R&D Data Scientist

HIPRA is a pharmaceutical and biotechnological company focused on prevention and diagnosis for animal and human health, with a broad range of highly innovative vaccines and an advanced diagnostic service. 

HIPRA has a solid international presence in more than 40 countries, with its own subsidiaries, 11 diagnostic centres and 6 production plants strategically located in Europe (Spain) and America (Brazil).

Research and Development constitute the core of its knowledge. HIPRA dedicates 15% of its annual turnover to R&D activities that concentrate on the creation and application of the latest scientific advances to the development of the highest quality innovative vaccines. To give added value to its vaccination experience, the company also develops medical devices and traceability services.

The R&D Department at our HIPRA Campus in Aiguaviva (Girona) is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Computational Biologist to join our cell line engineering and biologics development team.

Working closely with experimental scientists, the candidate will develop and apply computational methods to interpret sequencing data, improve sequence validation workflows, and generate biological insights that support cell engineering, protein production, and technology development programs.

Although the position will be anchored in cell line engineering and protein-focused R&D, the candidate may also contribute computational expertise to selected cross-functional projects where sequencing and genomic analysis are central.

We are looking for candidates with:

• PhD or MSc in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, Biotechnology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Strong experience in NGS data analysis, preferably including Illumina and/or Oxford Nanopore sequencing.
• Hands-on experience building bioinformatics pipelines using Python, R, Bash, or workflow frameworks such as Nextflow or Snakemake, with strong experience in Linux environments
• Experience with genomic analysis of mammalian cell lines, preferably CHO or HEK systems, is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of molecular biology workflows such as DNA synthesis, cloning, sequencing validation, and recombinant protein expression.
• Experience with protein sequence analysis, structural bioinformatics, protein engineering, or AI-assisted protein design is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms (including AWS), server-based and HPC environments, containerization tools (Docker/Singularity containers), and version control systems such as Git.
• Strong statistical analysis and data visualization skills.
• Ability to independently analyse complex biological datasets and communicate conclusions clearly to multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience working in regulated environments (GLP/GMP) and maintaining traceable computational workflows is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Strong collaborative mindset and ability to work effectively with experimental scientists and external partners.

At Hipra you will find:

• Continuous learning.
• A rapidly expanding multinational company.
• A multicultural environment open to new ideas.
• Long term job positions.

Main responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain computational pipelines for NGS data processing, genomic analysis, and transcriptomic profiling.

• Analyse genomic data from engineered mammalian cell lines to support cell line development, characterization, and productivity optimization.

• Develop bioinformatics workflows for variant calling, structural variant analysis, integration site analysis, clonality assessment, and sequence integrity evaluation.

• Analyse sequencing data generated from different platforms, including Illumina, and Oxford Nanopore technologies.

• Support protein discovery and engineering activities through sequence analysis, comparative genomics, structural bioinformatics, protein modelling, and AI-assisted design approaches.

• Integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and protein sequence data to identify factors associated with protein expression, stability, and cell performance.

• Collaborate with wet-lab scientists to design experiments, interpret sequencing results, and generate actionable biological insights.

• Automate data analysis pipelines and ensure reproducibility using workflow management systems, version-controlled environments, and appropriate documentation practices.

• Contribute to the development of computational infrastructure, databases, and data visualization tools for R&D teams.

• Prepare technical reports, scientific presentations, and documentation compliant with internal quality standards and regulatory expectations.

• Stay current with advances in computational biology, sequencing technologies, AI/ML for protein engineering, and industrial bioprocess genomics.

• Collaborate with internal multidisciplinary teams, external partners, and CROs to support biologics development programs.

HIPRA offers equal opportunity to all of its employees.
All qualified applicants will be considered for the position to be filled, without regard to gender, race, nationality, disability or age.
All hiring decisions are made on the basis of merit, competence and the needs of the company.