Bioinformatics Data Engineer II

Company Summary:

Arana Biosciences is among the recent companies established via Flagship Pioneering's venture creation engine, which has given rise to companies such as Moderna Inc. and Indigo Ag. Since Flagship's establishment in 2000, it has originated and nurtured nearly 100 scientific ventures, yielding an aggregate value of over $19 billion, with more than 500 patents issued, and over 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents. Arana Biosciences is fusing recent breakthroughs in molecular and plant biology to develop a novel platform technology that offers adaptable, targeted, and sustainable solutions in the agricultural sector.

Data Engineer II, Bioinformatics

Key Responsibilities:  

• Design, develop, and administer database systems to enable biologists to explore data independently.
• Automate processes for data retrieval or storage in electronic lab notebooks (ELNs), such as Benchling.
• Work with a team of scientists to automate data analysis pipelines and establish data infrastructure.
• Establish, contribute to, and proactively disseminate data engineering standards and practices, forming repeatable templates and frameworks, and effective utilization of cloud services and tools.
• Communicate insights and progress to the scientific team and top management.

Minimum Qualifications 

• B.S. or M.S. in computer science or related field and 3+ years of industry experience.
• Significant experience with database technologies, architecture, and management.
• Proficiency in scripting languages like Python, R, SQL, and version control tools.
• Understanding of conceptualizing and creating UI design deliverables.
• Working knowledge of AWS services, including EC2, S3, RDS, FSx Lustre, Athena, Glue, Lambda, Batch.
• Understanding of application lifecycle, including best practices like code review, unit/integration testing, and documentation.
• Ability to design and implement backend models using logic and API endpoints for complex scientific workflows/entities (i.e., Benchling).
• Adaptive, creative, and a quick learner, efficient in multi-tasking and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in cross-functional and third-party teams with an emphasis on teamwork, collaboration, and communication.
• Experience with workflow orchestration frameworks such as Nextflow, Snakemake, Airflow, or AWS Step Functions.

Preferred Qualifications 

• NGS pipeline development experience with virology, pathology, molecular biology, or similar datasets.
• Ability designing and implementing diverse software platforms through the API framework.
• Familiarity with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Experience with data visualization tools, such as Tableau, Spotfire, or Retool.

Location: Cambridge, MA

More About Flagship Pioneering

Flagship Pioneering ideates, creates, funds, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its inception in 2000, the firm has, through Flagship Labs, applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster over 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $50 billion in total value. To date, Flagship has mobilized over $2.2 billion in capital toward the foundation and growth of its pioneering companies, in addition to over $18 billion of subsequent investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem is composed of pioneering companies, including Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), Indigo Ag, Invaio Sciences, Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Generate Biomedicines, Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Senda Biosciences, and Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX).