About Pathfinder Oncology
Pathfinder Oncology, Inc (PFO) pathfinderoncology.com, based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is a newly established, agile oncology company dedicated to providing personalized navigation expertise and pioneering therapies for patients with cancer. A key part of our thesis is the necessity of anti-tumor immunity for long-term exceptional outcomes for patients with metastatic cancer.
PFO’s mission is to maximize the chances of exceptional outcomes by integrating a concierge care approach with a comprehensive set of lead edge technologies and therapies, effectively assembling the pathways to exceptional outcomes for individual patients. We specialize in developing and delivering innovative, often unique, patient-specific therapies. These innovative therapies include bespoke peptide vaccines tailored to the patient’s tumor-specific genomic and proteomic data, personalized TCR-T therapies, and customized, biologically pathway-based therapeutic regimens.
Our team at PFO consists of world-renowned experts in cancer immuno-oncology, including immuno-oncology drug development, multi-omics diagnostic data analysis, and, most importantly, patient care. We are driven by a commitment to revolutionize the current healthcare landscape for cancer patients, focusing first on providing each patient the best chance at an exceptional outcome.
Pathfinder Team Role – Senior Bioinformatics Engineer and Data Scientist
Pathfinder Oncology, Inc. (PFO) is seeking a lead computational scientist to architect and implement our cloud-based bioinformatics infrastructure and data management systems. In this role, you will be responsible for establishing robust data governance practices while developing scalable pipelines for analyzing patient genomic data, identifying therapeutic targets, and supporting therapy recommendation decisions. You will work closely with our clinical and wet lab teams to ensure data integrity and accessibility throughout our analytical workflows.
Core Responsibilities
Design and implement cloud-based data management architecture for:
- Raw sequencing data (WES, WGS, bulk and single cell RNA-seq, TCR-seq, &c)
- Processed bioinformatics artifacts (BAM, gene expression estimates, variant calls, &c)
- Analysis outputs and reports
Establish and maintain data governance practices including:
- Data organization schemas and naming conventions
- Access control and permissions management
- Data lifecycle and archive policies
Develop automated QC and validation pipelines for:
- Sample identity confirmation
- Sequencing data quality metrics
- Data completeness and consistency checks
Create reproducible analysis workflows for:
- Variant identification and quantification across multiple patient samples
- TCR repertoire analysis from bulk and single-cell data
- Neoantigen prediction and prioritization
Technical Requirements
- Experience with cloud infrastructure (Google Cloud preferred) for biological data management
- Proficiency in data pipeline orchestration and workflow management
- Strong programming skills in Python and/or R for bioinformatics analysis
- Experience processing and analyzing high throughput sequencing data
- Familiarity with immunogenomics analysis including HLA typing and TCR reconstruction
- Knowledge of version control (Git) and open source development practices
Experience
- MSc or PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, or related field
- 3+ years experience in genomics data analysis
- Demonstrated experience managing large-scale biological datasets
- Experience working in a clinical or translational research setting
Other Skills
- Strong understanding of data governance principles
- Ability to balance technical requirements with practical usability
- Experience working in regulated environments (HIPAA/GxP)
- Track record of cross-functional collaboration
This role offers the opportunity to build robust data analysis systems that support cutting-edge cancer therapy recommendation decisions and development. We value strong architectural thinking and experience with cloud-scale data management alongside computational biology expertise.
PFO Team Values
At PFO, we value team collaboration and a passion for excellence. All members of the PFO team should demonstrate the following:
- Drive to facilitate the best outcomes for our patients
- Dedication to go above and beyond, including adjusting work schedules to meet time-sensitive patient commitments
- Ownership of your work, continuously driving projects to completion
- Flexibility to meet the needs of patients in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment
- Curiosity for continued learning and growth
- Willingness to challenge assumptions in a productive and thoughtful manner
Location
Hybrid (RTP – North Carolina)
Compensation
Salary is based on experience and expertise and will vary depending on multiple factors. Health insurance, PTO and other benefits are part of the PFO offering.
