Senior Bioinformatician - Cancer Genomics Translational Research Centre

Date: 28 Oct 2025

Site: VCCC (Parkville)

Location:

MELBOURNE, VIC, AU, 3000

Company: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Unit: Cancer Genomics TRC

Division: Cancer Research

Department: Laboratory Research

Enterprise Agreement: Allied Health Professionals (Victorian Public Sect

Cancer Genomics TRC

Peter Mac we aim to continuously improve cancer care, research and education across all cancers and for all people affected by cancer: changing lives, breaking new ground. Everything we do is underpinned by our core values, Excellence, Compassion and Innovation. Welcoming people from a wide variety of different backgrounds and experiences is critical to fostering innovation, cultivating compassion, attracting and retaining top talent and providing the best possible cancer care for our patients.

YOUR ROLE IN OUR FUTURE

Senior Bioinformatician - Cancer Genomics Translational Research Centre

12-month fixed term, full time position
80 hours per fortnight with monthly ADOs
Level A and Level B Equivalent [1RA8-1SR5, depending on experience]

About the team

The Translational Research Centres at Peter Mac have a key focus in providing an important translational interface between clinical and laboratory research and the commercial sector. The Cancer Genomics Translational Research Centre (TRC) requires a highly skilled senior bioinformatician with expertise in cancer genomics, bioinformatic methods and statistics.

About the role

The senior bioinformatician will be responsible for developing and applying computational tools and techniques to analyse and interpret biological data. Key duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

In conjunction with the Head of the Cancer Genomics TRC and other TRCs, the specialist will conduct and report on defined academic and commercial translational research projects.
In collaboration with other researchers, the position will involve the analysis of large-scale genomic data including but not limited to whole genome sequencing, methylation-based data and single cell and spatial sequencing technologies through the application of best-practice bioinformatics workflows and the development of innovative new methods.
Work with experimental biologists to design experiments and interpret results.
Summarise findings in scientific reports, publications, or visualisations .
Providing training and support to other TRC staff when required.
Collaborate with the business and contracts team to prepare quotes and support ongoing client relationships.

This position is:

12-months fixed term, full time
Onsite presence essential at 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Basic Salary Range: $107,628.77 to $121,615.42 AUD
Advertising from 28 October 2025 to 26 November 2025

Our benefits

We offer a range of benefits which support our people both personally and professionally, including:

Up to $11,660 in salary packaging to increase your take home pay
Discounted health insurance and eye care
A comprehensive health and wellbeing program
Public transport options at our doorstep and end of trip facilities for cyclists
Onsite eateries and coffee shops and inviting rooftop garden spaces
Pathways for professional development and new career opportunities
Five weeks annual leave, 17.5% leave loading & purchased leave options
Flexible, hybrid working practices

Inclusion and belonging

Peter Mac celebrates, values and supports a diverse and inclusive environment which reflects our vibrant community. We encourage applications from anyone identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also welcome anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, linguistically, culturally and/or gender diverse, people with disability, and people of any age to apply for our roles.

Join us!

If you feel this role is right for you we warmly invite you to apply, and encourage your early application. All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory police check and may include vaccination requirements. Should you need assistance or require any adjustments or accommodations to fully participate in the application or interview process, you are welcome to reach out to the contact person listed. We acknowledge that not all applicants will meet the full list of selection criteria outlined, and wherever possible we will consider applications where relevant experience can apply.

Applicants to this role should provide a covering letter, resume and response to selection criteria outlining relative key skills and experience to assist us with our assessment.

For further information about this opportunity, click Apply to be redirected to the Peter Mac Careers page where you can review the position summary. Alternatively, please contact us using the information below for a confidential discussion.

Hiring Manager: Stephen Wong

Email: stephen.wong@petermac.org

Applications Close: 26 November 2025

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Position Summary

The Translational Research Centres at Peter Mac have a key focus in providing an important translational interface between clinical and laboratory research and the commercial sector.

The Cancer Genomics Translational Research Centre (TRC) requires a highly skilled senior bioinformatician with expertise in cancer genomics, bioinformatic methods and statistics.

The bioinformatician will be responsible for developing and applying computational tools and techniques to analyse and interpret biological data.

