Sr/Scientist, RNA Product Dev

LOCATION: 

This will be an On-Site role working out of our South San Francisco, CA office

POSITION SUMMARY:   

The Scientist, RNA Product Dev within the Platform group will join a tight-knit and cross-functional team of scientists and engineers who are tasked with developing a scalable and robust platform upon which the next generation of Natera clinical assays will be based. In this role, the scientist will join a team tasked with development of high-throughput RNA-sequencing assays. The Scientist will have the opportunity to explore the latest technologies in RNA sequencing while working cross-functionally with assay development scientists, bioinformaticians, and engineers to automate library preparation and analysis. We are looking for a meticulous and dedicated molecular biologist with experience in both assay development and NGS data analysis that can work effectively in a cross-functional and fast-paced environment.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Build high-throughput RNA-sequencing assays from extraction to sequencing.
• Explore the feasibility of emerging technologies in the RNA-sequencing field.
• Design and execute studies, analyze and interpret data, decide on next steps, and communicate findings to other scientists.
• Collaborate with bioinformaticians, computational biologists, and software engineers to develop analysis pipelines.
• Collaborate with automation engineers to scale and robustify assays.
• Collaborate with laboratory directors, clinical lab scientists, and quality engineers to produce production-ready protocols. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, or closely related field with 6 years experience in assay development for the life science industry.
• Master’s degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, or closely related field with 3 years experience in assay development for the life science industry.
• Doctorate in molecular biology, biochemistry, or closely related field with 0-2 years experience in assay development for the life science industry.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Expertise in RNA biology.
• Proven track record of developing production-grade assays for RNA quantification and sequencing.
• Strong understanding of the chemistry underlying nucleic acid extraction, PCR, NGS library preparation, hybrid capture, and sequencing technologies.
• Demonstrated success with cross-functional collaborations. 
• Must have experience with various molecular biology techniques including but not limited to: next generation sequencing, PCR/qPCR, and nucleic acid extraction and quantification.
• Must be capable of independently planning complex studies, manually executing experiments in the lab, interpreting results, and making data-driven decisions.
• Must have experience in optimizing laboratory protocols, identifying risks, and troubleshooting issues.
• Must have good organization and time management skills.
• Must have experience performing statistical analyses in Excel or similar software.
• Must be familiar with bioinformatics software commonly used in RNA-sequencing analysis (STAR, samtools, DESeq2, etc.).
• Must have experience working in a regulated laboratory environment.
• Experience with nucleic acid extraction from blood, tissue, and formalin-fixed samples is a plus.
• Experience with liquid handlers and automation design and development is a plus.
• Experience with coding (Python or R) is a plus.

The pay range is listed and actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications and specific office location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations.San Carlos, CA $108,800—$163,100 USD

OUR OPPORTUNITY

Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you’ll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take