Principal Scientist, Assay Development

San Diego, United States | Posted on 04/03/2025

A candidate with experience in developing products and assays for NGS applications will become a key contributor to develop products for the Forensic Genomics community. Candidates with a proven track record developing assays and reagents from concept to commercialization will be considered. As a successful candidate, you will work in a dynamic, team-oriented environment including bioinformatic scientists and software engineers. The successful candidate will love doing good science in the laboratory with a great group of scientists as well as analyzing a lot of data with a strong focus on the customer experience.

• Senior member of the team directing, mentoring, and contributing to experimental design and execution of experiments, and data analysis of current development projects.
• Analysis of complex datasets with the support of bioinformatic scientists.
• Contribute to the overall success of projects; anticipate problems to minimize issues and work to resolve any issues to minimize impact on success of project.
• Mentor, direct and assist junior scientific staff, setting an example for good scientific practices.
• Plan, conduct, analyze, interpret, and report recommendations based on tested experimental results.
• Write experimental reports, summaries and protocols for supervisors, project needs, and other teams as appropriate.
• Lead assay teams on a project, contribute to core teams, and work with cross-functional teams to deliver best-in-class reagents and software.
• Presentations at scientific conferences.
• Assist the Senior Director with strategy, risk management, documentation, and processes, day-to-day management of the laboratory.

Position Requirements

• PhD degree in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related field with 5+ years industry experience in developing NGS based assays from concept to commercialization. Master’s with 15 years of industry experience in developing products from concept to commercialization will be considered.
• Experience with reagent formulation and assay workflow design and optimization required.
• Experience in NGS applications required.
• Knowledge of DOE, Critical Parameter Management, or Statistical methods highly desirable.
• Solid skills in document writing; development of reports, plans, work instructions, technology transfer from R&D to manufacturing required.
• Comfortable in a role of technical leader for a project, willingness to direct and manage team members as well as function as an individual contributor to the team.
• Willing to analyze results from both the perspective of product development and requirements for robust products and the perspective of the customer in terms of the application of the products.
• Ability to perform independent research of publications and patents for input into project and assay design.

• Ability to handle hazardous and biohazardous materials including human blood products.
• Detail-oriented, organized, ability to implement protocols and keep good notes in a lab notebook.
• Must have a desire to be part of a fast-paced and dynamic development environment.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.