Job summary
We welcome applicants for a Senior Database Systems Manager (Band 8b) to support the exciting, innovative cross NIHR BRC work based at UCLH known as the Haematology Data Science Initiative (HDSCI).
The NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), together with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have embarked on a new and exciting initiative to bring artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI&ML) solutions and genomics-informed clinical decision making to the frontline of NHS patient care.
The HDSCI project will be embedded in the BRC Clinical and Research Informatics Unit (CRIU) and the post-holder will be a member of the multidisciplinary HDSCI team, which includes clinical bioinformaticians, experts in statistical genomics, blood cell immunogenicity and randomised controlled trials, clinical haematologists caring for patients with inherited anaemias, and researchers in AI&ML.
The HDSCI centres on two main themes:
- Haem-Match: Genomically informed AI driven precision blood matching to reduce the harm caused to patient through blood transfusion
- Bloodcounts!: Using the data provided by the FBC, not visible to clinicians, to identify signatures of important medical conditions and to develop polygenic risk scores.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible, in close partnership with the CRIU Senior Management for identifying, supporting, and maintaining the computational platforms required for the delivery of the HDSCI project. Specifically, this will involve:
- Working with HDSCI team to understand the project needs
- Designing data models for clinical and research datasets with appropriate documentation and metadata
- Developing and installing database schemas to a variety of database platforms
- Establish project-required links to Genomics England Ltd, the NIHR BioResource and NHSBT, amongst others
- Working with staff at other NHS hospitals to retrieve project-relevant information
- Deploy federated models for the application of AI&ML at other NHS hospitals and non-UK hospitals
Develop appropriate Reporting and Data Delivery solutions to support the HDSCI project within the CRIU framework and TREs. This will include:
- Lead on the quality control, homogenisation, and analysis of clinical and laboratory data, including genomics data from several sources
- Work in close partnership with other members of the HDSCI team to develop data analysis plans, to execute these analyses and presented results at regular project meetings
- Using appropriate data-delivery mechanisms to satisfy the Information Governance and Security requirements applicable to the particular data request
Ensuring all data processed for the project are handled in accordance with the applicable Data Governance arrangements
About us
BiomedicalResearchCentre (BRC)ClinicalandResearch Informatics Unit(CRIU)
The work at CRIU at UCL/UCLH centres on research consent models, research capacity into Electronic Health Records with integrated omics, wearables, bioinformatics, natural language processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence; improving current research commitments as well as allowing potential new research outcomes to be developed.
The CRIU develops and maintains a sustainable in-house informatics platform to allow research themes to grow and achieve their objectives by supporting the development and deployment of a research and operations data warehouse, and metadata catalogue and to achieve future ambitions in building research informatics capabilitiesand infrastructure for the management of large-scale biomedical research data.
University of Cambridge and University College London
UCL and UoC lead the world in academia and innovation, promoting the interface between academia and business.
University College London and Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trusts
UCLH and CUH are internationally renowned teaching hospitals and research centres, with strong affiliations to their universities, providing academically-led acute and specialist services across several sites.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)
NHSBT is the sole provider of blood in England and has an active research and development programme in blood transfusion and organ transplantation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In addition to maintaining existing data platforms for clinical, laboratory and genomic data, the post holder will also be responsible for shaping the computational requirement for the delivery of the HDSCI project.
They will be responsible, in close partnership with the CRIU Senior Management for designing, identifying or procuring the appropriate architecture for linking and analysing clinical, laboratory and genomic data.
The data infrastructure needs to enable the exchange of information held by UCLH, Genomics England, the NIHR BioResource and NHSBT with integration of clinical and laboratory information from different hospital EHRS.The postholder would be expected to:
- Help identify, support, and maintain the computational platforms required for project delivery
- Develop appropriate Reporting/Data Delivery solutions within the CRIU framework in line with Data Governance arrangements
- Provide advice on relevant matters relating to the HDSCI project in line with wider project strategy and industry best practice, ensuring new developments/significant enhancements to existing systems and services are designed/developed to meet the defined Data Management Framework.
- Ensure the timely delivery of key outputs
- Support junior staff
- Facilitate discussions with key business/IT stakeholders identifying opportunities in IT simplifications, standardisation, and efficiencies.
- Participate in strategic planning
- Prepare necessary reports and business cases.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In addition to maintaining existing data platforms for clinical, laboratory and genomic data, the post holder will also be responsible for shaping the computational requirement for the delivery of the HDSCI project.
They will be responsible, in close partnership with the CRIU Senior Management for designing, identifying or procuring the appropriate architecture for linking and analysing clinical, laboratory and genomic data.
The data infrastructure needs to enable the exchange of information held by UCLH, Genomics England, the NIHR BioResource and NHSBT with integration of clinical and laboratory information from different hospital EHRS.The postholder would be expected to:
- Help identify, support, and maintain the computational platforms required for project delivery
- Develop appropriate Reporting/Data Delivery solutions within the CRIU framework in line with Data Governance arrangements
- Provide advice on relevant matters relating to the HDSCI project in line with wider project strategy and industry best practice, ensuring new developments/significant enhancements to existing systems and services are designed/developed to meet the defined Data Management Framework.
- Ensure the timely delivery of key outputs
- Support junior staff
- Facilitate discussions with key business/IT stakeholders identifying opportunities in IT simplifications, standardisation, and efficiencies.
