Bioinformatics Scientist (NGS)

Job Summary

The Bioinformatics Scientist Contractor will support the Translational Pathology Biomarker Testing Laboratory (TPBTL) within the Translational Medicine department.

The Bioinformatics Scientist applies advanced computational and statistical methods to analyze next generation sequencing (NGS) data to support research, clinical, or translational objectives. This role is responsible for developing, validating, and maintaining scalable, production-ready bioinformatics pipelines

for genomic, transcriptomic, and other high-throughput sequencing applications. Working in a highly collaborative environment, the Bioinformatics Scientist partners closely with wet-lab scientists, pathologists, and bioinformatics team to support data-driven decision-making in both research and CLIA regulated environments.

Qualifications

• PMS or equivalent in computational biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, computer science, genomics or a related field with postdoctoral research experience in Cancer Biology; or MS in cancer biology or related field with established advanced capability and track record in developing and applying computational and bioinformatics methods.

• Five years or more of post-PhD academic and/or industry experience working with large, multidimensional, genomics datasets (e.g. NGS, RNA-Seq, transcriptomics, proteomics, flow cytometry, etc.)

• Strong foundation in molecular biology and next-generation sequencing technologies (DNA-seq, RNA-seq, targeted panels, WES/WGS)

Technical Qualifications

NGS Data Analysis

• Hands-on experience analyzing NGS data end-to-end, including:

o Raw data processing and quality control (FASTQ, BAM/CRAM)

o Alignment, variant calling, and/or expression quantification

o Annotation and interpretation of variants or molecular signatures

• Familiarity with common NGS tools and frameworks (e.g., BWA, Bowtie2, GATK, SAMtools, Picard, STAR, Salmon, Kallisto)

Pipeline Development & Automation

• Proven experience developing, optimizing, and maintaining reproducible bioinformatics pipelines

• Familiarity with workflow management systems (e.g., Nextflow, Snakemake, WDL/Cromwell)

• Strong scripting and automation skills in Bash, Python, and R.

Software & Data Engineering

• Experience writing code versioned with Git/GitHub

• Ability to design modular, scalable, and maintainable analytical workflows

• Familiarity with containerization technologies (Docker, Singularity/Apptainer)

Statistical & Computational Skills

• Solid understanding of statistics and applied methods relevant to genomics (e.g., differential expression, QC metrics, batch effects)

• Experience with data visualization and reporting for scientific and non-scientific audiences

• Ability to assess analytical performance, accuracy, and robustness

Computing Environments

• Experience working in Linux/Unix environments

• Familiarity with high performance computing (HPC) clusters and/or cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

• Understanding of data storage, data transfer, and compute optimization in large-scale datasets

Industry & Regulated Environment Experience

• Experience supporting product development, diagnostics, or translational research in an industry setting

• Familiarity with assay validation concepts, analytical performance metrics, and documentation requirements

• Exposure to regulated or quality-driven environments (e.g., CLIA, CAP) is a strong plus

Collaboration & Communication

• Ability to clearly communicate technical results, assumptions, and limitations to cross functional teams

• Experience collaborating with wet lab scientists, software engineers, and program partners

• Strong documentation skills for pipelines, analyses, and standard operating procedures

(SOPs)

This is a Contract position based out of Bothell, WA.

The pay range for this position is $80.00 - $110.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Bothell,WA.

This position is anticipated to close on Apr 20, 2026.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent
• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.

Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.