Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

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 realise 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.

At Illumina, we're united by a clear purpose: to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome. We’re looking for a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist to join our Cambridge team and help push the boundaries of what’s possible in genomics. This is a rare opportunity to work at the cutting edge of sequencing technology, contributing to products that are used globally to advance research, accelerate discovery, and improve outcomes for patients.

Why join Illumina? You’ll be part of the team behind DRAGEN, our fast and highly accurate FPGA‑accelerated platform for secondary analysis of NGS data, fully integrated with the Illumina Connected Analytics (ICA) Cloud. DRAGEN supports a wide range of applications across germline and somatic analysis, DNA/RNA workflows, CNVs, and structural variants. Your work may be one part of a much larger system—but it’s a system helping scientists and clinicians tackle some of the hardest challenges in healthcare, including cancer and rare disease. This is innovation with real purpose.

We also offer industry‑leading benefits, including flexible time off, private medical insurance, compassion and care leave, pension, employee stock purchase programme, volunteer time off, and more.

The role: As a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist, you’ll be trusted to take accountability for developing novel computational and statistical methods that extract meaningful biological insight from genomic data. You’ll own projects end to end—while working closely with a broader, highly collaborative team to ensure solutions are robust, scalable, and ready for real‑world use.

Day to day, your focus will be on programming and data analysis, clearly communicating results, explaining the what and the why, and presenting findings in a way that enables others to act on them. You’ll help shape not just the science, but the success of the product as a whole.

What you’ll do:

• Design, prototype, and implement innovative computational and statistical algorithms for sequencing data
• Develop high‑performance, production‑grade software in C/C++
• Analyse, integrate, model, and interpret complex experimental genomic data
• Win together by collaborating closely with interdisciplinary teams across FPGA, software, QC/QA, and clinical genomics
• Help define product requirements, assess accuracy, and streamline workflows to make our customers heroes
• Clearly communicate technical methods and findings through documentation, presentations, and internal/external materials

What you’ll bring:

You’re someone who combines deep technical expertise with a structured, thoughtful approach to problem‑solving. You plan well, manage your time effectively, and communicate clearly.

You’ll have:

• Strong background in computer science, algorithms, and statistics
• Deep expertise in genomics and next‑generation sequencing
• Experience with NGS secondary analysis, including alignment and variant calling
• Proven experience in high‑performance software development
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Experience in areas such as cancer, rare disease, or population genetics is highly valued

Education:

PhD in computer science, engineering, statistics, bioinformatics, or related field—or a Master’s degree with 3+ years of relevant experience.

What can you expect:

Our team members are bright, energetic and dedicated - they are the driving force behind our innovation and impact. To attract the best and brightest, we offer a competitive employee benefits program. We view it as a smart investment in our people, one that recognises the tremendous value they bring to our business every day. At Illumina, we push boundaries. We think beyond the conventional. We dream big. With the energy of so many bright and accomplished people, the opportunities are endless.

We are a company deeply rooted in belonging, promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Built on a strong foundation, Illumina has always prioritised openness, collaboration, and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics. We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race. We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information.

Illumina conducts background checks on applicants for whom a conditional offer of employment has been made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws. Background check results may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. The background check process and any decisions made as a result shall be made in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws. Illumina prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the application and interview process. If you require accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact.

To learn more, visit: The position will be posted until a final candidate is selected or the requisition has a sufficient number of qualified applicants.