NLM Bioinformatics Specialist and Developer; SME - III

Position: NLM Bioinformatics Specialist and Developer (SME) I - III
Bioinformatics Specialist and Developer (SME) I - III

Lexical Intelligence provides software and services related to processing large-scale biomedical information sources. Our Natural Language Processing (NLP) and analytics software is used by policy and decision makers to evaluate and prioritize current and emerging areas of research.

We are looking for Bioinformatics Specialists and Developers (SMEs) I - III to work within the National Library of Medicine (NLM), Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications (LHNCBC), NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD. The SMEs will have experience in biomedical informatics research and development, software development and data analytics, and clinical data systems and statistical analysis. The SMEs will have a firm understanding of AI/ML methodologies, NLP techniques, and translational science informatics.

The SMEs shall be able to work well within a team of multidisciplinary researchers, data scientists, software engineers, and federal staff across NLM divisions and NIH institutes. The selected applicants will be subject to a pre-employment background and reference check.

Level Descriptions

SME Level I - Professionals work under general supervision and are responsible for implementing technical solutions, conducting data analysis, and supporting software development projects. They should have previous experience in computer science or a related field and demonstrated high proficiency in Python. They participate in computational language processing including rule-based models, transformer models, and large language models for document-level summarization and data extraction from unstructured sources.

Focus areas include implementation and execution of biomedical informatics projects under guidance, contributing to software development and data analysis tasks, and supporting research initiatives.

SME Level II - Professionals work with greater independence and are responsible for leading technical initiatives, mentoring junior staff, and managing complex analytical projects. They should have experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, information retrieval, and data mining. At this level, professionals are expected to provide technical oversight and coordinate efforts across development teams. Focus areas include leading technical components of projects, designing and implementing complex systems, mentoring junior team members, and exercising greater autonomy in decision-making and project execution.

SME Level III - SME Level III professionals serve as technical leaders and should have at least 7 years of experience designing, deploying, and managing analytical projects that address problems in large-scale biomedical knowledge discovery. Their expertise includes categorization of biological entities, scientific document classification, parsing scientific content, and natural language processing and analysis. They provide strategic direction, manage complex projects, and serve as subject matter experts for the organization and clients.

Focus areas include providing strategic technical leadership, driving innovation in research and development, serving as subject matter expert for complex biomedical informatics challenges, leading cross-functional initiatives, and contributing to scientific publications.

Required Qualifications

SME Level I

• 4+ years of relevant experience in biomedical informatics, data science, or software development
• Master's degree in Computer Science, Biomedical Informatics, Data Science, Bioinformatics, or related fields

SME Level II

• 8+ years of relevant experience in biomedical informatics, data science, or software development
• Master's degree in Computer Science, Biomedical Informatics, Data Science, Bioinformatics, or related fields

SME Level III

• 6+ years of relevant experience in biomedical informatics, data science, or software development
• Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Biomedical Informatics, Data Science, Bioinformatics, or related fields

Required Qualifications (All Levels)

• Experience and education requirements as specified above (commensurate with SME level I-III)
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages including Python, Java, C++, R, JavaScript, SQL, or MATLAB
• Experience with machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and/or natural language processing (NLP) methods
• Experience with software development lifecycle (SDLC) including analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance
• Familiarity with FISMA requirements and secure coding best practices (OWASP, US-CERT standards)
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to document technical work for both internal and external audiences

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with clinical data systems, including storage, searching, analyzing, and viewing of health-related datasets (e.g., EHR, claims data)
• Proficiency in statistical methods such as logistic/multinomial regression, Cox regression, predictive modeling, and/or Large Language Models…