Genetics Analysis Specialist Jobs

Click here to apply as an internal applicant.

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 157462

Department/Program: Laboratory Medicine , Quality, Patient Safety and Patient Experience

Location: Halifax

Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT ( 100% FTE) x 1 position(s)

Start Date: ASAP

Union Status: Non-union , Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit

Compensation: $ 38.7875 - $ 48.4843 /hour

Closing Date: August 8, 2023 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia . People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values , and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

• IWK Health, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a tertiary care health center and the laboratories provide genetic services for the Maritime Provinces.
• The Clinical Genomics Division provides full-service integrated molecular and cytogenetic testing. In collaboration with the Maritime Medical Genetics Service and other clinical partners, the Division ensures timely and clinically actionable results required for appropriate patient care. The Genomics Lab also fosters positive relationships in education and research. The Clinical Genomics service has built partnerships with many research groups and provides teaching opportunities for Dalhousie University medical school students, residents, and fellows, as well as clinical placements for students in Genetic Technology training program.
• The Genetics Analysis Specialist position is a full-time position and is a staff member of the Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at IWK Health. The successful candidate will combine understanding and expertise in genetics/genomics, bioinformatics, and biomedical research with experience in project management.
• The laboratory specialist will be accountable to the Chief of IWK Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

Responsibilities

• The Genetics Analysis Specialist is expected to participate in continuing education initiatives as well as scientific manuscript drafting.
• Develop clinically usable reports in partnership with medical staff in the Genomics Laboratory to provide data for the generation of clinical reports.
• Evaluation of available analysis programs and tools, design and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), protocols, and reports for the use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in clinical testing.
• The Genetics Analysis Specialist is a key role, supporting the Division with technical expertise and mentorship, and helping to provide collaborative service to medical staff, maintain a high-quality Molecular Genetics service and bring new testing online to match clinical needs.
• Participate in genetic test development and development and implementation of new technologies.
• Analysis of NGS data, pipeline evaluation and assessment, as well as the use and maintenance of a robust provenance-tracking solution for NGS data (chain of custody for all analysis steps).
• Help create, manage, and extend analysis pipelines for human next generation sequencing (NGS) data, with a focus on variant detection in a wide variety of genetic disorders.
• Manage relevant computing resources, such as computing and data storage clusters, in partnership with the IWK Information Technology Group.
• Monitor the scientific literature for publications related to genetic variation.
• Participate in development of variant annotation pipelines and draft reporting templates.
• Maintain laboratory internal databases of genetic variation and supporting clinical and scientific literature databases.
• As a member of the Clinical Genomics team, the Genetics Analysis Specialist will work in a professional, collegial manner with technologists, the Clinical Genomics manager, and lab scientific and medical staff.
• Collaboration with colleagues in Maritime Medical Genetics and Nova Scotia Health are also key to success in this position.
• The successful candidate will act in accordance with the mission, values and goals of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, IWK Health and the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
• Manage the regular review, processing, interpretation, and analysis of genetic variants.

Hours of Work

37.5 hours per week

Your Qualifications

• Data management expertise (including scientific, genetics/genomic and/or medical data)
• Strong written and verbal communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate, develop and maintain effective relationships within healthcare teams
• Experience writing and editing scientific materials for external audiences
• Candidates will have a MSc in genomics, bioinformatics or genetic counselling and experience working with clinical genomics data. Candidates with a Ph.D. in molecular biology, bioinformatics, genomics, genetics, or related field, and relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience in research related to human genetics or experience with genetic variant curation and interpretation of clinical relevance
• Demonstrated ability to attend work on a regular basis
• Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to patient and staff safety at IWK Health
• Demonstrated flexibility and the ability to manage change in a dynamic environment (work assignment, procedures, priorities)
• At least 2 years’ experience, with developed comprehensive understanding and expertise in navigating multiple public data repositories, including data extraction (NCBI, UCSC, COSMIC, etc.); familiarity with commonly used algorithms for alignment and variant calling; experience developing NGS bioinformatics pipelines/tools; experience in variant pathogenicity classification (ACMG and/or AMP) as correlated with patient clinical findings; and experience developing content for clinical and research applications utilizing NGS.
• Proven excellence working in a team environment with strong interpersonal, communication and conflict resolution skills
• Experience working with human genetics data in research or clinical setting (preferred)
• Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to the principles of patient and family centered care

T hank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials. Additionally, as per Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 Vaccine mandate, any offer of employment will be conditional upon submitting proof of full vaccination status. Medical exceptions or any other kind of requested exception based upon the Health Centre’s obligations pursuant to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Code will be considered on a case-by-case basis

I f you are an employee of IWK Health , please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.