- Participate in strategic planning
- Prepare necessary reports and business cases.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or other qualification or evidence of relevant on-job qualification, e.g., Informatics, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or Systems Engineering at Bachelor level
- Data warehousing, BI or relevant Professional IT qualification to Masters level or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Experience of database design, development, administration and management in a high-performance environment
- Experience of developing applications against technical documentation - including data specifications
- Experience with data modelling with a focus on meeting the needs of multiple project
- Experience of implementing security controls to ensure appropriate Access Management is maintained and verifiable
- Experience of developing and implementing new software packages to manage large volumes of genotyping data (Whole Genome Sequencing, Array Genotyping, Gene-panel sequencing)
- A record of developing data management, capture and visualisation software for displaying high-dimensional data flowing from genotyping files and from Electronic Health Records
- Broad experience working in a unix based High Performance Compute cluster environments
- Experience with all aspects of development and integration of software into complex systems. This includes software development using common languages (e.g., Java, Python, C++, Rust)
- Experience in designing, improving, working with and administering databases using multiple technologies (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Hadoop ecosystem).
- Experience in managing continuous integration (CI) pipelines and resource provision for software solutions using standard tools and approaches (e.g., unit/integration tests, TravisCI, github actions, Docker and Kubernetes)
Desirable
- Experience in evaluating digital solutions for compliance with clinical regulatory standards
- Experience with OMOP, FHIR and OpenEHR standards
- Experience of information governance and/ or the NHS IG Toolkit
- Experience with research governance policies and procedures (IRAS, ISAC, NHS R&D, REC)D
Skills, Abilities, Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to combine different technologies to provide robust and effective solutions (e.g., Designing API's or using messenger systems to link different applications.)
- Ability to manage and monitor the performance of physical and virtual infrastructure for a team of clinical bioinformaticians, laboratory scientists and clinicians working across different NIHR BRCs, other NHS Trust Hospitals and NHSBT
- Excellent data management skills using different database management systems (relational and no-SQL)
- Good communication skills including the ability to articulate technical content to non-technical colleagues and senior managers - includes presentation of data capture and project progress using graphical tools
- Experience in API design and knowledge of common formats for data transmission - XML, JSON
- Ability to prepare and maintain complex documentation
- Broad range of IT technical skills and wider technical awareness
- Experience in supervision and training of colleagues at all levels
Desirable
- Experience with object oriented and scripting programming languages and developing software for both Microsoft and Linux systems
- Experience with software development good practices (version control, tests, code reviews)
- Experience in managing large health and administrative datasets (>10M rows) in primary and/or secondary care
- Knowledge of EHR specifications and standards, health information exchange standards and biomedical ontologies
- Understanding and/or experience of clinical systems deployment in a large complex healthcare environment
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or other qualification or evidence of relevant on-job qualification, e.g., Informatics, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or Systems Engineering at Bachelor level
- Data warehousing, BI or relevant Professional IT qualification to Masters level or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Experience of database design, development, administration and management in a high-performance environment
- Experience of developing applications against technical documentation - including data specifications
- Experience with data modelling with a focus on meeting the needs of multiple project
- Experience of implementing security controls to ensure appropriate Access Management is maintained and verifiable
- Experience of developing and implementing new software packages to manage large volumes of genotyping data (Whole Genome Sequencing, Array Genotyping, Gene-panel sequencing)
- A record of developing data management, capture and visualisation software for displaying high-dimensional data flowing from genotyping files and from Electronic Health Records
- Broad experience working in a unix based High Performance Compute cluster environments
- Experience with all aspects of development and integration of software into complex systems. This includes software development using common languages (e.g., Java, Python, C++, Rust)
- Experience in designing, improving, working with and administering databases using multiple technologies (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Hadoop ecosystem).
- Experience in managing continuous integration (CI) pipelines and resource provision for software solutions using standard tools and approaches (e.g., unit/integration tests, TravisCI, github actions, Docker and Kubernetes)
Desirable
- Experience in evaluating digital solutions for compliance with clinical regulatory standards
- Experience with OMOP, FHIR and OpenEHR standards
- Experience of information governance and/ or the NHS IG Toolkit
- Experience with research governance policies and procedures (IRAS, ISAC, NHS R&D, REC)D
Skills, Abilities, Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to combine different technologies to provide robust and effective solutions (e.g., Designing API's or using messenger systems to link different applications.)
- Ability to manage and monitor the performance of physical and virtual infrastructure for a team of clinical bioinformaticians, laboratory scientists and clinicians working across different NIHR BRCs, other NHS Trust Hospitals and NHSBT
- Excellent data management skills using different database management systems (relational and no-SQL)
- Good communication skills including the ability to articulate technical content to non-technical colleagues and senior managers - includes presentation of data capture and project progress using graphical tools
- Experience in API design and knowledge of common formats for data transmission - XML, JSON
- Ability to prepare and maintain complex documentation
- Broad range of IT technical skills and wider technical awareness
- Experience in supervision and training of colleagues at all levels
Desirable
- Experience with object oriented and scripting programming languages and developing software for both Microsoft and Linux systems
- Experience with software development good practices (version control, tests, code reviews)
- Experience in managing large health and administrative datasets (>10M rows) in primary and/or secondary care
- Knowledge of EHR specifications and standards, health information exchange standards and biomedical ontologies
- Understanding and/or experience of clinical systems deployment in a large complex healthcare environment
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
