We are seeking to recruit an ELIXIR Human Data Technical Coordinator to join the ELIXIR Hub team located at the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK. 

The main purpose of this role is to provide the technical project management and service coordination needed to deliver an ELIXIR-wide comprehensive approach to the management, archiving, and responsible sharing of human data consented for reuse in scientific research. This will include development of data access and security strategies, including transnational governance processes in collaboration with technical colleagues from the ELIXIR Nodes, e-infrastructures and ELIXIR user communities and Platforms. 

Reporting to ELIXIR’s Head of Human Genomics and Translational Data you will develop ELIXIR’s portfolio of projects in this area and participate actively in the development and promotion of best practices within ELIXIR. You will work with the scientists and technical experts at our 180 partner institutes across 21 ELIXIR Nodes to ensure interoperable and long-term services.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Provision of bioinformatics technical knowledge and expertise within the Human Data domain to:
  • Lead technical planning (strategy, project-level and roadmaps), bringing together geographically distributed project partners to agree and implement shared technical strategies and standards corresponding to the ELIXIR Human Data communities
  • Assess feasibility of activities coordinated by the ELIXIR Hub
  • Identify existing technical solutions and components within ELIXIR that can be adapted and reused in different contexts (working with other ELIXIR Platforms and Communities)
  • Develop innovative approaches to drive impact, increase capacity and enable future scalability of resources and service
  • Identify opportunities and risks for delivering ELIXIR human data services
  • Support the Head of Human Genomics and Translational Data and ELIXIR partners to develop and coordinate projects and services within the Human Data Communities portfolio
• Responsible for providing day-to-day management and coordination of ELIXIR human data projects (including Implementation Studies) and service portfolio ensuring impact
• Survey the literature and conferences to identify findings from the broader scientific community that could be integrated into ELIXIR projects
• Review and document progress and reports, continually assessing impact
• Facilitate collaboration, communication and alignment with and between the other ELIXIR Platforms and drive technical integration within ELIXIR
• Work collaboratively and develop relationships with ELIXIR colleagues as well as the external community to contribute to and enable collaborative use of ELIXIR services
• Proactively identifies and agrees improvement activities within areas of responsibility and, as agreed, leads and takes responsibility for driving and supporting change and the continuous improvement of ELIXIR

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:

• University degree in bioinformatics/medical informatics preferably within a human data, data management or genomics research environment. An advanced degree in one of these fields is an advantage
• 5+ years experience in an informatics-intensive biomedical research environment handling sensitive human data is required
• Familiarity with web services & API development, authentication standards, knowledge engineering and data integration techniques is required
• Demonstrated understanding of information security vulnerabilities and risk management
• Track record of coordinating and motivating technical teams in a distributed environment to deliver against challenging goals and timelines
• Experience in developing community standards or involvement in data repositories is an asset
• Documented problem-solving abilities with a service-oriented and outcome-focused approach
• Demonstrated ability to independently deliver against agreed outcomes with the flexibility, self-motivation and resilience required to independently develop clarity and manage multiple stakeholder needs
• A high level of literacy with documented ability to effectively communicate with excellent verbal and written English. Working knowledge to a professional level of additional European languages is a strong asset for the role
• Awareness and understanding of European research infrastructures programmes.

This will be a busy role with frequently changing priorities so it is important that the role-holder is:

• Eager to use technical expertise in managing distributed projects
• Able to lead and motivate technical teams in a distributed and matrix-managed environment to deliver against challenging goals and timelines
• Able to assume a wide range of responsibilities, to work with collaborators who vary in their work styles, and to work under pressure
• A strong collaborator with demonstrated track record of delivery in geographically distributed teams
• Service oriented and outcome focused approach
• Able to demonstrate the flexibility, self-motivation and resilience required to independently deliver against agreed outcomes with a minimum of supervision
• Eager to develop and engage with community initiatives
• Excited by working in a dynamic environment and with a high degree of complexity

You will be able to:

• Set objectives and plan work independently based on agreed outcomes
• Meet deadlines and assess priorities to handle a heavy workload
• Work to a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Occasionally work outside normal office hours and travel to ELIXIR Nodes and meetings as required.

Benefits

ELIXIR is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and other family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation.

We have an informal culture, international working environment and excellent professional development opportunities but one of the really amazing things about us is the concentration of technical and scientific expertise – something you probably won’t find anywhere else. 

If you’ve ever visited the campus you’ll have experienced first-hand our friendly, collegial and supportive atmosphere, set in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Our staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities including a gym, a free shuttle bus, an on-site nursery, cafés and restaurant and a library. 

Application Instructions

To apply please submit a covering letter and CV, with two referees, through our online system.

The main mission of the CALIPHO group, affiliated to the University of Geneva and to the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, is the development of neXtProt, a human protein knowledge resource integrating curated knowledge from multiple sources (UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, GOA, PeptideAtlas, Human Protein Atlas, ...). In parallel with improving our web platform, we are starting a new challenging phase focused on integrating new types of data like coexpression, phylogeny, etc. to extend our knowledge base and become the one-stop shop for scientists working on human proteins. Our extended knowledge base will be made available via our REST API and searchable via our SPARQL endpoint.

We are looking for a creative, highly motivated and innovative post-doc to join our development team and help design and implement solutions for efficient big data integration of multiple and heterogeneous sources, extend our RDF representation to meet standards and to provide our users with a scalable SPARQL engine.  The position is funded for a duration of 1-3 years.