Job Title: Senior Data Engineer
Location: Stevenage or Edinburgh
Job Type: Permanent
Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.
At LifeArc, we want to hear from people who are as passionate as we are about making life science life-changing that can improve patients’ lives.
A bit about the role:
This role provides technical computational and IT influence and impact for the Data Sciences Group to enable the Group (and LifeArc scientists more generally) to function more effectively in capturing, integrating, visualizing, and analysing drug discovery and other scientific data. This role also applies technical knowledge to influence strategic planning and decision-making across LifeArc.
Key Responsibilities:
- Set up and maintain VMs, databases, compute resources, license servers
- Explore new software and develop workflows to enable services useful to the data sciences group
- Software and database administration and integration
- Developing data visualization tools and applications
- Establishing workflows for the automated data transfer from lab instruments to internal database systems and infrastructure
- Works closely with IT and the data science group to understand problems and priorities
- Uses skills and expertise to propose and execute enabling workflows
- Independently liaises with other groups at LifeArc and multiple external contacts (e.g., software vendors) to solve problems and address issues
- Actively keeps up to date on new developments
- Represents the Group and LifeArc in our dealings with multiple partners
- Enables the Group to operate as efficiently as possible by ensuring key systems and infrastructure run optimally
- Identifies new areas of technology that have the greatest potential for future impact
- Need to be able to communicate from a very detailed technical level (e.g., with colleagues from IT or external vendors) to wholly non-technical ways (e.g. with non-computer scientists).
- Influencing and diplomacy skills to work with and sometimes persuade other colleagues or external vendors
- Contribute expertise to ensure that potentially large software investments deliver good value to LifeArc
- Possibility to guide more junior members and engage external providers to work on tasks as appropriate
About you:
Education & experience required:
- First/higher degree in a relevant discipline e.g., cheminformatics, bioinformatics, computer science or equivalent experience
- Evidence via vocational qualifications of expertise in relevant areas of technology (not essential)
- Expertise working with Linux, familiarity with Windows-based systems
- Familiar with database setup and access (fluent in SQL)
- Scripting/programming skills in Python, Bash, or R
Desirable skills:
- Knowledge of version control (e.g., git)
- Practical experience using REST-API web services, ideally those relevant to drug discovery (e.g., PDB, ChEMBL, OpenTargets)
- Experience working with cloud computing environments (ideally Azure)
- Experience with the Dotmatics software suite would be a definite advantage
- Experience with workflow software such as Pipeline Pilot or KNIME
- Experience with other relevant scientific software (Biovia ELN, CDD vault, Cresset, Schrodinger)
- Familiar with deployment tools such as Ansible or Docker
- Some awareness of drug discovery is not essential but would be an advantage
About us:
At LifeArc, our ambition is to make life science life-changing. We do this by advancing scientific discoveries beyond the lab, faster, so that they can shape the next generation of diagnostics, treatments, and cures.
Working at the cutting edge of translational science and as early-stage translation specialists, we progress scientific discoveries on their journey to becoming a medicine, diagnostic, or intervention that can improve patients’ lives. Our work begins by seeking out innovative science, then helping to develop this to a point where there is a clinical and commercial pathway for others to invest the time and money to take it further forward.
What we can offer you:
Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.
Join us, and you’ll have the scope to be creative and take measured risks. You’ll be rewarded for your curiosity, for working as one team, and for learning fast. And you’ll have everything you need to be your best every day.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate and you may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.
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At LifeArc, we commit to advancing equal opportunities and building a diverse workforce by ensuring a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment experience for all. We employ individuals based on their suitability for the work to be performed and their potential for development, regardless of age, sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, or belief. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion includes creating a culture where everyone feels they belong, is valued for who they are and has the opportunity to translate their potential.