Bioinformatician (12-Month Fixed Term Contract)

Job Purpose

We are looking for a Bioinformatician with a delivery and operations mindset, someone who can run proprietary gene editing projects to tight deadlines, adapt workflows to project needs, and troubleshoot issues quickly while maintaining high data quality.

As part of the bioinformatics scrum team, you will be accountable for end-to-end delivery of GEiGS designs: preparing code and data, executing workflows on the cluster, monitoring live runs, and resolving issues to meet agreed timelines. You will need a strong understanding of bioinformatics concepts and tools, and the ability to rapidly get up to speed with new pipelines and biological contexts.

You will follow and improve runbooks and SOPs, apply quality checks, and continuously streamline the workflow. You will work closely with Project Managers on inputs, priorities, and deadlines, and with biologists on QC and interpretation to deliver high-quality outputs on time.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end GEiGS runs, balancing quality, speed, and deadlines; manage multiple concurrent runs with strong organizational discipline


• Prepare inputs and metadata (e.g., annotations, sample and run configuration) and ensure full traceability of versions and parameters


• Execute, monitor, and troubleshoot bioinformatics workflows on the compute cluster; rapidly diagnose failures and rerun safely


• Carry out required manual steps using documented runbooks/SOPs; improve and automate high-effort steps over time


• Apply QA checks, support output QC with biologists, and ensure outputs are complete and delivered in the agreed format


• Work with Project Managers to confirm scope, priorities, timelines, and communicate risks/changes early


• Contribute to continuous improvement: bug fixes, performance and stability improvements, and pragmatic process upgrades


• Use good engineering practices (version control, peer review, clear documentation)

Requirements – Essential

• Degree (MSc/PhD) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience


• Strong conceptual understanding of bioinformatics: sequence analysis, genomics, transcriptomics, and NGS data processing principles


• Strong experience (3–5 years) running bioinformatics/genomics workflows in a production or deadline-driven environment, including


• RNA and DNA sequence analysis, variant calling, and genome annotation
  Proficient in Python (or strong skills in another language with willingness to work in Python)


• Familiarity with workflow and pipeline frameworks (e.g., Snakemake, Nextflow, CWL)


• Comfortable working in Linux and cluster environments; cloud experience is a plus


• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent deliverables under deadline pressure


• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively and support others


• Comfortable using AI coding tools responsibly and effectively

Requirements – Desirable

• Experience with sRNA seq analysis (small RNA sequencing)


• Knowledge of miRNA biology or genome editing (e.g., CRISPR, gene silencing mechanisms)


• Familiarity with scrum agile working


• Scripting skills (e.g., Bash, Perl, python) and/or R


• Experience with data and lifecycle management

About Us

Tropic is one of the world’s leading agricultural gene-editing companies. Our team is dedicated to the development and commercialization of high-performing varieties of tropical crops, providing significant benefits to growers, processors, and consumers globally tackling real-world problems around food security and sustainability.

Our vision is to become a leading seed business with significant ownership of its products from the laboratory to the field, while maintaining constructive relationships with growers and consumers based on transparency and trust.

Why Join Tropic?

• Diverse workforce operating in a dynamic working environment


• Excellent learning and career development opportunities


• Social events throughout the year
  


• Medical Healthcare, Medical Cash Plan, 25 days annual leave, Life Assurance

Further Information

• Job Location – Flexible (Norwich/Hybrid/Remote from UK). Occasional travel to Norwich will be required.


• Time Requirement – Full time


• Contract – One year (fixed term)


• Closing date – 27th April 2026

If you are looking to work in a dynamic company striving towards real-world impact, consider joining our team and apply here!