Senior Virologist

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Virologist to join the Genomic Surveillance Unit here at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. This is a key role, leading the establishment of a team focused on tracking the evolution and transmission of vector-borne viruses including Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever, and Zika.

If you're passionate about using genomics to make a real difference to public health response to epidemics and outbreaks on a national and global level, then keep reading!

About the role

This exciting and challenging role will pioneer the research and development of innovative new tools to accelerate genetics-based epidemiology for vector-borne viruses. The role provides cross-functional leadership and actively participates in and influences the global community of researchers, policymakers, and public health practitioners interested in viral genetics, analytics, and control.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues across many teams in the Sanger Institute, Genomic Surveillance Unit (GSU), as well as external academic collaborators and public health partners, funders, and global policy organisations (e.g. WHO). 

As the Senior VIrologist you will be responsible for:

• Developing a scientific strategy, architecture and surveillance plans for vector-borne viral infections  
• Determining the priorities of the arbovirus control programme’s needs through requirements analysis and development of use cases
• Establish research and development roadmaps, design products and services  and oversee a series of global partner-led scientific research programmes required to meet the use cases
• Developing and recommending the strategy and scope of present and future genomics products and services for tracking transmission of virusesBuilding strategic relationships with funders, Africa CDC, WHO and other key global stakeholders 
• Assessing similar/related surveillance products across the broader genetic surveillance and epidemiology community 
• Working with partner support teams to assess, identify, prioritise and develop solutions for partner requirements
• Leading the GSU’s vector-borne viruses programme, working with operations teams to understand processing bottlenecks, and working with technical development teams to develop effective solutions
• Developing and maintaining product roadmaps for each surveillance product, consolidating and interpreting information from across all stakeholder groups set out above
• Maintaining product management and domain-specialist scientific and technical staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees
• Full line management responsibility including setting objectives and managing staff performance

About you

To excel in this role you will need the following skills and experience: 

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of vector-borne virus biology and epidemiology 
• Product Management experience 
• Experience with two of the following: lean start-up methodologies, agile development methodologies, working directly with clients 
• Experience shipping successful products, including defining vision, strategy, outcome-driven product roadmaps and creating and managing backlogs 

Competencies and Behaviours

• Ability to innovate and create practical solutions to complex problems 
• Skilled at defining products and prioritising product features 
• Excellent leadership and line management experience 
• Experience articulating and testing product hypotheses 
• Possess persuasive negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to lead over a continuum of stakeholders at varying levels and in different contexts 
• Ability to quickly understand scientific, technical and process challenges and break down complex problems into actionable steps 
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels including navigating complex decision-making
• Willingness to travel (up to 30%)

About us

The Genomic Surveillance Unit is a rapidly growing team dedicated to global public health. We bring expertise in genomics, data science, product development, and sequencing operations to bear on surveillance solutions for important human diseases. While we currently focus on malaria, COVID-19, and a range of other respiratory viruses, we are expanding into new disease areas. Examples of our work include: 

• Extensive involvement in COVID-19 and respiratory virus surveillance activities in the UK, providing the UK Health Security Agency with insight to detect and manage outbreaks;
• Fighting malaria — a disease which kills hundreds of thousands of children every year — by tracking drug and insecticide resistance; 
• Working with research partners around the world to translate scientific discoveries into operational surveillance products; 
• Delivering non-scientific projects and programmes such as organisational change and IT transformation.  

The culture at the GSU is innovative, fast-paced, international, and multidisciplinary. With backgrounds in business, technology, academia, and global health, our team solves problems with perspectives from multiple angles.

Our world-leading COVID-19 and malaria genomic surveillance streams have a proven track record of successful implementation. We support partners around the world at every stage of the process, from sample collection and lab set-up to training, data generation, and analysis.

Our priorities are to continually increase benefits to public health while improving the accessibility and quality of genomic surveillance data. Driven by the needs of our partners, we create analytical tools, lab methods, and data pipelines that push the boundaries of what’s possible.

For more information, visit https://www.sanger.ac.uk/collaboration/genomic-surveillance-unit/

Additional information

Please note: This is a hybrid role with 2-3 days per week onsite.

Please include a cover letter along with your CV. In your cover letter include detail on how your knowledge, skills and experience match the requirements of the role described.

Salary: £63,900 - £87,000 

Closing Date: Sunday 19-MAY

View the Sanger Institute’s 2022-2023 Highlights here: https://bit.ly/SangerHighlights

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and the role may close when a successful appointment has been made.

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018.  The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

Every year the Wellcome Sanger Institute supports the visits of dozens of overseas researchers from across the globe to the Genome campus to collaborate, share insights and to undertake ground-breaking scientific research. Our reliable in-house service provides expert advice and guidance to support current and prospective staff, and visitors at various points of their journey. We are able to provide guidance through your entire journey, from initial visa application through to extensions and applications of Indefinite Leave to Remain, the service is proud to support your personal applications and those of your dependants and family members. 

For more information about our immigration service visit: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/careers/global-mobility-and-immigration-service/