Scientist I

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Job title: Scientist I (Infectious Disease team)

Reports to: Product Development Team Leader (Infectious Disease team)

Location: Manchester Science Park

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary & Benefits: Competitive Salary + Benefits Package

About Yourgene Health:

Yourgene Health is a leading integrated technologies and services business, enabling the delivery of genomic medicine. The group works in partnership with global leaders in DNA technology to advance diagnostic science. Our mission to enable scientific advances to positively impact human health remains at the core of our focus. It drives and motivates us to develop class leading products and services to meet our customers’ needs.

Yourgene primarily develops, manufactures, and commercialises simple and accurate molecular diagnostic solutions, for reproductive health, precision medicine and infectious diseases. We have a comprehensive offering of non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) NGS workflows that have been built with labs in mind, and clinical prenatal screening services. The IONA test was the pioneer, the first to market as an IVD product, changing the NIPT screening landscape back in 2015. Continuing to build on our expertise in cell-free DNA, our next generation size selection Ranger Technology uses machine vision for superior precision.

In addition, we offer a portfolio of screening products in reproductive health, precision medicine and infectious disease including screening assays for cystic fibrosis and DPYD genotyping to prevent chemotoxicity.

Yourgene Genomic Services provides a range of genetic analysis services for our clinical, research and pharma customers to support partners with DNA extractions, biobanking, genotyping, arrays and sequencing workflows (WES and WGS). Yourgene Genomic Services offers a Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Service, enabling clinics to run their own NIPT service for pregnant women with our prenatal screening tests and service laboratory based in Manchester.

Yourgene Health is part of the Novacyt group of companies and is headquartered in Manchester, UK with facilities in Singapore and Canada.

Our Culture:

Yourgene is a growing, vibrant and exciting place to work, we are looking for committed driven individuals to be part of our next growth journey. Our culture is described by our employee's as collegiate, friendly, professional, innovative, open and fast paced. We have many social and well-being initiatives run by our Social Huddle that keep our sense of community alive during challenging times that the pandemic has thrown our way. At Yourgene we focus on putting values led programmes in place to ensure that we can attract, retain and develop our people. We want our people to have a career with Yourgene and we ensure that they are recognised and rewarded for their achievements and commitment, everyone plays a critical role in our growth journey.

Description of role:

Yourgene Health, part of the Novacyt Group, are recruiting for a Scientist I (1-2 years industry experience) within our infectious disease team based at Manchester Science Park. The Scientist I will design, develop, verify and validate our Infectious Disease product range under ISO13485 and ISO9001 quality systems. The role will develop both research use only (RUO) and CEIVD regulated assays using highly sensitive PCR, qPCR, dPCR and isothermal technologies and the DNA/RNA extraction chemistries that work in tandem with these assays.

Overall responsibility:

The Scientist I will provide scientific expertise on infectious disease development studies, ensuring experimental work is well planned and executed to a high quality level in a timely fashion.

Key areas of responsibility:

• Provides scientific expertise and input into experiment and study designs
• Support and, where appropriate lead, design, planning and reporting of experiments and studies
• Work collaboratively with other scientists to create products and processes which meet the user needs of our customers
• Create, maintain and improve laboratory SOPs
• Support the design and execution of studies involving:
• Accurate and timely documentation
• Developing and implementing protocols to show that tests meet acceptance criteria
• Processing clinical samples to demonstrate clinical validity
• Data generation, ensuring integrity and organized data management
• Analysing data to enable interpretation by self or others
• Meeting regulatory or other requirements
• Perform troubleshooting activities when technical issues arise
• Team specific responsibilities:
• Innovation: Delivery of value-add innovative ideas for transfer into assay development
• Assay Development: Delivery of optimised assays and workflows for products and services
• Validation: Delivery of validated tests and systems for products and services
• Design Transfer: Delivery of tests and systems for products and services to Operations functions
• Participate in activities outside of own team, such as Innovation, Assay Development, Automation, Validation and Design Transfer, where required
• Perform laboratory maintenance tasks such as lab maintenance, stock monitoring, goods in receiving and cleaning
• Ensure own work meets regulatory & quality requirements (including compliance to SOPs, documentation using lab books, study plans, study reports and integrity of data)

Qualifications, Skills and Abilities:

• Degree or further degree (or equivalent) in a life science such as molecular biology, biochemistry or genetics
• Experience of using bioinformatics tools as part of assay design is desirable
• Typically 1-2 years+ of relevant diagnostic development experience
• Experience in the development, verification and validation of molecular diagnostic assays in adherence with CE marking and/or design control regulations
• Hands on experience with at least one molecular biology-based assay or technique
• Capable of analysing data
• Able to contribute to experimental design and can perform execution
• Enthusiasm, drive, thoroughness, diligence and a willingness to take personal responsibility to ensure that projects are successful
• Good organisational skills

Closing Date:

Sunday 27th April, 2025

Equal opportunities:

Yourgene Health and the Novacyt Group of companies provides equal employment opportunities for all current employees and applicants for employment. This policy means that no one will be discriminated against because of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, nationality, citizenship, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, genetic predisposing characteristics or any other basis prohibited by law.