Junior Bioinformatician

**:Functieomschrijving
- Are you a bioinformatician eager to contribute to the public health of the Netherlands? Do you want to be at the forefront of infectious disease research, pandemic preparedness, and applied science? Are you ready to make a real impact by helping to prevent and control infectious diseases? If so, we invite you to join our team as a Junior Bioinformatician at RIVM._

**Infectious disease control in the Netherlands**
At RIVM’s Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Diagnostics, and Laboratory Surveillance, we play a vital role in safeguarding public health. From coordinating nationwide infectious pathogen surveillance—monitoring threats like_SARS-CoV-2_(COVID-19) and_Mycobacterium tuberculosis_(TB)—to outbreak investigations of foodborne illnesses, we combine research with actionable solutions to protect the public.

**Your role**
As a Junior Bioinformatician, you will help design and implement bioinformatics solutions to analyze a variety of pathogens. This includes creating software tools for laboratory and genomic data analysis, streamlining data workflows, and presenting insights to inform public health decisions.

We’re looking for someone who is skilled in bioinformatics tools and building pipelines, data analysis, and solution-oriented problem solving. Collaboration and communication will be key to your success, as you’ll work closely with a multidisciplinary team to address real-world challenges.

Your key responsibilities include:

- Contribute to data validation and code documentation;
- Maintain bioinformatics pipelines;
- Find bioinformatics solutions for research questions.

**Unique to this position**
By joining our team of seven bioinformaticians, you’ll directly contribute to the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the Netherlands. This role offers an incredible opportunity for intellectual growth while working on projects with tangible societal relevance.

**Here’s what we offer**:

- A chance to work on meaningful public health challenges in a collaborative and supportive team environment;
- Access to professional development and learning opportunities as you build your career;
- A workplace on our beautiful green campus in Bilthoven, where rabbits roam freely and a forest is just a lunchtime walk away. Starting in mid-2025, we will move to a state-of-the-art building at Utrecht Science Park, designed specifically for the RIVM;
- Outstanding employment benefits, including a thirteenth salary, a solid pension plan, travel reimbursement, and a personalized benefits scheme for extra vacation days;
- Flexibility with hybrid working and the understanding that personal circumstances matter—we value your motivation and wellbeing.

**More information**
Are you interested in this position, but do you first have some questions? Feel free to reach out to department manager André van Esburg (06-2554 0744). He will be happy to answer your questions. Do you want more information about your day-to-day work? Contact Roxanne Wolthuis (06-2964 6964).
**Functie-eisen

**Who you are**
We are seeking a junior bioinformatician who combines precision and structure with creativity and a problem-solving mindset. A team player with a collaborative attitude, who thrives in a multidisciplinary environment.

**Further we ask**:

- A bachelor’s or master’s degree in bioinformatics, molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, or a related field, with some experience preferred;
- Knowledge of microbiology, molecular biology, pathogen analysis and ideally public health, you are also curious about the work of your non-bioinformatician colleagues and are motivated to help them and can easily communicate with them;
- Proficiency in Python (basic or intermediate) and familiarity with genomics techniques and basic statistical analysis.
- Experience with code documentation, environments like Conda or renv, and version control systems like Git (a plus).
- Professional-level English, essential for programming and communication;
- A minimum Dutch language skill level of A2, with a willingness to improve further as part of your role. Needed because our corporate services and communications are in Dutch.
**Arbeidsvoorwaarden
- Salarisniveau schaal 9
- Maandsalaris Min €3.484 - Max. €4.868 (bruto)
- Dienstverband Arbeidsovereenkomst voor bepaalde tijd
- Contractduur 12
- Minimaal aantal uren per week 32
- Maximaal aantal uren per week 36
**Overige arbeidsvoorwaarden

Naast het salaris ontvang je een Individueel Keuzebudget (IKB). Het IKB bestaat uit geld (16,50% van je bruto jaarsalaris) en tijd. Met het IKB maak jij de keuzes die bij jou passen en kun je een deel van je arbeidsvoorwaarden zelf samenstellen. Je kunt er bijvoorbeeld voor kiezen om een deel van je maandinkomen te laten uitbetalen wanneer jij dat wenst. Ook kun je dit budget omzetten in verlof en andersom of besteden aan fiscaal vriendelijke doelen. De Rijksoverheid hecht sterk aan persoonlijke groei en loopba