Staff Scientist - New Product Development Lead

Why This Role Matters

You will set the technical direction for new diagnostics and lead the scientists who develop them, shaping both the products and the careers of your people. You will bridge deep technical leadership and people leadership, turning new ideas into products from feasibility through prototype and transfer. Your work will help ensure that innovative diagnostics reach the customers, pets, people, and livestock who depend on them.

In This Role

• Perform and direct scientific work to develop new products based on ideas and technologies from both internal and external sources, following the development process through reagent feasibility, assay system and platform selection, and the other options that determine workable product solutions.
• Understand customer needs and help draft product requirements with Marketing, then drive extensive project-management activities to create working prototype versions of products, coordinating with a wide variety of internal and external partners and transitioning products to the scale-up and process-transfer group for ramp to production.
• Act as an independent technical lead on projects and lead project teams that may cross multiple disciplines and functional organizations.
• Lead and develop a team of scientists—assigning work, establishing performance expectations, monitoring activities, and evaluating results.
• Foster a high-performing, collaborative, and accountable environment; coach and mentor scientists at multiple career stages; and drive the recruiting, staffing, and talent-development practices that grow the group's capabilities over time.
• Support the development of your group's budget, operating policies, and procedures, and contribute to the direction of the broader function, bringing a portfolio view to prioritization and resource decisions.
• Be recognized as an expert in your area, requiring specialized depth and breadth of expertise.
• Apply rigorous data analysis and experimental design to make sound, data-driven technical decisions; solve complex problems by taking a broad perspective; and bring in best practices while accounting for what IDEXX can do operationally, including regulatory, operations, and production considerations.
• Communicate effectively—one-on-one and formally—with technical and non-technical audiences, including line-of-business and executive stakeholders, and your work may have global impact.

What You Need To Succeed

• PhD in life sciences or a related field (or equivalent).
• Typically, 5+ years of relevant experience, recognized as an expert in your area with specialized depth and/or breadth of expertise.
• Hands-on expertise in diagnostic assay development across immunoassay and molecular technologies—spanning assay design, development, optimization, and validation—including formats such as immunoassays, lateral flow / rapid tests, and molecular/PCR assays.
• A record of acting as an independent technical lead on projects, determining methods on new assignments, and leading cross-disciplinary project teams.
• People-leadership experience, including assigning and evaluating work and developing talent—recruiting, staffing, coaching, and building the engagement and structure of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to drive products from concept and feasibility through verification, validation, and transfer to manufacturing in a regulated environment.
• Ability to translate customer needs into product requirements in partnership with Marketing and other stakeholders.
• Ability to generate written reports and verbal presentations for technical, line-of-business, and executive audiences, with strong report-writing and presentation skills.
• Financial acumen sufficient to support budget development and resource planning for the group.
• Personal computer skills, including Microsoft Office.
• Fluency in the English language.
• Some travel is required.

Highly Desirable

The following experience is highly valued and would accelerate success in the role but is not required. We welcome candidates who bring strong, transferable expertise from adjacent scientific or product-development environments.

• Experience building or operating an accredited testing capability (e.g., ISO 17025 / A2LA) or supporting programs subject to external certification or agency approval.
• Experience expanding an assay portfolio into adjacent markets or applications.
• Experience partnering with Regulatory Affairs, Manufacturing, and Commercial teams to move products from concept through transfer.
• A record of publications, patents, white papers, or other contributions supporting new product development.

What You Can Expect From Us

• Base annual salary target: $125K - $129K
• Opportunity for annual cash bonus
• Health / Dental / Vision Benefits Day-One
• 5% matching 401k
• Additional benefits including but not limited to financial support, pet insurance, mental health resources, volunteer paid days off, employee stock program, foundation donation matching, and much more!
• A dynamic and exciting career that utilizes your leadership experience, technical skills, allows you to travel, meet new people, expand your knowledge and skill set