Key duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

In conjunction with the Head of the Cancer Genomics TRC and other TRCs, the specialist will conduct and report on defined academic and commercial translational research projects.
In collaboration with other researchers, the position will involve the analysis of large-scale genomic data including but not limited to whole genome sequencing, methylation-based data and single cell and spatial sequencing technologies through the application of best-practice bioinformatics workflows and the development of innovative new methods.
Work with experimental biologists to design experiments and interpret results.
Summarise findings in scientific reports, publications, or visualisations
Providing training and support to other TRC staff when required.
Collaborate with the business and contracts team to prepare quotes and support ongoing client relationships

Enterprise Agreement

Allied Health Professionals

Classification or Salary Range

1RA8 - 1SR5 depending on experience

Immunisation Risk Category

Category C: Position within a non-clinical setting

Key Relationships

Internal	Head, Cancer Genomics Translational Research Centre Cancer Genomics TRC staff Models of Cancer Translational Research Centre Research staff including those in Computational Biology Research program Research Computing Facility (RCF) Bioinformatics Core Facility Molecular Genomics Core Facility The Collaborative Centre for Cancer Genomics
External	Local & National Researchers and Collaborators Pharmaceutical, Biotech & Commercial companies Universities National and International Institutions

Skills

Essential Requirements

Postgraduate degree (PhD, MSc or equivalent) in Bioinformatics, Computer Science or Computational Biology.
Prior work experience (2-5 years) in a Bioinformatics, Computer Science or Computational Biology role.
Experience in analysing a wide range of next generation sequencing data including whole genome, targeted sequencing and RNA sequencing.
Demonstrate sound knowledge in cancer genomics, translational cancer research and/or clinical informatics.
Have strong experience developing and maintaining bioinformatics analysis workflows /pipelines and visualisation of results.
Demonstrate strong critical thinking skills by providing interpretation of bioinformatic results and ability to troubleshooting data anomalies and optimising bioinformatics workflows
Excellent Python or R programming skills.
Solid experience with LINUX and shell scripting.
Proven ability to execute jobs in high performance computing clusters environments, e.g. via torque/slurm workload manager.
Excellent written/verbal communication, organisational and time management skills.
Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.

Desirable Requirements

Experience in applying or developing new computational methods and handling data from cell-free DNA samples and single cell-based sequencing approaches.
Experience working in highly multidisciplinary teams, spanning both laboratory and clinical research.
Familiarity with clinical informatics, variant calling and analysing data from clinical biospecimens (e.g. FFPE tissue samples) and blood (e.g. circulating tumour DNA).
A track record of delivering contract-based research and commercial collaborative research, demonstrating commitment to the delivery of excellent customer service and continuous improvement to the standard of service.
Experience working with cloud computing, containers and workflows.
Experience in retrieving and integrating data from public bioinformatics resources
Not essential but wet-lab skills in molecular biology techniques, sequencing library prep, cell and tissue culture would be desirable.

Key Accountabilities

Key Accountabilities	Demonstrated By / Key Performance Indicators
1. Conduct of translational research projects	In conjunction with the Head of the Cancer Genomics Translational Research Centre, deliver and conduct research projects within budget and time constraints Work as an effective and collaborative TRC team member to ensure high-quality project deliverables meet client timelines and expectations. Provide accurate implementation of analysis and interpretation of experimental results. Generation of high quality, efficient and well-documented analysis code. Ability to troubleshoot and solve technical problems. Generation of appropriate visualisations and reports, including critical interpretation of QC and analysis results. Ability to summarise findings in scientific reports, publications, or visualisations (e.g., using R/Shiny, Python/Plotly, ggplot2).
2. Communication of research outcomes	Provide a high standard of service to our clients. Build and maintain a strong working relationship with clients/collaborators. Ability to communicate and present results effectively with clients/ collaborators with varied scientific backgrounds. Participation in lab/team meetings. Excellent written and oral communications.

Key Accountabilities (Contd..)

3. Foster a good working relationship with colleagues, clients and collaborators

Provide training and support for other TRC based staff when required.
Regular presentation at laboratory meetings and with clients when required.
Build and maintain a strong working relationship with clients, providing a high standard of service.
Proactively manage relationships with key internal and external collaborators and stakeholders including being able to communicate and present results effectively with clients with varied scientific backgrounds
Demonstration of positive, no-blame research culture that fosters a culture of open communication and accountability.

4. Compliance with Research policies and procedures

Demonstrate compliance with Peter Mac research expectations, policies and a commitment to Peter Mac values
Ensure processes and standards are implemented consistently with a high level of integrity and ethics including compliance with Peter Mac’s Research data management procedure.
Up-to-date records of all mandatory and job-specific training courses.
Commitment to inclusive, diverse and respectful workplace culture.
Take reasonable steps to prevent bullying, discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
Participates in annual performance development and review.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Peter Mac requires its staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this requirement.

WHY WORK FOR PETER MAC

Peter Mac offer a range of benefits which support our people both personally and professionally.
Our staff benefits include award winning facilities, professional development and events, a health and wellbeing program, flexible work practices and policies and financial benefits such as salary packaging.
We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with a disability.