Director of Data Science and Bioinformatics

About the role

You will own the end to end strategy and execution of the bioinformatics function that underpins Natera's Women's Health and Organ Health product portfolios. In this role you will define the technical vision for scalable genomic algorithm development and establish the data science infrastructure required for clinical grade decision support. You will architect robust AWS based platforms that ensure reproducibility traceability and security across the entire pipeline lifecycle. You will lead a high performing bioinformatics and data science team setting quality standards and operational ownership for every deliverable. You will build the bioinformatics capability from the ground up identifying tooling gaps and driving their realization through disciplined execution. You will foster deep cross functional partnerships to translate scientific requirements into stable scalable and productized solutions.

Key facts

What you'll do

Architect and define the bioinformatics function within the Data Science development team identifying technical tooling gaps and executing a clear roadmap to advance genomics based algorithm development.

Establish and enforce pipeline and algorithm quality standards including review processes validation frameworks and comprehensive documentation practices across the entire development lifecycle.

Own and architect scalable AWS based data science and bioinformatics infrastructure ensuring quality reproducibility and reliable deployment of Next Generation Sequencing NGS pipelines in clinical environments.

Implement MLOps tooling and automated validation frameworks to support reliable algorithm deployment into clinical production with rigorous monitoring and governance.

Partner with Research Product Development Laboratory Operations Engineering and Quality teams to implement stable scalable pipelines and support successful productization from concept to deployment.

Lead mentor and hire a high performing team of bioinformaticians and data scientists establishing technical quality standards clear operational ownership and continuous performance improvement.

Build technical depth within the team to support expanding product roadmaps across Women's Health and Organ Health ensuring timely and high quality delivery against ambitious milestones.

Develop and maintain strong communication practices that build cross functional alignment through technical clarity direct engagement and data driven reasoning with stakeholders at all levels.

Create a culture of ownership where bioinformatics professionals identify capability gaps independently build scalable infrastructure and drive execution without waiting for formal structure or extended approvals.

Champion best in class methods for statistical inference machine learning and genomic data processing ensuring that analytical rigor is maintained in every release.

Ensure that all bioinformatics workflows meet regulatory expectations for regulated environments embedding considerations for compliance quality and auditability by design.

Continuously evaluate emerging MLOps frameworks and pipeline tools such as MLflow NextFlow WDL and Docker to optimize reliability efficiency and developer experience.

Requirements

Hold a Master of Science or Ph.D. in a quantitative technical discipline such as Biostatistics Bioinformatics Computer Science Physics Applied Mathematics or an equivalent advanced degree.

Bring a minimum of 10 years of cumulative experience in Data Science or Bioinformatics with at least 5 years of direct people management experience leading technical teams in a high growth environment.

Demonstrate hands on experience architecting AWS cloud infrastructure for data intensive bioinformatics workloads and for executing NGS pipelines at scale with attention to performance and reliability.

Show a proven ability to identify capability gaps independently build scalable infrastructure and drive execution end to end without waiting for formal structure or handholding.

Exhibit strong communication skills to build cross functional alignment across Research Engineering and Quality teams through technical clarity direct engagement and rigorous data driven reasoning.

Maintain a track record of developing bioinformatics talent mentoring team members and delivering computational pipelines that successfully support commercial product development in regulated settings.

Thrive in ambiguous fast moving environments where you must make informed decisions quickly while balancing competing priorities and maintaining scientific rigor.

Approach problem solving with intellectual curiosity and ownership showing consistent initiative in learning new technologies and applying them to complex genomic data challenges.

Nice to have

Experience developing software and pipelines within regulated environments such as CLIA FDA or ISO frameworks.

Hands on experience with MLOps frameworks and pipeline tools including MLflow NextFlow WDL and Docker.

Advanced knowledge of statistical inference machine learning methodologies and genomic data processing techniques.

Practical notes

This role is based in the United States and requires remote work from US locations.

The compensation range listed reflects target values and actual offers may vary based on individual qualifications experience location and other factors.

No specific visa or travel details are provided in this description.