Organisation data: Directors Office
Job Number: EBI01931
Contract Type: Staff Member
Job Function: Technical Officer (gr. 4-6)
Closing date: 12 November 2021
About the team/job
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) brings together hundreds of contributors from healthcare, research, patient advocacy, life science, and information technology to create frameworks and standards to enable the responsible, voluntary, and secure sharing of genomic and health-related data. Our staff support this work and are based at four international host institutions: the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL-EBI.
Your role
As Technical Writer and Document Manager, you will support the development, implementation and adoption of open source technical standards for genomic data sharing, while working alongside GA4GH staff colleagues and the wider community of contributors and expert leads. The outputs of this work will be utilised by genomic data projects around the world in order to improve health outcomes. Based at EMBL-EBI, this role is part of an expansion of our technical team, led by our Chief Standards Officer (CSO), to increase support for our large community of contributors.
The Technical Writer and Documentation Manager will support the production and organisation of the varied set of technical documents and articles needed to support our work. GA4GH standards include file formats for storing large scale genomic data, services for executing analytical workflows in varied compute environments, models for phenotypic and clinical data capable of integrating with electronic health records, and methods for secure data access. Our documentation spans use cases, proposals and development documents, standard specifications, implementation guides, detailed academic publications and installation guides. Specific examples of documents in GA4GH include the variant representation implementation guide, the Variant Call Format (VCF), descriptions of Passports for data access and the workflow execution API, and papers describing standards such as Refget, among many other examples.
Responsibilities include working with contributors to write and refine documentation and text of many types, aiming to produce clear, consistent and technically accurate documents to support our standards development work and the adoption of our standards. You will also have responsibility for ensuring that documents are clearly organised across GA4GH, working with our Work Stream management staff and others to achieve this.
The Technical Writer and Documentation Manager will be part of our technical team (primarily consisting of developers) and will work with staff on that team, our wider contributor community, our Communications team and other staff.
You have
- A degree in biology, bioinformatics, computer science or a related field;
- At least three years experience as a technical writer, or in a similar role, with a demonstrated ability to both write and proof-read, producing accurate, concise text with clear and consistent use of terminology - please provide examples of your work in your application;
- A demonstrated track record of working successfully with experts across a range of disciplines, showing an ability to develop understanding of a given topic quickly;
- Demonstrable organisational skills, sufficient to coordinate documentation with many contributors;
- The ability to collaborate and work proactively with individuals from a broad range of backgrounds;
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written), enabling you to produce high quality copy and work with an international team distributed across many locations;
- Experience of managing or working with a large and diverse set of documentation with many contributors (or similar activity);
- Familiarity with fundamental concepts in genomics, genetics, bioinformatics and computing;
- Strong time management skills with the ability to balance multiple tasks effectively and meet deadlines;
- Self-motivation and capability to work both independently and as part of a team;
- The ability to accommodate calls outside of office hours and some international travel (when it is safe to do so).
You might also have
- Further postgraduate qualifications relating to computing, bioinformatics or technical communication;
- Existing knowledge and experience of the domains within GA4GH, such as genomics formats, Cloud computing, genetic variation representation and annotation;
- Experience of working in an academic, technical or scientifically focused environment;
- Experience of working in an internationally distributed organisation across time zones;
- Previous experience working in software development or bioinformatics.
Why join us
Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.
Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential.
Enjoy lots of benefits:
- Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme including 17% employer contribution, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances;
- Flexible working arrangements;
- Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover);
- Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to eight bank holidays;
- Relocation package including installation grant (if required);
- Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely);
- Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances;
- Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.
For more details please see our employee benefits page.
What else you need to know
- Contract duration: This position is a 3 year contract, renewable to a maximum of 9 years;
- International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Read more on our page for international applicants;
- Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ and individuals from all nationalities;
- Job location: This role is based in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK. You will be required to relocate if you are based overseas and you will receive a generous relocation package to support you;
- How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date: 12th November 2021.
this job offer is not open for applications
