Project Lead - Federated European Genome Phenome Archive

Scientific Services and Support
Hinxton, UK
In this job
Your role
You have
You might also have
Why join us
What else you need to know
More about EMBL-EBI
The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is seeking a Project Lead to coordinate EMBL-EBI's leadership in the Federated European Genome-phenome Archive (FEGA) project and participate in a variety of other UK- and EC-based projects.
The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA - https://ega-archive.org/), established in 2008 at EMBL-EBI, is a resource for long term secure archiving of all types of potentially identifiable genetic, phenotypic, and clinical data resulting from biomedical research projects. In the era of rapidly expanding genomics research and the transformation of human data sharing from research-driven to healthcare-funded endeavours, there is a growing importance for the reuse of sensitive human data globally for research and healthcare initiatives. The Federated European Genome-phenome Archive (FEGA), launched by EMBL-EBI and Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Barcelona) in 2022, has emerged as a pivotal project to facilitate the transnational discovery of sensitive human omics data. Currently, it consists of nodes in eight countries and discussions on future membership are ongoing with over twenty countries and institutes.
FEGA is a key supporting infrastructure for the ELIXIR Federated Human Data (FHD) community and the Genome Data Infrastructure (GDI) project. FHD provides coordination across a number of EU, ELIXIR, and internationally funded projects that drive towards delivery of a shared vision of a federated ecosystem of interoperable services that enables population scale genomic and biomolecular data to be accessible across international borders. The GDI project seeks to implement the vision of the 1+MG declaration to make >1M human genomes accessible for secondary research.
You and members of the EGA team play an active role in both of these projects. The EGA is closely aligned with the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) to ensure interoperability between FEGA and other global human data networks.
Your role
You will work closely with colleagues in CRG, ELIXIR, and the inaugural FEGA nodes to identify gaps, coordinate working groups and committees, and identify and interact with stakeholders. You will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of UK- and EC-funded projects to further the strategic goals of the EGA and achieve the vision of FEGA. You will represent the EGA team at national and international meetings so excellent communication skills are essential. You will work closely with the technical and operations leads in the EGA team, and line manage 2-3 EGA team members.
Key responsibilities
Chairing, hosting coordinating relevant meetings for the FEGA, FHD, and GDI communities
Proactively identifying and coordinating work required to reach the goals of FEGA, GDI, and the 1+MG initiative
Actively building and growing communities for federated human data activities within ELIXIR
Contributing to required project reporting
Contribute to relevant outreach activities such as giving presentations, coordinating webinars or workshops, or preparing other outreach materials
Ensuring alignment of EGA roadmap with evolving FEGA developments
Closing date: 7 April 2024
Contract duration: 3 years
Grading: 7 (monthly salary starting at £3,934.74 after tax) + benefits
Reference number: EBI02224
Experience working with human genetic and phenotypic data, preferably in a bioinformatics environment
Experience interacting with or handling genetic or phenotype data (e.g. next-generation sequencing, genotyping, clinical phenotypes)
Demonstrable experience relevant to writing project technical reports
Experience in planning, chairing, and minuting meetings
Excellent written and verbal English language skills
A high level of accuracy and attention to detail
Good organisational skills, the ability to prioritise different tasks and to manage a heavy workload
A proven ability to effectively interact with multiple stakeholders to deliver results
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Experience of working and delivering results in a high-paced, multidisciplinary professional/academic team environment
A high level of independent working, initiative, and flexibility
Ability to extract and distil reporting information from complex sets of sources
You might also have
Experience of motivating and supervising staff members
Experience of interacting with relational databases to extract reporting information
Experience of using a computer scripting language (e.g. Python, Awk, etc.)
Familiarity with commonly used ontologies for human phenotypes
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 including hybrid working patterns and hours no less than 0.8 FTE
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 (under 12), 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 fixed-term contract, project-limited to work on the Federated European Genome-phenome Archive.
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. You will be required to be on site a minimum of two days a week, which must include our core Thursday.
How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV (two pages each maximum) through our online system.
Interviews: Will be held via Zoom in April. Exact dates and times will be confirmed to selected candidates.