data analysis
• Works proactively and cooperatively with internal stakeholders, understanding their needs and addressing challenges.
• Able to work through competing priorities in a fast-paced and demanding environment.

Duration: Contract (Fixed Term), 11 month(s)

Hours of Work: Full time, 36.25 hours per week

Compensation Group:Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario

Salary :$67,932.00 - $95,107.00

Posting Date: 03-20-2025

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Closing Date: 04-4-2025

Please note: applications will be received no later than 11:59pm on the date preceding the closing date as indicated on the Job Requisition.

Note: Internal candidates will be considered first.

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted.  Any information obtained during the course of recruitment will be used for employment recruitment purposes only, and not for any other purpose.

PHO is committed to ensuring equity in employment. Our goal is to create a diverse, inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve and to ensure our services and communications are accessible to all individuals. Any candidate who requires a job posting in an alternative format may email a request to HR_Inquiries@oahpp.ca. Once an applicant has been selected for an interview, they can inform PHO about any accommodations they may require at any stage of the interview process.