Bioinformatics Analyst/Engineer

About the role

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next! At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible. Parsons is seeking Bioinformatics Analysts/Engineers to support infectious-disease genomics, biosurveillance, automated pipeline development, and fieldable bioinformatics at NMRC BDRD. These positions will combine genomic-data analysis with software-development and analytical-support responsibilities. Selected candidates will analyze data from a variety of sequencing technologies and sample types, improve automated workflows, support partner laboratories, and help deliver timely analytical results for biodefense and force health protection. The position is expected to be primarily on-site at Fort Detrick and is contingent upon contract award. Some personnel may participate in scheduled after-hours or on-call reach-back support. Final coverage requirements must be confirmed. Parsons’ Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to US government customers ensuring mission success worldwide, focusing on defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental solutions.

Responsibilities

• Process and analyze NGS data from bacterial, viral, bacteriophage, clinical, environmental, wastewater, vector, and animal samples.
• Develop, test, maintain, and document bioinformatics pipelines.
• Perform sequence-quality control, genome assembly, annotation, and taxonomic analysis.
• Conduct phylogenetic, molecular epidemiological, and comparative-genomics analyses.
• Support pathogen discovery and detection of known and novel organisms.
• Benchmark analytical workflows and document performance results.
• Develop or improve scripts, software tools, databases, and fieldable analytical methods.
• Prepare scientific data and metadata for secure delivery or approved database submission.
• Support AI/ML analyses and model testing when assigned.
• Troubleshoot data, pipeline, and software issues.
• Develop technical documentation, user guides, and training materials.
• Support field demonstrations, partner training, and scheduled reach-back assistance.
• Collaborate with laboratory scientists, software engineers, and CONUS or OCONUS partners.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science combined with biology or bioinformatics experience, or a closely related field.
• At least five years of hands-on bioinformatics experience.
• Demonstrable applied experience in computer science, genomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology.
• Programming skills using languages and statistical tools such as Java, Perl, Python, and R.
• Familiarity with relevant NGS platforms, including Illumina, PacBio, and ONT technologies.
• Familiarity with microarray and/or single-cell sequencing technologies.
• Strong written and verbal communication, independent thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to perform under deadlines and in potentially austere environments.
• Ability to provide