Senior Principal Scientist, Molecular Assays & Genomics

Moderna Therapeutics; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Performance incentives

In-person collaboration

Job summary

Moderna Therapeutics is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead Bioanalytical & Molecular Assays at its Harwell site in Oxford. You will provide hands-on scientific leadership for the design, development, optimization, and deployment of advanced molecular assays powering clinical endpoints across multiple programs.

You will own end-to-end assay lifecycle, including method development, validation, tech transfer, and regulatory alignment, while mentoring teams and partnering across biomarker and

Qualifications

• PhD with 9+ years biotech/pharma experience or MS with 12+ years relevant work.
• Hands-on leadership in RT-qPCR, dPCR, and NGS assay development and validation.
• Experience with GCLP/GLP and phase-appropriate validation for clinical endpoints.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for design, development, and delivery of molecular assays.
• Oversee end-to-end assay lifecycle: development, qualification, validation, tech transfer.
• Lead RT-qPCR, dPCR, and NGS assay programs across multiple clinical phases.
• Ensure data integrity, QA, and compliance with regulatory expectations.

Skills

RT-qPCR

dPCR

NGS assays

bioinformatics

LIMS integration

GCLP knowledge

Education

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology/Genomics or related

M.S. with 12+ years of relevant experience

Tools

Bioanalyzer

TapeStation

Illumina sequencing

qPCR/dPCR instruments

NGS library prep

Job description

Moderna Therapeutics is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead Bioanalytical & Molecular Assays at its Harwell site in Oxford. You will provide hands-on scientific leadership for the design, development, optimization, and deployment of advanced molecular assays powering clinical endpoints across multiple programs.

You will own end-to-end assay lifecycle, including method development, validation, tech transfer, and regulatory alignment, while mentoring teams and partnering across biomarker and