Associate Director, Head of Bioinformatics

Nkarta is a publicly traded (Nasdaq symbol NKTX), biotechnology company headquartered in South San Francisco focused on the discovery, development and manufacturing of off-the-shelf, natural killer (NK) cell therapies. Our near-term goal is to bring cell therapy out into the community setting, dramatically expanding access for patients. 

Founded in 2015 at the birthplace of biotechnology, Nkarta is a fast-growing, fast-moving, clinical-stage company that has built an extensive cell therapy manufacturing operation in anticipation of product commercialization. Our developmental pipeline of engineered NK cell therapies includes clinical programs in B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases.

Complementing our broad research and development capabilities, Nkarta has also built an extensive cell therapy manufacturing operation.  We recently built out a 23,000-square foot clinical good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, facility on-site at our primary corporate location in South San Francisco, California.

Nkarta is a people-driven company looking for passionate, collaborative, driven team members galvanized by a paradigm-shifting opportunity to change the cell therapy landscape.  

Nkarta is seeking a highly motivated, collaborative, detail-oriented Associated Director/Head of Bioinformatics to join our Translational Medicine team. The successful candidate will have experience in leading computational biology and/or bioinformatics teams in a biotech or pharmaceutical setting. This individual will work collaboratively within Translational Medicine and cross functionally to advance, support and execute on biomarker discovery, MOA investigations and data analysis from clinical samples to support translational and clinical strategies in early development. This role is ideal for an individual who is driven and passionate about cell therapy for the treatment of hard-to treat diseases.

• Lead, manage and actively participate in the design, development and implementation of computational strategies and hands-on data analysis of clinical and biological datasets, contributing to go/no go decisions
• Drive the innovation and oversee the application of advanced bioinformatics state of the art computational tools for analyzing different data types, including large-scale datasets, company metadata in databases, data lakes, Benchling, etc.
• Lead and mentor a team of senior bioinformatics scientists, cultivating an environment that emphasizes continuous learning, innovation and career development
• Collaborate with senior leadership to prioritize bioinformatics initiatives, delegation of resources, establishment of timelines, to align with company goals and objectives
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with experimental scientists, internal and external stakeholders, including Translational, R&D, clinical and regulatory teams to support multidisciplinary projects.
• Communicate effectively with internal teams and cross functionally during company presentations to both scientific and non-scientific stakeholders

• PhD in Biological sciences, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Genomics, or a closely related discipline with 5+ years of industry experience.
• Strong foundation in biological sciences with interest in immunology and applying bioinformatics tools and methods to enhance understanding of diseases
• Deep-seated understanding and experience in modern statistical methodologies
• Expertise in analyzing next generation sequencing data (e.g. bulk RNA-seq, single-cell RNAseq, whole exome sequencing, spatial RNAseq)
• Proficiency in Python or R
• Strong familiarity with data infrastructure and cloud computing resource implementation and management in AWS ecosystem
• Demonstrated ability to oversee external CROs to implement data management and bioinformatics solutions.
• Ability to lead teams in ensuring high data quality and integrity
• Experience in fostering cross-functional collaboration to ensure alignment of project objectives and seamless executing, demonstrating strong teamwork and communication skills
• Ability to multi-task and work independently as well as in collaboration with peers within a fast-paced team environment with a positive outlook and high degree of self-motivation and organization

The common requirements of an office environment (computers, computer screens, workstations, etc.) apply when not working in or around the laboratory environment. Car and airplane travel might be required of this role for conferences and meetings. This role is local to the office in South San Francisco; however, the work hours are flexible as agreed upon.

A reasonable estimate of the current salary range for this position is $216,000 - $247,000.  There are several factors taken into consideration in determining base salary, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, skills, education and experience, as well as the value of other elements of an employee’s total compensation package.  Nkarta also offers an annual discretionary bonus, equity grant(s), medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.  Other benefits include 401K plan, flexible spending account, ESPP, employee assistance program, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid parental, pregnancy, and bereavement leave.

The 150+ team members describe working at Nkarta through some of the following comments. While getting better work-life balance and improving communications between groups in an early stage start up environment are two areas on which we are working, here are real, anonymous comments about or regarding why people think Nkarta is a great place to work.

• “People are always open to ideas. This company provides a safe place for its employees (covid testing, etc.)”
• “Exceptionally talented, committed, *kind* & supportive team.”
• “The CEO is transparent and honest with expectations for the whole company. There is genuine care amongst the leadership team for their peers and employees. I believe this is unique.”
• “Not to sound corny, but the emphasis on people as a valuable resource is something I recognize doesn't often exist elsewhere, and it's here in ample supply, which is great.”
• “It's the first place that I've worked where the executive team truly values the employees. It's a pretty amazing thing not to hear that employees can be replaced with someone new. Institutional knowledge is understood.”
• “We have a very diverse team with executives that are friendly and accessible.”
• “Smart and dedicated colleagues. Mission to make a difference in patients’ lives. Empower us with tools needed to succeed. Open and transparent culture. Transparent leadership. Handling of covid and running the company was done very well.”

To learn more about our work at Nkarta and the career opportunities that will drive us forward to serve patients, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nkartatx.com.