About this role.
This director-level role leads Natera's Data Science and Bioinformatics function for Women's Health and Organ Health clinical products. The leader will define the bioinformatics strategy, build and mentor a technical team, and establish scalable AWS infrastructure for reproducible NGS algorithm deployment. Core work includes MLOps, automated validation, pipeline quality standards, and cross-functional productization with Research, Engineering, Laboratory Operations, and Quality. The position requires deep genomics, statistical and machine-learning expertise alongside substantial people leadership experience in a regulated clinical-development environment.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.
Sample interview questions
I would begin with a capability assessment covering people, pipelines, data platforms, quality practices, and product-roadmap needs. I would then define an operating model with clear technical ownership, hiring priorities, architecture standards, and measurable delivery milestones. Early investments would focus on reproducibility, validation, documentation, and interfaces with laboratory, engineering, and quality partners.
I use version-controlled workflows, containerized environments, immutable data and reference artifacts, automated testing, and infrastructure as code. A production process should include traceable inputs and outputs, monitoring, controlled releases, and validation gates that demonstrate performance before deployment. Workflow tools such as Nextflow or WDL and orchestration integrated with cloud-native services can make execution scalable and auditable.
I separate exploratory research from controlled production workflows while maintaining clear criteria for promoting methods between stages. For production candidates, I establish predefined acceptance metrics, validation datasets, peer review, documentation, change control, and collaboration with quality and regulatory stakeholders. This preserves scientific velocity without compromising patient-impacting reliability.
I would make the decision framework explicit by grounding the discussion in intended use, patient risk, performance evidence, operational readiness, and documented quality requirements. I would ensure each function has an opportunity to identify risks and jointly define the data needed to resolve open questions. If tradeoffs remain, I would clearly communicate the recommendation, decision owner, mitigation plan, and release criteria.
I would combine scientific, operational, and organizational metrics: algorithm performance and robustness, pipeline reproducibility, deployment lead time, validation pass rates, incident trends, roadmap predictability, and stakeholder satisfaction. For team health, I would track hiring progress, skill development, ownership clarity, retention, and succession readiness. Metrics should guide improvement rather than encourage shortcuts or optimize a single dimension.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead and grow the Data Science and Bioinformatics function supporting Natera’s Women’s Health and Organ Health product portfolios. In this role, you will build the bioinformatics capability within the Data Science development team, establish scalable AWS cloud infrastructure, and ensure the quality and reproducibility of the genomic algorithms powering our clinical products.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategy and Vision
- Build and define the Bioinformatics function within the Data Science development team, identify technical tooling gaps, and execute a roadmap to advance genomics-based algorithm development.
- Establish and enforce pipeline and algorithm quality standards, including review processes, validation frameworks, and documentation practices
Infrastructure and Automation
- Own and architect scalable AWS-based data science and bioinformatics infrastructure, ensuring quality, reproducibility, and reliable deployment of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) algorithms.
- Implement MLOps tooling and automated validation frameworks to support reliable algorithm deployment into clinical production.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Research, Product Development, Laboratory Operations, Engineering, and Quality teams to implement stable, scalable pipelines and support successful productization
Team Leadership
- Lead, mentor and hire a high-performing team of bioinformaticians and data scientists, establishing technical quality standards and clear operational ownership.
- Build technical depth within the team to support expanding product roadmaps across Women’s Health and Organ Health.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master of Science or Ph.D. in a quantitative technical discipline (Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or equivalent).
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in Data Science or Bioinformatics, with at least 5 years of direct people management experience leading technical teams.
- Hands-on experience architecting AWS cloud infrastructure for data-intensive bioinformatics workloads and NGS pipeline execution.
- Demonstrated ability to identify capability gaps independently, build scalable infrastructure, and drive execution without waiting for formal structure.
- Strong communicator who builds cross-functional alignment across Research, Engineering, and Quality teams through technical clarity, direct engagement, and data-driven reasoning.
- Track record of developing bioinformatics talent and delivering computational pipelines that support commercial product development.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience developing software and pipelines within regulated environments (CLIA, FDA, or ISO framework).
- Experience with MLOps frameworks and pipeline tools (MLflow, Nextflow, WDL, Docker).
- Advanced knowledge of statistical inference, machine learning, and genomic data processing.
The pay range is listed and actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications and specific office location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations.
Remote USA
$186,300—$232,900 USD
OUR OPPORTUNITY
Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.
The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you’ll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.
WHAT WE OFFER
Competitive Benefits – Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more. We also offer a generous employee referral program!
For more information, visit www.natera.com.
Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace environment, and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.
If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents.
Link: https://www.natera.com/notice-of-data-collection-california-residents/
Please be advised that Natera will reach out to candidates with a @natera.com email domain ONLY. Email communications from all other domain names are not from Natera or its employees and are fraudulent. Natera does not request interviews via text messages and does not ask for personal information until a candidate has engaged with the company and has spoken to a recruiter and the hiring team. Natera takes cyber crimes seriously, and will collaborate with law enforcement authorities to prosecute any related cyber crimes.
For more information:
– BBB announcement on job scams
– FBI Cyber Crime resource page
Upload your resume now
- To unlock remote work opportunities and be discovered by global employers.
This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.
