Director of Science

Job Description

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is a global leader in family history and consumer DNA testing, enriching the lives of millions worldwide by enabling them to uncover more about themselves and where they belong. With a suite of intuitive products, billions of historical records, an affordable at-home DNA test, and AI-powered photo tools, MyHeritage creates a meaningful discovery experience that is deeply rewarding.

Position Overview

We are looking for a Director of Science to guide MyHeritage’s scientific research and development in genetics. This role is central to building innovative algorithms, driving rigorous data analysis, and advancing the scientific methodologies that power our DNA products - including ethnicity estimation, relationship inference, local ancestry, and more.

The ideal candidate combines deep scientific expertise in population and statistical genetics with strong leadership and a proven ability to execute in a dynamic, consumer-facing environment.

Your work will directly impact millions of users worldwide, helping them discover their ancestry and connect with family through science. You’ll apply cutting-edge methods to analyze millions of DNA samples and family trees, leveraging one of the largest consumer genetics datasets in the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Scientific leadership: Define and execute the scientific roadmap aligned with company goals.
• Team leadership: Manage and mentor a team of senior scientists and data scientists. Provide technical direction, support professional growth, and foster a culture of scientific excellence.
• Algorithmic research: Lead the design, development and optimization of scalable, production-ready algorithms and pipelines including ancestry inference, relationship classifiers, imputation and phasing of genetic data and additional models to support genetic genealogy.
• Collaboration and communication: Work closely with engineering, product, and data teams to translate research outcomes into user-facing features and tools. Clearly communicate scientific concepts and progress internally and externally.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong, hands-on experience in human population genetics and analysis of genotyping and/or sequencing data is essential. We are specifically looking for candidates with a demonstrated track record in this domain.
• Ph.D. in Genetics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related quantitative field.
• Experience with population genetics and analysis of genotyping or sequencing data.
• 5+ years of experience in scientific research, including 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Strong background in:
  1. Analysis of genotyping or sequencing data
  2. Genomic data pipelines and bioinformatics tools.
  3. Machine learning or statistical modeling applied to biological data
• Experience working with large-scale genomic datasets.
• Proficiency in Python and familiarity with production-scale computational pipelines. Familiarity with tools such as Snakemake, Airflow, or other pipeline managers is an advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects and collaborate effectively across disciplines.
• Experience with AWS is an advantage.

Why Join Us?

• Join a purpose-driven company helping people discover their heritage through the power of science.
• Be part of a collaborative, international team driven by innovation and scientific discovery.
• Enjoy a hybrid work environment with flexibility and autonomy.

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