Research Associate: Sequencing Manager HTSF

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

The UNC School of Medicine has a rich tradition of excellence and care. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians, and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. We strive to promote faculty, staff, and learner development in a diverse, respectful environment where our colleagues demonstrate professionalism, enhance learning, and create personal and professional sustainability. We optimize our partnership with the UNC Health System through close collaboration and commitment to service.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be the nation's leading public school of medicine. We are ranked 2nd in primary care education among all US schools of medicine and 5th among public peers in NIH research funding. Our Allied Health Department is home to five top-ranked divisions, and we are home to 18 top-ranked clinical and basic science departments in NIH research funding.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research.
Patient Care: We will promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.
Education: We will prepare tomorrow's health care professionals and biomedical researchers by facilitating learning within innovative curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education. We will cultivate outstanding teaching and research faculty, and we will recruit outstanding students and trainees from highly diverse backgrounds to create a socially responsible, highly skilled workforce.
Research: We will develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers, and resources. We will provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our University to support outstanding research. We will foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic, and population research.

The primary purpose of this position is to manage the production sequencing team supporting the High Throughput Sequencing Facility ( HTSF), part of the Integrated Genomics Core in the UNC School of Medicine. The HTSF mission is to apply the tools of high throughput sequencing technology and experience to enrich medicine and basic biological research at The University of North Carolina. High-throughput sequencing is an extremely fast developing technology that is used to extract genetic and genomic data from a broad spectrum of biological materials. This information is used to help identify the causes of complex diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and demonstrate the underlying bases for multiple types of infectious diseases. The Sequencing Manager (SM) will manage the staff, laboratories, and instruments conducting short read next generation sequencing in support of HTSF projects. Currently this includes several Illumina platforms: MiSeq, NextSeq 2000, NovaSeq 6000, and soon the Complete Genomics DNBSEQ T7. This requires development and management of multiple and complex staffing and instrumentation long-range and day to day plans and schedules to accomplish research objectives. The SM is responsible for recruiting and hiring new staff, training new staff on a wide range of technologies, daily work assignments and supervision, managing the sequencing projects submission queues, professional development and mentoring of staff (currently 4 staff), conflict and grievance resolution; troubleshooting and root cause analysis when problems or quality issues are noted, and delivery of data to customers. The SM also interacts with current and prospective customers and principal investigators (PI's), advises PI's on appropriate research technical approaches, and manages research projects as they are executed in the labs. The SM coordinates the activities of multiple research laboratories with significant complexity. This includes managing the purchasing of supplies and reagents supporting multiple complex labs (over $3M/year); coordinating and managing capital equipment purchases; managing laboratory facility issues; and budgeting and managing annual operating expenses (over $4M/year). The SM may also manage larger research projects for both internal ( UNC) projects and external contracts. This includes preparation of proposals and cost quotes/budgets; technical oversight and recommendations to the clients; oversight of technical work is it proceeds; frequent client updates and communications; schedule management; and managing costs/budgets for ~$2M in project revenue.

Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant Bachelor's degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.

Working knowledge of next generation sequencing instrumentation, and a working knowledge of Illumina platforms. Working knowledge of next generation sequencing QC and library preparation technologies.

Laboratory experience in a next generation sequencing environment. Direct experience with operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting Illumina MiSeq, NextSeq 2000, and NovaSeq 6000 platforms. Strong communication skills with individuals at all levels within an organization. Excellent writing skills; and experience in building coalitions. Demonstrated strong attention to detail. Ability to collaborate with teams and specifically with PI's in a University research environment. Able to work independently when needed. Experience in supervision and oversight of dynamic teams; and ability to adapt quickly to a constantly growing and evolving work environment. Notable experience and knowledge of relevant intellectual content related to next generation sequencing instrumentation, techniques and technologies. Experience evaluating new technologies and developing new methods/procedures related to next generation sequencing.

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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.