Senior Scientist, Genomics

About CooperSurgical:

CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s healthcare company dedicated to putting time on the side of women, babies, and families at the healthcare moments that matter most in life. As a division of CooperCompanies, we're driven by a unified purpose to enable patients to experience life's beautiful moments. Guided by our shared values – dedicated, innovative, friendly, partners, and do the right thing – our offerings support patients throughout their lifetimes, from contraception to fertility and birth solutions, to women’s and family care, and beyond. We currently offer over 600 clinically relevant medical devices to healthcare providers, including testing and treatment options, as well as an innovative suite of assisted reproductive technology and genomic testing solutions. Learn more at www.coopersurgical.com.

Job Summary

The Senior Scientist, Genomics is an experienced scientist position that will be involved in all aspects of CooperSurgical’s Genomics product portfolio which includes reproductive preimplantation genetic testing for segmental rearrangements (PGT-SR), monogenic diseases (PGT-M), and chromosomal aneuploidy (PGT-A) testing with a pioneering mathematical algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to improve genetic testing analysis and reporting. 

 

The Life Sciences team provides a setting for R&D professionals to be involved in cutting edge scientific advances via product development and engineering projects that have a real impact on patients utilizing CooperSurgical products and services. This role operates in a dynamic environment, and it is expected to manage their own work objectives while ensuring technical rigor and functional excellence. 

 

Our Senior Scientists support the development and optimization of PGT-A, PGT-M and PGT-SR. This role is a hands-on lab-based role, focused on experimental design and execution, data analysis, and improvement of existing CooperSurgical Genetic Testing product offerings and will work with Operations and Quality teams to provide ongoing support activities.

 

This position reports to the Director, Life Sciences R&D and it is based in Houston, TX.

Essential Functions and Accountabilities: 

• Perform hands-on, wet lab experiments to support and improve current product lines for PGT-A, PGT-M and PGT-SR. Use scientific methods and best practices for experimental protocol design, execution, data analysis and results interpretation.  
• Analyze and interpret genetic testing output from data analysis pipelines to support data quality objectives, interpretate sequencing results and help identify trends for optimization. Contribute to troubleshooting and root-cause analysis, and devise solutions and approaches for solving technical problems to improve genetic testing performance in an inclusive and collaborative fashion.
• Execution of verification and validation testing using advanced technical knowledge.
• Actively participate in technology transfer and implementation of Genetic product line extensions or assay improvements at clinical testing facilities. Will include development of technical documentations such as SOPs, work instructions etc. and training of site personnel. 
• Ownership of projects within technical area including providing input on technical direction and decisions. 
• Provide Commercial and Operational support through investigations including completion of technical documentation and authoring of internal reports.  
• Provide peer mentorship and training support to junior scientists to ensure project completion. 
• Effectively and timely communication of progress status updates to departmental team members, cross-functional partners, stakeholders, and managers.
• Communicate with parties external to the organization as needed (e.g. vendors, customers). 

Travel:

This role is site based, though domestic/regional travel may be required (<5%). 

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Deep technical knowledge, proficiency and prior experience with molecular biology, genomics, and associated discipline-specific analytical tools, as well as statistical methods is required. Experience with Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing methods and output required. 
• Hands-on experience with bioinformatics and bioinformatics tools for sequencing data to enable experimental iteration independent of external support will provide an advantage. 
• Experience in process, method, or assay development and optimiz