Full-stack Developer (spesialingeniør)

Full-stack developer for open-source genetic analysis software
Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital (OUS)

Join an innovative team creating open-source software for precision medicine
The Department of Medical Genetics at OUS is the largest in Norway, with over 240 employees and state-of-the-art DNA sequencing equipment. The Unit for High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Diagnostics is responsible for developing new diagnostic analysis pipelines, as well as software and methodologies that provide decision support for genetic variant interpretation. We are seeking a new colleague who wants to develop advanced and robust systems for genetic diagnosis of patients suffering from severe, hereditary diseases, ranging from the ultra-rare to more common heart conditions and cancer.
We are a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of bioinformaticians, developers, molecular biologists and mathematicians, seeking candidates who can contribute their experience and talent in development of frameworks and knowledge for precision medicine. With us, you will be placed at the forefront of a fast-paced field with a profound effect on healthcare. Our central hub of development is ELLA (https://allel.es), an open-source application that streamlines the process of identifying the relevant genetic variants out of millions of variants found in a patient's genome. ELLA is already in use at OUS and other hospitals, and we are looking for a motivated programmer to further develop this and associated systems in close collaboration with the rest of our team and end-users.
Our goals for the near future include extending the diagnostic toolkit to interpret all structural variants, variants in mitochondrial DNA, as well as use of phenotype ontologies. We recently launched time-critical diagnostic tests for critically ill new-borns, and have a continuous focus on improving the efficiency of the interpretation process. We are highly engaged in the issue of data sharing, and how to safely compare data with other labs across the world. In addition to our core diagnostic work, the group also collaborates with commercial and academic partners in research and innovation projects (e.g. https://bigmed.no/).
For more background information, please visit https://about.ousamg.io for a general description of our group, and https://ous-research.no/digigen/ for our research activities. The position is full-time and permanent. Note that the full suitability of a candidate will be given consideration in the selection and interview process. All applicants must apply through WebCruiter (CVs can be attached). Please contact the group coordinator Tony Håndstad at tony.handstad@medisin.uio.no ( 47 906 09 379) or unit manager Knut Erik Berge at kberge@ous-hf.no for any questions.

Responsibilities

• Full-stack development on ELLA (https://allel.es). You will be involved in all phases of development, from exchanging innovative ideas with end-users, to design and development, quality assurance and implementation.
• Develop databases, interfaces and secure data-sharing frameworks for genetic variants and whole genomes. Adopt and contribute to standards such as those from the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (ga4gh.org/) 
• Implement back-end and front-end tools that scale the interpretation process, improve diagnostic quality and support our other bioinformatic processes.
  

Qualifications

• Higher education and/or extensive experience in bioinformatics and informatics. We also welcome applicants with limited prior experience but a high proficiency for learning and a keen interest in the relevant domains.
• Excellent programming skills (we mostly use Python and JavaScript) and preferably experience in full-stack development of web-based software applications. Knowledge of relevant front-end JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular or Scala.js, web security protocols and use of cloud services is beneficial.
• Experience with databases (e.g. PostgreSQL) and handling large data volumes.
• Proficiency with Linux/CLI and DevOps, including git, containers and CI.
• Basic knowledge of genetics and/or molecular biology is an advantage, but education will also be provided as part of the on-boarding process.
  

Personal qualifications

• Self-motivated to learn and perform, able to work in a structured manner with a high attention to details.
• Excellent English communication skills.
• Able to meet deadlines and demonstrate problem solving skills.
  

We can offer

• Work in an exciting and rapid-developing field with a high impact on healthcare.
• Varied tasks, and autonomy to learn, exercise and master a wide range of skills.
• Flexible hours with possibilities for part-time remote work.
• Highly competent and friendly colleagues to learn from.
• Salary dependent on qualifications.