Bioinformatics Engineer Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

The Senior Infrastructure Engineer serves as the designated backup and knowledge-continuity resource for Baylor Genetics’ on-premises data center and network environment. This role exists to ensure uninterrupted operation of the critical infrastructure supporting our genomics pipeline and clinical laboratory systems, and to eliminate single points of failure in IT operations. This role may evolve as organizational needs change.

• Exists to sustain, document, and be fully capable of independently operating all core on-premises infrastructure — servers, storage, networking, and security systems — in any operational scenario, including emergency coverage of the primary infrastructure lead.
• Impacts clinical laboratory operations, genomics pipeline throughput, and the reliability of all on-premises and hybrid-connected systems used across the organization.
• Success looks like: zero unplanned outages attributable to single-person dependency, a fully documented environment with up-to-date runbooks, and the demonstrated ability to assume full infrastructure ownership without disruption.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the designated backup for the primary infrastructure lead — assume full operational control of data center, network, and server environments during absences, emergencies, or transitions to ensure zero service interruption.
• Administer and maintain physical and virtual server infrastructure (Windows Server, Linux, VMware/Hyper-V), including provisioning, patching, performance monitoring, and capacity planning to sustain 99.9%+ uptime.
• Manage LAN/WAN networking operations including switches, routers, firewalls, and VLANs to maintain high availability and security across all on-premises systems.
• Build, maintain, and continuously improve runbooks, network diagrams, and disaster recovery documentation to eliminate single points of failure and reduce mean time to recovery.
• Support and sustain the on-premises genomics pipeline infrastructure, ensuring compute and storage resources meet demanding throughput and availability requirements for clinical laboratory operations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with bioinformatics, clinical lab, and IT teams to align infrastructure reliability with patient-impacting laboratory workflows.
• Proactively identify and remediate risks including aging hardware, technical debt, and configuration vulnerabilities — presenting actionable proposals to leadership.
• Respond to infrastructure incidents and outages with urgency, including after-hours escalations, to minimize downtime impact on laboratory and clinical operations.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support team and organizational objectives.
• Comply with all company policies, procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field; or equivalent technical training and experience.
• 7+ years of hands-on enterprise IT infrastructure engineering experience in a complex, predominantly on-premises environment.
• Deep expertise in physical and virtual server administration (Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, Linux) including VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V.
• Strong networking fundamentals: routing, switching, VLANs, firewall policy management, and systematic network troubleshooting (Cisco, Palo Alto, Fortinet, or equivalent).
• Experience managing physical data center environments — rack/stack, structured cabling, power, and cooling awareness.
• Proficiency with SAN/NAS storage platforms and enterprise backup/recovery systems (Veeam, Commvault, or equivalent).
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory in a hybrid on-premises/cloud context.
• Strong documentation discipline: ability to produce clear runbooks, network diagrams, and standard operating procedures independently.
• Proven ability to rapidly learn complex, undocumented environments and operate independently under high-pressure conditions.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Preferred:

• Experience in a healthcare, clinical laboratory, genomics, or other regulated life sciences environment.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in enterprise infrastructure roles with demonstrated ownership of critical systems.
• Relevant certifications: CCNA/CCNP, VCP-DCV, MCSE, CompTIA Network+/Security+, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with HPC or high-throughput bioinformatics pipeline infrastructure.
• Exposure to HIPAA compliance requirements, NIST frameworks, or SOC 2 audit environments.
• Scripting proficiency (PowerShell, Bash, or Python) for infrastructure automation and administrative efficiency.
• Experience with monitoring platforms such as PRTG, SolarWinds, Zabbix, or similar tools.

COMPETENCIES

• Advanced systems and network troubleshooting — able to diagnose and resolve complex infrastructure issues across server, storage, and network layers independently.
• Infrastructure documentation and knowledge transfer — consistently produces clear, actionable runbooks and SOPs that allow others to execute without prior context.
• Operational resilience under pressure — calm, methodical decision-making during incidents and outages in environments where downtime directly impacts patient care.
• Cross-functional collaboration — effectively partners with bioinformatics, clinical lab, and IT teams to align infrastructure performance with organizational mission.
• Proactive risk identification — anticipates infrastructure vulnerabilities and aging hardware risks, and drives remediation before failures occur.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Location: Houston, TX. This position is a hybrid work environment. Most work can be done remotely but must have the ability to arrive on-site at our Houston Location in a reasonable amount of time if necessary.
• Must be able to lift and move equipment up to 50 lbs; perform physical tasks in a data center environment including rack/stack of servers and network hardware.
• Ability to work in environments with variable temperatures (data center cooling), moderate noise levels, and continuous standing or walking during data center operations.
• Occasional after-hours availability required for scheduled maintenance windows, incident response, and emergency infrastructure coverage.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• No regular travel required; occasional travel to offsite data center or disaster recovery locations may arise.

Baylor Genetics is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you need an accommodation during the application process, please contact our Human Resources team.

Note to Recruiters:

We value building direct relationships with our candidates and prefer to manage our hiring process internally. While we occasionally partner with select recruitment agencies for specialized roles, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or agencies without a written agreement executed by the authorized signatory for Baylor Genetics ("Agreement"). Any resumes submitted to Baylor Genetics in the absence of an Agreement executed by Baylor Genetics' authorized signatory will be considered the property of Baylor Genetics, and Baylor Genetics will not be obligated to pay any associated recruitment fees.