Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

Senior Bioinformatics Scientist (EMEALA Region)

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity? At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

As Senior Bioinformatics Scientist here at Illumina, you will join our world-class genomics team focused on advancing human health through innovative next-generation sequencing technologies. Working within the team responsible for the DRAGEN platform and its integration with Illumina Connected Analytics (ICA), you will develop novel bioinformatics methods that extract meaningful biological insights from complex genomic datasets.

This role combines scientific innovation, algorithm development, software engineering, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver high-impact solutions that support research, clinical applications, and customer success. You will work closely with software, FPGA, quality, clinical genomics, and customer-facing teams to help shape the future of genomic analysis.

Illumina's employee benefits are industry-leading and include, flexible time off, private medical insurance, compassion and care time off, leisure travel insurance, pension, employee stock purchasing program, volunteer time off, and much more!

Why You:

You are an accomplished bioinformatics scientist with a strong foundation in computer science, statistics, algorithms, and genomics. You have experience developing innovative yet practical computational methods that solve complex biological challenges and can translate those solutions into robust production environments. You bring expertise in next-generation sequencing technologies and secondary analysis methods, including mapping, alignment, and variant calling, alongside strong software development skills in C/C++ or similar high-performance programming languages.

You are motivated by solving difficult scientific problems and transforming large-scale genomic data into actionable insights. You thrive in collaborative environments, enjoy working with multidisciplinary teams, and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences. Your curiosity, scientific rigor, and commitment to innovation align strongly with Illumina's value of Innovate with Purpose, helping deliver meaningful advances that improve human health.

Candidates will typically hold a Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Bioinformatics, or a related discipline, combined with relevant industry or research experience. Expertise in genomic data analysis, sequencing technologies, and applications such as rare disease research, cancer genomics, and population genetics will be highly valued.

Responsibilities:

• Design, prototype, and implement innovative computational and statistical algorithms to extract biological signal from sequencing assays.
• Develop and optimize high-performance production software using C/C++ and related technologies.
• Analyze, integrate, model, and interpret complex experimental and genomic datasets to support product development.
• Collaborate closely with software engineering, FPGA, quality assurance, quality control, and clinical genomics teams to deliver seamless end-to-end workflows.
• Support the development and advancement of the DRAGEN platform across germline, somatic, DNA, RNA, structural variant, CNV, and targeted sequencing applications.
• Engage with external scientific and customer teams to understand emerging needs and help define future product capabilities.
• Communicate technical approaches, experimental results, and scientific findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Prepare internal and external technical documentation, publications, presentations, and scientific marketing materials.
• Evaluate new technologies, methodologies, and data processing approaches to improve scalability, accuracy, and customer experience.
• Demonstrate accountability and ownership while contributing to a collaborative culture that helps teams win together and achieve shared objectives.