Senior Scientist, Reagent/Assay Development

About the role

As a Senior Scientist in Reagent/Assay Development, you will contribute to the development and optimization of reagents and assays for next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications. This role combines hands-on laboratory work, experimental design, data analysis, and troubleshooting to improve reagent and workflow performance, robustness, and manufacturability.

You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including automation, software, engineering, quality, and operations, to support product development and transfer to manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Conduct experiments to evaluate and optimize the performance of reagents, including assessing their stability, formulation, and manufacturing tolerances.
• Design, develop, and validate assays to assess the quality of both incoming and manufactured reagents.
• Contribute to the establishment of manufacturing processes for reagents and transfer these processes to operations.
• Analyze experimental data, form conclusions, suggest future experiments, generate reports, and present findings to project teams.
• Identify and resolve issues related to reagent performance, assay development, or manufacturing processes.
• Collaborate with other scientists, engineers, and operations personnel to ensure the successful development and implementation of new reagents.
• Adhere to good laboratory practices, maintain accurate records, and ensure the proper maintenance of laboratory equipment, spaces, and inventory.
• Keep up-to-date with scientific literature and technological advancements in the field of reagent development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Biological/Life Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related field, with 5 years of experience in NGS workflows, reagent development, or assay development in a product-development environment (an equivalent combination of education and work experience is acceptable).
• Preferred: Ph.D. in molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, bioengineering, or a related field, with 0-3 years of NGS-related research or industry experience.

Skills

• Strong hands-on experience with NGS and molecular biology techniques.
• Experience with laboratory automation and automated instrumentation, including workflow development, optimization, and troubleshooting.
• Proficiency in Python or other relevant programming languages for data analysis, visualization, and/or automation.
• Strong skills in experimental design, data analysis, troubleshooting, and problem-solving.
• Familiarity with Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, and process optimization is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with automation, software, and mechanical engineering teams is a plus.

Pay

The expected salary range for this position based on California is $99,000 - $133,400. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.

Benefits

This position qualifies for the benefits detailed at the Roche benefits link.