Job Description

Please Note: The deadline for applying is 23.59 the day before the job posting end date.
Job Title: Computational Scientist - Bioinformatics
Location: Colworth Science Park
JOB PURPOSE
As a Bioinformatician at Unilever, you will utilise your scientific expertise in bioinformatics to conduct research and data analysis, advancing our product safety assessment methods. Based in the dynamic environment of our Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Science (SERS) team near Bedford, UK, you will join a team of bioinformaticians where you will be supported in your own development, while also expected to help others grow in their roles. You will mainly collaborate with a diverse range of scientists, primarily with microbiologists, but also toxicologists, eco-toxicologists, computational chemists, and mathematical modellers, and have access to a wealth of expertise and knowledge. Your role will also involve building partnerships with academic, governmental, and industrial groups, as well as presenting and publishing your research.
RESPONSIBILITIES
As a Bioinformatician your primary responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work within a multi-disciplinary team of risk assessors (microbiology, human and eco-toxicology) and a diverse range of scientists to understand, define, and clearly articulate problems that need to be addressed and determine the most effective strategies to solve them.
• Ensure program delivery by conducting precise and timely Bioinformatics analyses and biological interpretation of data, such as metagenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic data to support safety assessments and regulatory compliance; communicate effectively with relevant stakeholders, including SERS and Unilever Business Groups.
• Provide Bioinformatics expertise and/or leadership to identify suitable approaches, develop new tools, pipelines, workflows, and databases to support safe and sustainable innovation, regulatory science and preparedness.
• Build trust and leverage relationships with external partners to Unilever, including CROs, industry members in trade associations, and academic collaborators, to advance SERS safety science.
• Adhere to and embed governance frameworks and quality assurance protocols to ensure all Bioinformatics data and tools meet required standards, maintain data integrity, and uphold the highest levels of product safety and compliance.
• Work collaboratively with a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing team of scientists, fostering a culture of learning, collaboration, innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Stay competitive by staying abreast of recent developments in Bioinformatics and emerging SERS-relevant technologies and ensure the development of others through leading Bioinformatics Expertise Community.

ALL ABOUT YOU
You'll need to be able to work effectively and with impact in cross-disciplinary teams and in multi-cultural environments, be flexible and willing to adapt within a fast-changing business environment.
We would expect the successful candidate to have:

• A master's or PhD degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, statistics, data science or a related scientific discipline, or equivalent previous experience working in industry
• Demonstrated understanding of statistical analysis and application of mathematical techniques to complex biological data including microbiome data (shotgun, 16S rRNA) and human transcriptomic experiments (RNA-seq)
• Familiarity with common bioinformatics databases, resources, and tools in the microbiology and human biology areas, as well as experience performing biological network and pathway analysis and data interpretation
• Strong problem definition, solving and technical expertise with demonstrated programming skills in Python and/or R
• Problem solving skills in a fast-moving environment, keeping pace with advances in bioinformatics and to enjoy challenging goals
• High self-motivation, with a proven track record of collaborating effectively in interdisciplinary teams
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to lead and motivate others

Desirable:

• Experience in analysing Human and/or Environmental Microbiome data
• Have several years of industrial/consulting/postdoc experience
• Understanding of AI-based approaches
• Familiarity with data management/data integration approaches of diverse data sets (including database design, ontologies)
• Competent using Linux, Docker and code version control (e.g. Github)
• Designing, implementing, optimizing, and maintaining bioinformatics algorithms including bioinformatics pipelines using Nextflow
• Knowledge and experience of good software development practices: containerisation, testing, version control, code reviews etc.
• Experience with using common cloud services from any of the main three providers (Azure, AWS, GCP)

About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Tresemme, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry's, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze and Pot Noodle.
Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That's why our purpose is 'to make sustainable living commonplace'
What We Offer
Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You'll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.
Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.
Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here .
Recruitment Fraud
Cyber criminals advertise fake job adverts with prestigious employers as a way of stealing information or even defrauding individuals out of money. In the most sophisticated cases, they will set up fake websites, which have a similar address to companies like Unilever. They even conduct fake telephone interviews and then offer candidates a role with the proviso they pay a fee for background checks or to cover work visa costs. These types of attacks are becoming more common as more people are looking for employment in the economic climate.
How is Unilever tackling this?
Many of Unilever's recruitment sites publish a warning to candidates about recruitment fraud. The Cyber Security team also proactively scan for signs of people setting up fake Unilever sites and act to close them down.
What can I do?
If you become aware of potential recruitment fraud, spot fake Unilever recruitment adverts or fake LinkedIn profiles, report them via Una Live Chat.
Unilever does not accept responsibility or liability for any candidates who are financially impacted by recruitment fraud. Your vigilance is key!