Senior Engineer / Chief Engineer – Microbial Bioinformatics

The position

At the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE), the Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, there is a permanent position available as Senior Engineer / Chief Engineer in Microbial Bioinformatics. The position is affiliated with the Microalgae & Microbiomes Research Group (M2RG).

The Norwegian College of Fishery Science currently has approximately 130 employees across scientific and technical/administrative positions. Research activities are organized around two main themes: marine resource management and marine biotechnology. This includes both basic research and applied research related to marine resources, seafood science, fish health, marine biotechnology, and marine bioprospecting. Research at NCFS is conducted in close collaboration with other research groups within the faculty and university, as well as with national and international partners.

The Microalgae & Microbiomes Research Group (M2RG) focuses on understanding marine microalgae and microbial communities using multi-omics approaches, molecular ecology, and experimental systems. The group integrates genomics, microbiology, synthetic biology and bioinformatics to better understand microbial ecosystems and develop solutions related to sustainability, biotechnology, and carbon cycling.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time. 

Job description

The successful applicant will hold a permanent technical position supporting the research activities of the Microalgae & Microbiomes Research Group. The position will focus primarily on development and maintenance of scalable data infrastructure for large sequencing datasets, with particular emphasis on shotgun metagenomic sequencing data analysis and genome-resolved metagenomics. 

The successful applicant will also contribute to maintaining and further developing the group’s bioinformatics infrastructure, including workflows, data management practices, and access to computational resources. The position will emphasize reproducible research practices, version-controlled workflows, and transparent data analysis. The position offers opportunities to develop scientific leadership within bioinformatics and to contribute to the group´s strategic development of computational and multi-omics research capabilities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Processing and analysis of high-throughput sequencing data, particularly shotgun metagenomics
• Metagenome assembly, binning, and reconstruction of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)
• Analysis of transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic datasets
• Development and maintenance of reproducible bioinformatics workflows and pipelines
• Management and organization of large sequencing datasets
• Working with local and national high-performance computing (HPC) resources
• Supporting research projects through data interpretation, documentation, quality assurance
• Collaborating on and leading peer reviewed scientific publications
• Collaborating on research grants
• Collaborating on bioinformatics related teaching activities
• Mentoring researchers, MSc and PhD students with bioinformatics analyses
• Assisting/leading collaborations with other research groups (national and international)
• Contributing to method development and implementation of new computational tools
• Basic involvement in laboratory-based microbiology or molecular biology activities when relevant

The successful applicant will work closely with researchers and students within the group and contribute to maintaining an efficient computational research infrastructure. Responsibilities associated with the position may change as the research activities of the group evolve.

Qualifications

The successful applicant must have the following qualifications:

• A Master’s degree or PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a related field
• Documented experience with shotgun metagenomic data analysis
• Experience working in Linux/Unix environments
• Experience using high-performance computing (HPC) systems
• Proficiency in programming and data analysis using R and/or Python
• Experience with genome and/or metagenome assembly and analysis

The following qualifications are considered advantageous:

• Experience with metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) reconstruction
• Experience with metatranscriptomics or transcriptomics analysis
• Experience developing reproducible bioinformatics workflows (e.g., Nextflow, Snakemake, or similar)
• Experience managing and organizing large sequencing datasets
• Familiarity with microbiology or molecular biology laboratory techniques
• A track record of leading/assisting peer reviewed scientific publications

For applicants who can demonstrate extensive relevant experience and specialized expertise within the field, appointment as Chief Engineer may be considered. The successful candidate will play an important role in shaping the group’s bioinformatics and multi-omics research strategies. The successful candidate will also be given the opportunity to complete a course in Basic Pedagogical Competence UNIPED-100, as an opportunity for future career growth and involvement in teaching. The successful candidate will also be given the opportunity to work within ELIXIR.NO, the national node of ELIXIR, the pan-European infrastructure for biological information, supporting life science research and its translation to medicine, the environment, the bioindustries and society.

In addition to formal qualifications, personal suitability for the position will be emphasized. The successful applicant should demonstrate the ability to work independently, maintain structured working routines, collaborate effectively with colleagues, and contribute positively to a collaborative research environment.

Language requirements

The applicant must have good proficiency in both written and spoken English. The institute will facilitate the opportunity to acquire Norwegian language skills.

The assessment will emphasize the candidate's motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who have:

• Good collaboration skills
• Abilities for good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Abilities and desires to contribute to a good working environment

We offer

• A stimulating and international research environment
• Flexible working hours
• Good welfare and pension schemes through the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

The position as Senior Engineer (senioringeniør) is remunerated according to salary code 1181, kr 650 000 - 750 000, and Chief Engineer (sjefsingeniør) according to salary code 1088, kr 725 000 - 875 000 on the Norwegian state salary scale. In special cases, a higher salary may be considered.Salary will be based on qualifications and experience. 

There is a 2% deduction for contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. As a state employee, you have one of the best pension schemes availiable. For more information see: spk.no.

Application

The application must be submitted electronically via www.jobbnorge.no, and shall include:

• Application letter explaining motivation and professional aptitude for microbial bioinformatics
• CV (including a complete overview of education, experience, professional work and publications)
• Diplomas of a Master and/or PhD degree
• Documentation of relevant experience
• Contact information for 2-3 references (full letters with contact information may also be uploaded as attachments)

All documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Qualification assessment will be based on the submitted documentation.

Applicants invited for interview may be asked to present original diplomas and documentation.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background.

UiT will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability. Questions can be directed to the contact person for the position.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.