Senior Assay Scientist in Foxton

Energy Jobline ZR; Foxton; On-site; NZD 183,000 - 252,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity participation

Pension contribution scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Shape scientific direction

Job summary

Syndex Bio is seeking an experienced Senior Assay Scientist to advance mcPCR workflows and NGS-based assay development, delivering robust data for translational research. You will design, develop, optimize, and validate sequencing assays, collaborate with teams across discovery, protein science, and bioinformatics, and help transfer assays to partners and collaborators.

This role suits a proactive scientist who thrives in a fast-paced biotech environment and is passionate about achieving

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in Molecular Biology, Genomics, Biochemistry, or related field.
• 5+ years industry experience in biotechnology, genomics, or diagnostic assays.
• Proven expertise in NGS assay development and data interpretation.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, optimise, and validate NGS-based assays to support development and translational programmes.
• Sample preparation, library preparation, sequencing assay optimisation, quality control strategies, and data interpretation.
• Support internal and external sequencing projects and manage assay transfer to collaborators or partners.
• Identify and implement emerging assay technologies to strengthen Syndex Bio's platform capabilities.
• Maintain accurate experimental documentation and contribute to scientific reports, presentations, publications, and IP.

Skills

NGS assay development

Data interpretation

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication skills

Education

PhD or equivalent in Molecular Biology/Genomics

Tools

NGS platforms

Job description

Job Description

Location: Foxton, Cambridge, UK (Full time, on-site)

Employment Type: Full-Time

About Syndex Bio

Syndex Bio is an innovative biotechnology company that have developed a first-in-class PCR technology which retains methylation information during amplification.

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Assay Scientist with deep expertise in Next- Sequencing (NGS) assay and workflow development to play a critical role in advancing our development and translational research projects.

The Role

As a Senior Assay Scientist, you will help develop and optimise mcPCR workflows, and exemplify their utility with real world samples.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams including research, development, protein science, and bioinformatics, to establish robust experimental workflows and generate high-quality data.

This is an excellent opportunity for a scientist who thrives in a fast-paced biotech environment and is passionate about combining innovative assay technologies with genomics-enabled research.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, optimise, and validate NGS-based assays to support development and translational programmes.
• Sample preparation, library preparation, sequencing assay optimisation, quality control strategies, and data interpretation, presenting to internal as well as external teams.
• Support internal and external sequencing projects and manage assay transfer to collaborators or partners.
• Identify and implement emerging assay technologies to strengthen Syndex Bio's platform capabilities.
• Maintain accurate experimental documentation and contribute to scientific reports, presentations, publications, and intellectual property .

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• PhD or equivalent industrial experience in Molecular Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Biochemistry, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of an additional 5 years' industry experience in biotechnology, genomics, or diagnostic assay settings.
• Demonstrated expertise in assay development, optimisation, validation, and troubleshooting.
• Proven experience developing and implementing NGS assays and sequencing workflows.
• Strong understanding of NGS technologies, including library preparation, sequencing platforms, assay quality metrics, and data interpretation.
• Strong understanding of experimental design, assay qualification, and statistical analysis.
• Experience in working effectively within cross-functional scientific teams.
• Excellent communication, organisational, and problem-solving skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of product development.
• Experience collaborating closely with bioinformatics and computational biology teams.
• Knowledge of automated laboratory systems.
• Prior mentoring or project leadership experience.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary.
• Equity participation opportunity.
• Pension contribution scheme.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• The opportunity to shape the scientific direction of an emerging and ambitious biotechnology company.