Senior Scientist – High Throughput Screening (m/f/d)

Selvita; Kraków; On-site; PLN 260,000 - 420,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully automated HTS platform

Professional development

Lunch card

Private medical care

Fruit & wellness program

Job summary

Selvita is seeking an experienced Senior Scientist – High Throughput Screening to join the In Vitro Pharmacology Oncology team in Kraków. You will design, execute, and optimize large-scale HTS campaigns and contribute to assay development, automation, and hit identification.

The role requires a PhD and at least 5 years in biotech/pharma/CRO, with hands-on HTS, biochemical/cell-based assay work, and experience with automated platforms. English fluency is essential.

Qualifications

• PhD in Biology, Biotechnology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related life science discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant industrial experience in biotech, pharma, or CRO environments.
• Proven experience leading large-scale HTS campaigns, ideally involving 200,000+ compounds.
• Hands-on experience in biochemical and/or cell-based assay development and optimization.
• Experience with automated liquid handling and screening platforms.
• Strong understanding of HTS assay quality, validation, design, and data analysis.
• Experience with hit identification, confirmation, and profiling workflows.
• Experience with ELN and data management systems.
• Excellent written and verbal English skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute large-scale HTS campaigns in 384- and 1536-well formats, including 200,000+ compounds.
• Define screening strategies, assay requirements, controls, and quality criteria.
• Oversee assays from transfer to hit identification and confirmation.
• Ensure high-quality project delivery aligned with timelines and client expectations.
• Develop, optimize, miniaturize, and validate assays for HTS applications.
• Transfer assays to automated HTS formats and improve robustness.
• Interpret data, troubleshoot issues, and drive assay/screening improvements.
• Mentor junior scientists and supervise staff.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and clients.

Skills

HTS leadership

Assay development

Automation & robotics

ELN & data management

English proficiency

Education

PhD in Life Sciences

Tools

Automated liquid handling

Echo acoustic dispensing

HTS platforms & robotics

Job description

Senior Scientist – High Throughput Screening
(m/f/d)

Selvita is a global integrated service provider with laboratories in Poland (Krakow, Poznan, and Wroclaw), Croatia (Zagreb), and offices in Cambridge, UK, as well as the Greater Boston Area and San Francisco Bay Area in the US. Our company is dedicated to delivering comprehensive solutions that support our international clients in drug discovery and drug development.

As one of the largest preclinical contract research organizations in Europe, Selvita is driven by a clear mission: to bridge the gap between early drug discovery and the clinical stage of drug development.

At Selvita, we value partnership, excellence, passion, commitment, and integrity. We build strong, collaborative relationships with our clients and commit to the highest standards of quality.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Scientist – High Throughput Screening (HTS) to join our In Vitro Pharmacology Oncology team.

This role is ideal for a scientifically driven professional with strong hands‑on experience in designing, executing, analyzing, and troubleshooting large‑scale HTS campaigns. The primary focus will be on delivering HTS projects in a CRO environment, including campaigns involving 200,000+ compounds, while contributing to assay development, automation, and hit identification workflows.

The successful candidate will become a key HTS expert within the organization, supporting scientific excellence, data quality, process development, and collaboration across multidisciplinary project teams.

Key Responsibilities

High-Throughput Screening Leadership

• Lead and execute large-scale biochemical and cell-based HTS campaigns in 384- and 1536-well formats, including campaigns involving 200,000+ compounds.

• Define screening strategies, assay requirements, controls, and quality criteria.

• Oversee campaigns from assay transfer and screening execution through hit identification and confirmation.

• Ensure high-quality project delivery in line with timelines and client expectations.

Assay Development and Optimization

• Develop, optimize, miniaturize, and validate biochemical and cell-based assays for HTS applications.

• Transfer assays into automated, HTS-compatible formats.

• Optimize assay robustness and performance and ensure high-quality screening data

Scientific and Technical Oversight

• Interpret screening data, troubleshoot technical issues, and drive improvements in assay and screening performance.

• Support hit triage, confirmation, counter-screening, and follow-up characterization.

• Contribute to the development of new HTS approaches, technologies, and workflows.

Quality and Process Excellence

• Ensure compliance with internal SOPs, quality standards, and documentation requirements.

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of HTS processes, quality controls, and operational standards.

Cross-Functional and Client Collaboration

• Collaborate with biology, chemistry, automation, and data science teams to support client projects.

• Provide scientific input during project planning, study design, and proposal preparation.

• Present project updates and scientific findings to internal stakeholders and external clients.

• Act as an HTS subject matter expert within multidisciplinary project teams.

Mentoring

• Mentor junior scientists and laboratory staff.

• Provide technical guidance in assay development, screening execution, troubleshooting, and data interpretation.

• Contribute to building HTS expertise across the organization.

Your Background

• PhD in Biology, Biotechnology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related life science discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of relevant industrial experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or CRO environments.

• Proven experience leading large-scale high-throughput screening campaigns, ideally involving 200,000+ compounds.

• Strong hands‑on experience in biochemical and/or cell-based assay development and optimization.

• Experience with automated liquid handling and screening platforms.

• Strong understanding of HTS assay quality, validation, experimental design, and data analysis.

• Experience with hit identification, confirmation, and profiling workflows.

• Experience working with electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN) and data management systems.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Echo acoustic dispensing systems.

• Experience with automated screening platforms and robotic workflows.

• Experience working directly with external clients in a CRO environment.

• Previous experience mentoring or supervising scientists.

Your Benefits Package

• Opportunity to work within an established, fully automated HTS platform.

• Hands‑on experience with state-of-the-art assay technologies and screening equipment.

• Professional development in an expanding drug discovery organization.

• Supportive and collaborative team environment.

• Prepaid lunch card, private medical care, subsidized sports card, and office fruit provision.

• Internal development initiatives, including soft and leadership skills training.

• Recognition Program.

• Employee Referral Program.

• Various sports and engagement initiatives.