Scientific Portfolio Data Lead

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. Open Targets is seeking a proactive and delivery-focused Scientific Portfolio Data Lead to accelerate the sharing, curation and ingestion of genetics and genomics data across the Open Targets partnership. This is a key role at the interface of research teams, pharma partners, operational programme teams, the Open Targets Platform team and senior stakeholders.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead coordination of data sharing across Open Targets research activities, ensuring that datasets are identified early, prepared appropriately and shared rapidly with partners.
• Act as the main bridge between research teams, pharma partners, operational support teams and the Open Targets Platform team for data-sharing and ingestion-related activities.
• Work with scientists to understand upcoming genetics and functional genomics datasets and define the metadata, formats and documentation needed for reuse.
• Support the preparation of data and metadata using relevant standards, controlled vocabularies and ontologies.
• Coordinate and work closely with Open Targets core team colleagues to assess which datasets are suitable for ingestion into the Open Targets Platform or associated data products.
• Track datasets from generation through metadata collection, quality review, partner sharing and, where relevant, Platform ingestion.
• Build trusted working relationships with research groups, programme managers, pharma partners, the Platform team and senior stakeholders.
• Develop lightweight processes, templates and guidance to improve the speed, consistency and quality of data sharing.
• Identify bottlenecks in data sharing and take the initiative to resolve them.
• Ensure that data-sharing activities are aligned with agreed governance, access, confidentiality and partnership requirements.
• Provide regular updates to internal and partner stakeholders on data availability, readiness, risks and progress.

About Us:

Open Targets is a public-private partnership that takes a systematic approach to drug target identification and prioritisation. The consortium brings together academic institutes the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute with global pharmaceutical companies MSD, GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Genentech. The Open Targets research programme generates a variety of data types through large-scale, systematic experiments to inform drug target identification and prioritisation. We have a diverse portfolio of cutting-edge experimental and informatics projects, handling a wide range of different types of data including patient clinical data, multi-omics, and large scale perturbations at different biological levels. Our project teams include clinicians working closely within the NHS to recruit patients, scientists developing cutting-edge technology platforms, developers working on innovative new AI applications and groups managing resources used globally.

About You:

This role offers the opportunity to work across multidisciplinary teams, collaborating closely with pharmaceutical partners and senior stakeholders. You are able to identify issues and work with others to find practical solutions. You will be able to translate between scientific teams, informatics resource teams and partner stakeholders, ensuring that data is not only scientifically valuable but also well described, reusable and shareable.

Essential Skills:

• Strong understanding of genetics, genomics or functional genomics data types, such as GWAS, QTL, sequencing, variant, perturbation, single-cell, CRISPR screen, expression or disease-relevant datasets.
• Practical knowledge of metadata, data standards, controlled vocabularies or ontologies relevant to biomedical data.
• Experience supporting scientific data sharing, data coordination, data curation, data management or data product delivery.
• Good judgement around data quality, metadata completeness, confidentiality and appropriate data use.
• Experience manipulating data within HPC and/or Cloud environments.
• Fluency in a UNIX environment.
• Programming skills (preferably Python) and data analysis frameworks (e.g. pandas, spark, polars).
• PhD in Biological Sciences, Bioinformatics, Data Sciences or a related discipline or equivalent experience.

Other Information:

For further details, please see the role profile. Salary per annum: (dependent upon skills and experience): £54,791-£65,091. Contract Duration: 3 years. Application Process: Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter outlining how you meet the criteria set out above. Closing Date: 2nd August 2026. Interviews are scheduled to take place in mid-August.

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, Gender Equity 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 believe people do their best work when they can be their authentic selves. 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.