About this role
About Us:
The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe.
Exciting Opportunity at MSK! The McPherson and Shah Labs are seeking a dedicated and determined Bioinformatics Software Engineer to develop and maintain software systems for large-scale genomic data analysis. You will join an interdisciplinary team of computational scientists, molecular biologists, and clinicians working to uncover the molecular foundations of cancer and translate genomic discoveries into improved treatments—particularly for rare and aggressive pediatric cancers.
This role is open to mid-level and senior candidates, including individuals with two or more years of professional experience post-undergraduate training, as well as more experienced engineers seeking high ownership and impact.
Role Overview:
In this role, you will design, build, and maintain software that enables researchers to analyze, visualize, and interpret genomic data at scale. You will work on infrastructure that directly supports large-scale research and translational efforts, including near–real-time analysis of patient tumor samples.
The position balances:
Pipeline development: ≈40%
General software engineering (APIs, libraries, data models, core services): ≈40%
Ad-hoc analysis and research-driven code: ≈20%
You will contribute across the full software lifecycle—from design and implementation to testing, documentation, and deployment—in a small, highly collaborative team.
Key Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
2+ years of relevant professional or research experience.
Strong proficiency in Python.
Experience with workflow systems such as Nextflow and/or Snakemake.
Experience with containerized environments (Docker, Singularity).
Comfort working in Linux/HPC environments and on the command line (bash).
Familiarity with Conda-based dependency management.
Basic familiarity with R.
Core Skills:
Building scalable pipelines for genomic data processing (single-cell WGS/RNA, long-read, Illumina).
Developing reusable software components, APIs, and data models.
Optimizing workflows for HPC and cloud computing environments.
Collaborating with biologists and clinicians to translate research and clinical needs into robust software solutions.
Writing and maintaining documentation for deployment and user support.
Participating in code reviews and design discussions, emphasizing maintainability and best practices.
Nice-to-Have Experience:
Cloud computing platforms (AWS, GCP).
CI/CD systems (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).
Frontend or web-based systems (basic maintenance).
Prior experience with genomic, biomedical, or clinical data.
Why This Environment Is Unique:
Access to rare pediatric cancer cohorts.
Close integration with clinical teams, enabling translational research.
Opportunity to shape core infrastructure used by many labs and studies.
Work that directly impacts how genomic data are analyzed for real patients.
Additional Information:
Location: 323 E. 61st, NYC (Macklowe)
Schedule: Flexible in-person, average 4 days/week onsite, 37.5 hrs.
Helpful Links:
The salary for this role falls within MSK’s established range for similar positions and is determined by experience and qualifications. Incentive pay opportunities are available.
Pay Range: $121,400.00 - $200,400.00
FSLA Status: Exempt
Closing:
At MSK, we believe in fair, competitive pay that reflects your job, experience, and skills.
MSK is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.
Other facts
About Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe. One of the world’s most respected comprehensive centers devoted exclusively to cancer, we have been recognized as one of the top two cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years.
What you'll do
- You will design, build, and maintain software that enables researchers to analyze, visualize, and interpret genomic data at scale. This includes pipeline development, general software engineering, and ad-hoc analysis.
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