Multiple Bioinformaticians within the public health sector (m/f/d)

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) represents Germany's leading institute in public health. Every day, over 1,500 staff members from more than 50 nations and across 90 professions work hard to protect the population from infectious diseases and to improve healthcare through collaborative research performed at the RKI.

Start date: earliest possible

Contract type: limited until 31.12.2025

Location: Berlin

Deadline: 17.04.2023

Remuneration: up to E 14 TVöD

Reference number: 937934 | 53/23

We are searching for new team members within the MF 1 "Genome Competence Center" in Berlin-Mitte until 31.12.2025. Become a part of our department for method development, research infrastructure and information technology and join our team in Germany's leading governmental institution in the field of biomedicine. We are looking forward to your application.

Your role at the RKI

Assist us in establishing a national integrated molecular surveillance (IMS) of public health-relevant pathogens. This requires extensive bioinformatical analyses of multiple pathogens and the merging of large genomic collections with available epidemiological data at the RKI. The primary goal of the IMS is the early detection of genetically adapted strains, such as novel virus variants, as well as the monitoring of sudden fluctuations in the abundance of pathogens. The IMS further enables the rapid detection of outbreaks, the surveillance of antimicrobial resistances, and the monitoring of pathogen variants with increased transmissibility (immune escape variants). Continuous data generation furthermore allows the revision of our current understanding of health-related pathogens, particularly those covered within the infection surveillance according to German law (IfSG).

• Development of the integrated molecular surveillance (IMS) at the RKI for a large number of relevant pathogens
• Establishing methods for the bioinformatic characterisation of bacterial genomes (phylogenies, SNP analyses, cgMLST, resistome analyses)
• Integration of genotypic data into the IMS Data Warehouse
• Developing visualisation methods for large genomic data sets
• Working on research projects within an interdisciplinary team

Your profile

Formal requirements

• University degree (diploma or master's degree) in a field of natural science, e.g. (bio)informatics, data science, mathematics, statistics, physics, (micro)biology or a comparable subject

For foreign educational qualifications, we require proof of equivalence with a German qualification.

Knowledge and experience

• In the field of (bio-)informatics or a comparable scientific subject related to (bio-)informatics
• With bioinformatic analyses and the visualisation of high-throughput NGS data (e.g. Illumina data)
• With modern and sustainable software development (e.g. CI, Git, Bitbucket)
• Of the programming languages Python and Bash
• With working in Linux environments and HPCs (e.g. Slurm)
• Of (microbial) genomics

Desirable

• Experience with the analysis and evaluation of bacterial whole genome data (e.g. phylogenies)
• Solid understanding of current genomic databases (e.g. NCBI, SRA, ENA, UniProt)
• Experience with the construction of workflows or pipelines for automated data analysis (e.g. Snakemake, Nextflow)
• Experience with package/container managers (e.g. Conda, Docker)
• Foundational knowledge of statistical analyses (e.g. ANOVA, PCA, R, sampling approaches)

Further requirements

• Language skills (CEFR-level): German B2, English B1
• Willingness to participate in an extended screening according to §9 of the security clearance act (SÜG) and its positive conclusion

The successful applicant should possess

• Willingness to proactively learn about new innovational trends and technologies
• Task and project planning skills, particularly self-organised structuring of tasks across multiple complex projects
• Flexibility and organisational skills in order to prioritise tasks based on their importance and urgency
• The ability to comprehensively document your workflow and results
• Collaborative and networking skills for working within an interdisciplinary team
• The ability to work within a team in order to achieve joint goals and quickly solve problems
• Professional communication skills for working within a friendly environment

We are looking forward to receiving your application

via www.interamt.de
using the ID 937934
until the 17.04.2023.

Our employees enjoy:

A CLEAR PURPOSE

We offer you a job that matters. As Germany's most important public health institute our impact is large.

A COOPERATIVE WORK CLIMATE

Teamwork is vital in our line of work, so we attach great importance to respectful communication and an open feedback culture.

FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

We change along with the times when it comes to scheduling. We offer flexible models tailored to individual needs, 30 days paid leave each year and sabbatical opportunities.

MOBILITY

Off-campus work is part of our routine. We provide a public transit „job ticket“ for trips to the office and bicycles for shorter trips.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

Family services, child care and flex time – life is variable and our offerings are as diverse as the lives of our staff as well!

LEISURE ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Sport, relaxation courses or cinema club, we have it all. Furthermore, we regularly host all kinds of events – both work-related and informal ones.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

We want you to grow with us, so we support your professional, academic and personal development.

MODERN EQUIPMENT

Rewarding responsibilities and state-of-the-art equipment make for fruitful interdisciplinary research and supportive administration.

Looking for a new challenge?

Become part of the RKI's DNA! We are looking forward to meeting you.

We are committed to equal opportunities in employment. We guarantee equality in the workplace by welcoming people across the spectrum of diversity. Disabled candidates with the same qualifications and suitability will be given preference.

Within the scope of its supervisory powers, the Federal Ministry of Health may examine application documents on a case-by-case basis. Your data will be deleted after the application process has been completed.

Further questions? Please contact

Katharina Brandt
Phone: +49 30 18754-2812
Mail: BrandtK@rki.de