Clinical Genomics Specialist

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 211298 
Department/Program: Laboratory Medicine, Medicine, Quality & Safety 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE)  x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: 11/10/2025
Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $49.1307 - $61.4132 /hour
Closing Date: October 29, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

This is not a designated position, however, preference will be given to qualified candidates who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and/or 2SLGBTQIA+. Please self-identify on your application.

The successful external applicant may be eligible for relocation assistance of up to $5,000 for those who qualify. In turn, a Return of Service will be required for a two (2) year period. 

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

The Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine is seeking a full-time Clinical Genomics Specialist to join the Clinical Genomics Laboratory. The Clinical Genomics Division provides full-service integrated molecular and cytogenetic testing. In collaboration with the Maritime Medical Genetics Service and other clinical partners, the Division ensures timely and clinically-actionable results required for appropriate patient care. The Genomics Lab also fosters positive relationships in education and research. The Clinical Genomics service has built partnerships with many research groups and provides teaching opportunities for Dalhousie University medical school students, residents and fellows, as well as clinical placements for students in Genetic Technology training program.

Position Summary
The Clinical Genomics Specialist will help create, manage and extend analysis pipelines for human next generation sequencing (NGS) data, with a focus on variant detection in a wide variety of genetic disorders. Other roles will include evaluation of available analysis programs and tools, design and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), protocols, and reports for the use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in clinical testing. The position entails the analysis of NGS data, pipeline evaluation and assessment, as well as the use and maintenance of a robust provenance-tracking solution for NGS data (chain of custody for all analysis steps). The Clinical Genomics Specialist will also manage relevant computing resources, such as computing and data storage clusters, in partnership with provincial IT and Cybersecurity groups. She/he will develop clinically usable reports in partnership with medical staff in the Genomics Laboratory to provide data for the generation of clinical reports and engage in clinical/translational research at the Institution. The Clinical Genomics Specialist is a leadership role, supporting the Division and Department with technical and research expertise and mentorship. The successful candidate will act in accordance with the mission, values and goals of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, IWK Health Centre and the Nova Scotia Health Authority. 

Hours of Work

75 hours bi-weekly

Your Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Genomics, Genetics or related field.
• Minimum 2 years post-doctoral experience, with developed comprehensive understanding and expertise in navigating multiple public data repositories (ClinVar, NCBI, UCSC, COSMIC, etc.)
• Familiarity with commonly used algorithms for NGS alignment and variant calling for different types of genetic variants (SNV, Indels, CNV, Fusion, etc.)
• Experience developing NGS bioinformatics pipelines/tools; experience in variant pathogenicity classification as correlated with patient clinical findings
• Experience developing content for clinical and research applications utilizing NGS

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union  bargaining  unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.