UNDP : BioInformatician – Jakarta

  • Location:
  • Salary:
    negotiable / YEAR
  • Job type:
    CONTRACTOR
  • Posted:
    3 weeks ago
  • Category:
  • Deadline:
    12/12/2024

JOB DESCRIPTION

Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. 

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life, as envisaged by 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are on the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations. The United Nations Development Programme UNDP Indonesia Country Programme 2021-2025 developed in partnership with the Indonesian Government addresses the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals and support national efforts to advance the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The programme contributes directly to MoH National Action Plan 2020-2024, objective 1) increasing the health status of society and; 2)increasing the responsiveness and protection to society towards social and financial risks related to health and Outcome 2 of the UNDP country Programme for Indonesia (2021-2025), which are aligned with the Indonesian Government Health Sector’s Objectives, commitment to Universal Health Coverage, SDG3 Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages (target 3.8 in particular) and other Sustainable Development Goals. One of its efforts is to be involved in supporting the transformation of health technology in the Ministry of Health through Network Strengthening and the Bio Informatic Biomedical & Genome Science Initiative (BGSi).

BGSi is a new initiative of the Indonesian Ministry of Health (MOH). The initiative will act as a multi-institutional ecosystem that aims to support collaborative biomedical and genomic activities in Indonesia by leveraging strengths in technology and infrastructure including biobanking, data management, high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics.

The initiative aims to build a national asset established under the Indonesia Ministry of Health with two major focusses. First, to establish a national biobank focused on six conditions (diabetes, cancer, stroke, tuberculosis, psoriasis, and rare/genetic diseases) which will store samples from participants where each sample will be connected to a registry that manages all information associated with the participant (demographic and clinical) and second, to generate Whole Genome Sequence information, for each of those participants, that will be curated in a national database. Samples and genomics information from healthy participants will also be collected and generated by this initiative. All samples and data will be made available to researchers nationally and internationally through BGSi.

The initiative will be organized around a headquarter facility located in Jakarta, housed in the MOH repository building and the historical Eijkman building, that will host the biobank and WGS labs respectively. BGSi  HQ will manage the registry system and provide technical support for the Hubs and the entire ecosystem. A second and just as important part of the ecosystem is the hospitals (referred to as HUBs) where each HUB is in charge of managing activities related to recruitment, sample collection and tertiary analysis for the disease it has been assigned.

Therefore, UNDP needs a BioInformatician who will be responsible for collecting and managing genomics data by using computer software and hardware and performing primary, secondary, and tertiary analysis of human Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) data. You will be responsible for development of bioinformatic pipelines to analyze gene and genomics data generated from various Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.   Managing Genomics Data

  • Support the preparation for the certification of BGSi genomics laboratory
  • Participates or leads teams in the development bioinformatics tools
  • Reviews and analyses requirements or problems and assists in the implementation of bioinformatics analysis
  • Develop databases to compile vast amounts of information from activities such as annotation, variant calling, etc
  • Performs qualitative and/or quantitative analyses to support clinicians/scientists at the assigned hospital/Hub for each stage of bioinformatics analysis
  • Recommends improvements and alternative solutions to resolve problems
  • Provides follow-up with HUBs, external collaborators and various stakeholders

2.   The incumbent of the position should avoid any kind of discriminatory behavior including gender discrimination and ensure that

  •  Human rights and gender equality is prioritized as an ethical principle within all actions;
  • Activities are designed and implemented in accordance with “Social and Environmental Standards of UNDP”;
  • Any kind of diversities based on ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, class, gender is respected within all implementations including data production.
  • Differentiated needs of women and men are considered.
  • Inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as disability gender language barrier is created;
  • Necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings etc. introduced

4.   Institutional Arrangement

The direct supervisor of this activities is Lab Manager BGSI (NPSA 8). She/He will work closely with project team (FMTA, BGSI, and other projects in HEART related to Bio Informatic Biomedical & Genome Science Initiative), operations units, and programme staff in the office to provide Technical Assistance and advice regarding biomedical and genome science-related issues and to ensure adequate exchange of information.

Competencies
Core
Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies  

Thematic Area Name Definition
Business management Digital Awareness and Literacy Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skilfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed
Business management Working with Evidence and Data Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making
Information Management & Technology Solutions Architecture Ability to design and manage an IT architecture, integrate of one or more applications or services within a coherent and effective IT architecture
2030 agenda-people Gender   Gender mainstreaming
Business management Monitoring Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
Information Management & Technology Project management Capacity to manage ICT projects, using IT methodologies and approaches such as agile deployment and/or waterfall system development methods
Information Management & Technology Research and Development Following new technologies and technical trends, research the technologies that are applicable and beneficial to the organization and develop the systems
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
  • Bachelor Degree in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology/Computer Science or equivalent experience in a bioinformatics setting or High School with additional 3 years of relevant experience will be given due consideration  in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree
  • Minimum of 3 years with Bachelor degree or 6 years with High School of working experience including  at least 1 year experience in Whole Genome Sequencing/genome assembly construction/ transcriptome/exome data analysis/ Omics data (metagenomics).
Required  skills and competencies:
  • Ability to communicate and give a good presentation, report, and able to work independently and in a team
  • Experience working with Government/University/Research Institution/Industrial/UN Agencies
  • Excellent skill in using computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages,

Desired additional skills and competencies:

  • Experience with Cloud computing (AWS, Google Cloud), Linux/UNIX, Python, R/Bioconductor packages and scripting.
  • Experience with SQL databases and topics such as bulk data entry, query optimization, schema design and ORMs.
  • Experience working with a variety of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data formats and NGS data manipulation tools.
  • Broad knowledge of related bioinformatics resources and databases
  • Knowledge of variant calling and annotation tools.
  • Experience in Application of statistical methods to data analysis
Required Language(s) (at working level):  English and Bahasa Indonesia
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements