Sequence Read Archive (SRA) Technical Program Manager

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is one of 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health. NLM is a global leader in biomedical informatics and computational health data science and the world’s largest biomedical library. NLM’s legislative mandate is to support the essential work of acquiring, organizing, preserving, and disseminating biomedical information. NLM provides public access to this information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

NLM Division: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Information Engineering Branch (IEB)

NLM Program/Office: Sequence Read Archive (SRA)

Application Period: 08/21/2023 to 09/21/2023

Overview:

The NIH National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Information Engineering Branch (IEB) is looking for a seasoned professional to serve as the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) Technical Program Manager (TPM) with primary responsibility to manage the SRA software development team to provide reliable service to the SRA customers and its stakeholders. The SRA TPM is the key decision-maker and ensures that the development team is working efficiently and effectively on the highest value items identified by the SRA Program Head, with alignment to the NCBI technology roadmap.

The TPM manages software development teams working on highly available, high throughput data management applications.  The TPM builds Petabyte scale data warehousing, data transformation applications, data analysis applications, data submission applications, and data delivery applications in an Agile environment using Cloud technologies; they translate business and policy requirements into sound architecture and designs; and they implement DevOps and DataOps practices. The TPM reports to IEB Software Development Section Chief and has five direct reports consisting of Title 42 Staff Scientists. The TPM also provides federal oversight of the work of contractors. 

The National Library of Medicine is the world’s largest biomedical library. It supports and conducts research, development, and training in biomedical informatics and health information technology. NLM is the home of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), whose mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease. More specifically, the NCBI has been charged with creating automated systems for storing and analyzing knowledge about molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics; facilitating the use of such databases and software by the research and medical community; coordinating efforts to gather biotechnology information both nationally and internationally; and performing research into advanced methods of computer-based information processing for analyzing the structure and function of biologically important molecules.

This position requires:  track record of managing software development teams working on highly available, high throughput data management applications; proven experience in building Petabyte scale data warehousing and data transformation applications; being proficient in translating business and policy requirements into sound architecture and designs; demonstrated experience in building cohesive, high-performance teams, staff development, and coaching; strong knowledge of Cloud technologies; expertise in advising senior level staff on program and policy issues, including project management principles and methods for planning and executing extremely complex software development projects; familiarity with principles and methods of quality assurance and change control to ensure IT deliverables meet requirements and standards; ability to lead and coordinate intra- and interagency technical collaborations; excellent communication and organizational skills; experience implementing DevOps and DataOps practices; demonstrated ability to lead teams through Agile transformation. Familiarity with genomic and biological data, with specific experience in projects related to bioinformatics and sequence analysis is a plus.

Candidates will be well versed in multiple disciplines, including the broad application of information technology, bioinformatics, and interpretation of information from a wide variety of sources.

Position Description/Responsibilities:

The SRA TPM will be in a Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS)  position.  The duties/functions of this position include:  1.) Managing software development teams developing and maintaining applications for aggregating petabyte-scale structured and unstructured genomic data, processing it to extract knowledge, and disseminating it for scientific reuse, 2.) Defining and implementing enterprise software architecture and designs to meet program performance and quality goals, 3.) Advising senior level scientific staff on information storage technologies infrastructure and storage policy issues, including project management to plan and execute extremely complex scientific projects, including critical, international projects (for example, GenBank and other sequence data resources), and 4.) Emphasizing data science and management of large and complex biomedical big data. 

This position develops novel methodologies and advances data science efforts in support of the research being performed within NIH's Intramural Research Program.  The SRA TPM oversees, directs, and manages all SRA technical projects.  This includes:  planning, tracking priorities, and managing software delivery for large-scale technical activities supporting the program; staying up-to-date with cutting-edge high-throughput and high-availability data storage and processing technologies and applying innovations; monitoring daily operations and responding to production applications outages, as well as data processing issues escalated by curation staff; and coordinating shared technical activities with other programs to ensure seamless operations of interdependent resources and timely delivery on enterprise-level initiatives.  In addition, the TPM understands the SRA Program Head program/project goals and communicates these goals and scope to technical staff in context of technical activities; manages program technical teams to ensure they meet schedule, budget, risk management targets; develops and enforces NCBI standard practices for software development and delivery; and collaborates with the NCBI Chief Technology Officer (CTO), NCBI Enterprise Architects and Program Technical Leads to define the technology strategy for the program.

Position Requirements:

Candidates for this position must have a strong background in computational biology, computer science, engineering or technology/information technology and be able to participate with highly technical, multidisciplinary teams that support enterprise-level, large scale computational infrastructures and services. Candidates must be familiar with high-throughput sequencing technologies and the data and metadata generated by those technologies that needs to be managed to maximize the value of data reuse by customers. Candidates should be customer-focused, service oriented, and have experience in working in a biomedical research environment. Experience in directing, implementing, or performing large-scale bioinformatics analyses, developing novel computational methodologies, or advancing data science efforts in support of the research performed in a scientific setting. Outstanding communication skills and a collaborative work style are critical.  This is a full-time position managing sophisticated computational services without time or resources to support any incumbent research activities. The position is located at NIH facilities of the Bethesda, Maryland area campus and cannot be performed as a remote location duty station. 

To be eligible for this position, candidates must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. Candidates must indicate their U.S. citizenship status on their CV or within their email application submission.

Education Requirements:

In order to qualify for this position, candidates must possess a Master's level or higher degree in:

• engineering
• bioinformatics
• or an emerging or related scientific field.

In addition, candidates must have at least one year of experience related to the position, including achievements in one or more of the following areas to demonstrate the individual has received recognition as an expert in the field:

• conducted original biomedical research published in peer-reviewed journals of high stature;
• received major prizes and awards (such as visiting professorships and named lectureships) in recognition of original contributions to biomedical research;
• received invitations to speak at or chair major national or international meetings or symposia;
• elected to membership in professional societies of high stature; or
• meets other criteria demonstrating sufficient rigor or accomplishment in a relevant or closely related field that is necessary to the accomplishment of NIH's mission.

If you are a current Federal Title 5 employee, you must have one year of equivalent experience at the GS-14 level or above.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be in proportion with education and experience. A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

How to Apply:

Interested individuals should send a copy of their CV with the names of three references along with a cover letter detailing relevant experience and interests to ncbijobs@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Please include the announcement number, NLM2753-2022 in the subject line and cover letter. Do not include your birth date, social security number (SSN), or personal photograph on application materials. Review of applications will begin on August 21, 2023.

Contact Information: ncbijobs@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

HHS, NIH, and NLM are equal opportunity employers.