Technical Specialist

The University Health Network, where "above all else the needs of patients come first", encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Michener Institute of Education. The breadth of research, the complexity of the cases treated, and the magnitude of its educational enterprise has made UHN a national and international resource for patient care, research and education. With a long tradition of ground breaking firsts and a purpose of "Transforming lives and communities through excellence in care, discovery and learning", the University Health Network (UHN), Canada's largest research teaching hospital, brings together over 16,000 employees, more than 1,200 physicians, 8,000+ students, and many volunteers. UHN is a caring, creative place where amazing people are amazing the world.

The Division of Genome Diagnostics within the UHN Laboratory Medicine Program seeks a Technical Specialist to join a new Innovation team that is leading deployment of clinical whole genome sequencing across our hospital. Reporting to Dr. Trevor Pugh, Director of Innovation, the successful candidate will be primarily responsible for deploying software applications for test requisitioning, laboratory information management, automated execution of bioinformatics pipelines, tracking of quality control metrics, interpreting genetic variants, generation of clinical reports, and deposition of large-scale genomics data for research. Secondary responsibilities may include development of new software to integrate multiple systems, provide automated data summaries, or prototype new algorithms. You will work under the auspices of the clinical bioinformatics, laboratory, and geneticist teams within the Laboratory Medicine Program as well as contemporaries in equivalent roles at partner programs including the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and UHN Genomics Collaborative Centre through the Ontario Joint Genomics Program. In this role, you would support development of a strategy for enterprise application integration, resource planning, and application development to enable access to clinical genome sequencing throughout UHN.

Candidates must have expertise deploying web applications and relational database management systems (e.g. MySQL, PostgresSQL) as well as sound software development practices. We would additionally value expertise liaising with database software vendors and external technical support on issues such as software upgrades, problems and potential solutions. A flair for data visualization and GUI design is a major asset. Preferred, but not required, is a familiarity with cancer and population genome analysis techniques and associated analytic tools including the Genome Analysis Toolkit, the Picard suite of tools, germline variant annotation, and mutation detection algorithms. Applicants should have 3-5 years of software development experience, ideally in an academic hospital environment. The Division of Genome Diagnostics is directly involved in the translation of research tools for genome analysis into clinical practice, and therefore adherence to high standards of ethical conduct, work quality, and professional management are a must. This is an opportunity to play a central role in a growing, fast-paced clinical laboratory community with high potential to positively impact care of cancer patients.

Required:

1) Undergraduate Degree required in Computer Science or related field

2) 5-8 years experience in a software applications role

3) Expertise in high-performance computing environments, ideally for analysis of genomic data

4) Demonstrated past successful implementation of a complex software system

Preferred:

1) Masters Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience

2) Project management certification (e.g. PMP)

3) Experience deploying software pipelines on commercial cloud computing environments

4) Mentorship or team leadership experience (informal or formal)

Why join UHN?
In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates. Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.