Job Summary
Overview
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is one of 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health. NLM is a global leader in biomedical informatics and computational health data science and the world’s largest biomedical library. NLM’s legislative mandate is to support the essential work of acquiring, organizing, preserving, and disseminating biomedical information. NLM provides public access to this information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The IEB is responsible for designing and building NCBI's production software and databases. They: (1) perform applied research in the area of data representation and analysis for molecular biology data, including development of computer based systems for the storage, management, and retrieval of knowledge concerning molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry; (2) design schema and specifications for representation of sequence genetic and structural information in databases which will serve as national resources; (3) design and develop distributed software systems from the prototype to operational phases which provide researchers with both local and remote computational services; (4) coordinate access to sequence, genetic, structural, and bibliographic databases; (5) establish collaborative informatics research projects with NIH Intramural laboratories as well as extramural academic groups; (6) consult and advise other government agencies and research laboratories on advanced methods of software and database design; and (7) develop and promote standards for databases, data exchange, and biological nomenclature.
Position Description/Responsibilities
NCBI programs and activities supported by this position are highly complex, mission-critical, and have national and international impact, as they directly support dissemination of biomedical information in service to NIH and the broader biomedical community through NCBI, an organization with a budget of more than $150 million and a staff of more than 700 Federal and contract staff.
The Software Development Section Lead will be in a Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS) position.
This position addresses bioinformatics, scientific computing, and data analysis needs of intramural and extramural researchers who depend on NCBI resources as well as staff within the IEB and their collaborators by lending expertise in the proper design of experiments on applicability and efficiency of data analysis and visualization tools and applications using statistical, algorithmic and AI/ML methodologies. This role involves sustained hands-on contributions to the conceptualization of the proposed data management efforts, design of data formats, data collection and stratification, data archival and data dissemination to ensure high-quality, biologically meaningful and unbiased conclusions to decide on further method development. clinical study data to support scientists using NLM resources.
In addition, the position will stay abreast of and review new computational methods from novel research in the literature for possible later implementation. It will organize and facilitate development of innovative algorithms for validation and analysis of biomedical and clinical trials data, including analysis of high throughput sequencing data and assembled genomes, sequence similarity search, gene annotation, taxonomic classification, prediction of pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance, variation frequency analysis, clinical significance of variations, methods for mining and linkage of biomedical and clinical trials data. It will collaborate with clinical and scientific investigators to propose ideas for new projects, design research, develop data plan, and prepare analyses with general direction from investigators.
The Software Development Section Lead reports to IEB Branch Chief and is responsible for managing the Literature Development Team, ClinicalTrials.gov Development Team, Web Development Team, Sequence Read Archive Development Team, Medical Genetics & Human Variation Development Team, Sequence Curation, Organization, and Enhancement Development Team, the Sequence Submissions and Archives Development Team, and the Project Management Office. These eight teams are comprised of technical program managers, principal engineers, and developers.
The Software Development Section Lead oversees, directs, and manages all software development projects for IEB and NCBI. This includes: planning, tracking priorities, and managing software delivery for large-scale technical activities supporting the program; staying up-to-date with cutting-edge high-throughput and high-availability data storage and processing technologies and applying innovations; monitoring daily operations and responding to production applications outages, as well as data processing issues escalated by curation staff; and coordinating shared technical activities with other programs to ensure seamless operations of interdependent resources and timely delivery on enterprise-level initiatives. In addition, the Software Development Section Lead understands the Information Engineering Branch Chief's program/project goals and communicates these goals and scope to technical staff in context of technical activities; manages program technical teams to ensure they meet schedule, budget, risk management targets; develops and enforces NCBI standard practices for software development and delivery; and collaborates with the NCBI Chief Technology Officer (CTO), NCBI Enterprise Architects and Program Technical Leads to define the technology strategy for the program.
Required Qualifications
To be eligible for this position, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. Candidates must indicate their U.S. citizenship status on their CV or within their email application submission.
In order to qualify for this position, candidates must possess either a doctoral-level degree in biomedicine or a biological related field, or a master's level or higher degree in:
- engineering
- bioinformatics
- or an emerging or related scientific field.
In addition, candidates must have at least one year of experience related to the position, including achievements in one or more of the following areas to demonstrate the individual has received recognition as an expert in the field:
- Has significant experience dealing with complex, precedent-setting evaluation, scientific policies or development issues (e.g., those associated with novel biomedical products, novel approaches to biomedical product manufacturing, or use of novel evaluation methods)
- Demonstrated cutting-edge expertise in a scientific or technical discipline critical to design, development, manufacturing, clinical performance assessment, or technical aspects of effective oversight of biomedical products
- Played a leadership role in planning and conducting public meetings to seek public input and communicate regulatory scientific policies
- Received invitations to speak at or chair major national or international meetings and symposia or
- Meets other criteria demonstrating sufficient rigor or accomplishment in a relevant or closely related activity or field that is necessary to the accomplishment of NIH's mission.
If you are a current Federal Title 5 employee, you must have one year of equivalent experience at the GS-14 level or above.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants.
Standards of Conduct/Financial Disclosure
If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency.
Foreign Education
This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Learn more about Foreign Education.
Reasonable Accommodation
You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.