Location: EMBL-EBI, Hinxton near Cambridge, UK
Contract Duration: 3 years (Grant based contract)
Grading: Grade 7 (monthly salary starting at £3,934 after tax) + other paid benefits based on personal circumstances
Closing Date: 5 May 2024
Reference Number: EBI02236
Ensembl is seeking an enthusiastic Project Leader to join our Outreach team. Ensembl develops free, comprehensive genome data services for a worldwide audience, distributing gene and genome data through an online genome browser and publicly accessible databases and APIs.
Ensembl Outreach is responsible for training and supporting our users from experimental laboratory scientists to bioinformaticians, and is part of the Non-vertebrate Genomics team, supporting several resources including Ensembl, Ensembl Genomes and the International Genome Sample Resource (IGSR).
Working relationships
- Reports to: Non-vertebrate Genomics Team Leader
- Management: Ensembl Outreach team (2-3 members)
- Collaborates with (internal): All members of the Ensembl project; members of the Genome Assembly and Annotation section; EMBL training teams; EMBL EDI office
- Collaborates with (external): Workshop hosts and co-organisers
- External customers: Ensembl users; workshop attendees
Your role
As Ensembl Outreach Project Leader you will lead a team of Outreach Officers, who are involved in teaching, training and helping Ensembl users.
Ensembl Outreach responsibilities include:
- Planning and delivering training workshops on our browser, tools and APIs, and using these in genome analyses, both virtually and in-person which requires extensive worldwide travel.
- Creating and maintaining documentation and e-learning materials.
- Direct support of user queries via email and RT (Request Tracker) including website, data, API and advanced tool support.
- Disseminating key developments via social media.
- Direct interaction with our development teams to fix bugs identified by users and find solutions to user problems.
- Identification of datasets of interest to our userbase.
In addition you will be responsible for:
- Management of the Outreach team and their activities.
- Recruitment and training of new outreach officers.
- Coordination of training workshop delivery, liaising with international hosts and course collaborators to set up both standalone courses and Ensembl segments of longer courses.
- Monitoring and recording the team’s activities, and reporting on these through contributions to grant applications, publications and meetings.
- Aligning the Ensembl Outreach team’s activities with EMBL policies and strategy e.g. EDI and Green policy
- Assisting in the application of relevant grants and coordinating the writing of relevant publications.
- Contributing to expanding departmental training capabilities through knowledge sharing with other teams and developing joint events.
- Developing and driving new initiatives which strategically integrate Ensembl’s outreach and training with the training activities of the EMBL-EBI training team and wider EMBL-EBI Service teams.
- Continuous development of training and social media approaches – testing wider technical developments and best practices within and beyond our sector.
- Liaising with user communities to identify requirements underpinning novel use cases and training needs.
- Working with other managers to steer overall Ensembl strategy, providing a user perspective to discussions of future plans.
You have
- A PhD or equivalent experience in bioinformatics, molecular biology, genetics or a related discipline
- Experience planning and delivering training in an academic and/or industrial environment.
- Familiarity with commonly-used online bioinformatics tools and resources.
- The ability to work independently and can deliver to deadlines
- A high level of attention to detail
- Experience in managing people or projects
- The ability to delegate and prioritise tasks
- Excellent English communication skills; written and verbal, both to facilitate effective internal communications as well as with external collaborators and users
- The ability to work well as a part of a team
- Enthusiasm to deliver presentations and workshops both online and at scientific institutes worldwide
You might also have:
- Technical bioinformatics skills e.g. Working with large scale NGS analysis, such as clinical genomics analysis, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq or similar
- Using UNIX/Linux; Scripting in Python, Perl or R, particularly to access public databases
- Working with relational databases
- Experience in teaching, public outreach, online help, customer service or planning events
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, 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.
Working at EMBL-EBI Join our diverse team and help power the next generation of discoveries in the life sciences.
What else you need to know
- Contract duration: This position is a 3 year project based contract which is expected to be renewed.
- 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.
- EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we implement best practices in research assessment in our recruitment processes here.
- 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.
