Principal Scientist

Precision for Medicine; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 111,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligibility

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Life insurance

Disability benefits

Parental leave

Paid time off

Job summary

Precision for Medicine seeks a Principal Scientist to lead design and validation of innovative molecular assays (ddPCR, qPCR, NGS, Nanostring, FISH) for diverse biopharmaceutical clients. You will train junior scientists, oversee SOPs, generate client-ready reports, and drive data-driven decisions under GLP/CAP/CLIA-like standards.

You will communicate project plans, timelines, and results to clients, ensuring timely delivery and adherence to regulatory requirements, while mentoring the team and

Qualifications

• Requires Ph.D. in life sciences or related field (e.g., Molecular Biology).
• Minimum of 8 years of full-time laboratory experience.
• Hands-on expertise with molecular assays including sequencing, ddPCR, qPCR.

Responsibilities

• Designs, implements, and troubleshoots molecular assays to meet client requirements.
• Oversees SOPs and regulatory compliance to client specs.
• Generates technical reports and presents data to clients.
• Contributes to posters/papers for conferences and journals.
• Reviews and edits client proposals and contracts.
• Trains and mentors staff in laboratory techniques and data presentation.
• Ensures safe lab practices and maintains quality metrics.
• Acts as internal expert on technical advances and policy interpretation.
• Manages scope of work and change orders with the team.
• Supports scheduling to meet financial targets for lab work.

Skills

Molecular assays

Mentoring

Regulatory compliance

Project planning

Client communication

Education

Ph.D. in life sciences

8+ years lab exp

Tools

ddPCR

qPCR

Next Gen Sequencing

Nanostring

FISH

Job description

The Principal Scientist will be instrumental in helping Precision achieve its goals of delivering exceptional services to Precision’s diverse, innovative, and global biopharmaceutical clients. Working closely with the assigned manager, the Principal Scientist will help support key scientific projects ensuring best practices are implemented to support timely delivery of client projects. Key components will be focused on the design and development of innovative qualified and validated molecular assays including, but not limited to, ddPCR, qPCR, Next Gen Sequencing, Nanostring, and FISH assays.

The successful candidate will assist and be a resource for scientist team members to design experimental plans and timelines, that match client specifications/requirements. The candidate should be able to communicate project plans and progress to the client, along with executing and reporting the work according to agreed timelines and under the appropriate regulations (GLP, CAP, CLIA etc.). A significant aspect of this role is the training and mentoring of junior scientists and team members in both laboratory techniques and in the analysis and presentation of data. This role will provide technical expertise to the laboratory and perform “hands on” experiments as needed for training and mentoring purposes.

Essential functions of the job include but are not limited to:

• Designs, implements, and troubleshoots molecular assays with the scientific team to meet client requirements
• Oversees the scientists writing and implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to perform assays to meet client requirements and the level of regulatory compliance needed
• Oversees the generation of technical reports and other communications required to present data to clients
• Helps support the generation of posters and papers for submission to conference organizers and peer reviewed journals when applicable and approved by senior management
• Reviews and edit client proposals, contract/proposals as needed
• Trains and mentors scientific staff in the review and presentation of client data; supports client calls as the leading expert for the team
• Trains and mentors technical staff on how to perform laboratory procedures. Devises and performs training and competency assessments to ensure staff can perform tasks independently
• Maintains and supports safe lab practices and environment
• Tracks and trends laboratory efficiency and quality
• Performs duties with a high degree of independence, quality, and efficiency
• Acts as internal expert on technical advances to anticipate and act as a thought leader to management on all matters related to their scope of work.
• Initiates and/or recommends appropriate courses of action and identifies matters requiring policy interpretation or revision
• Ensures scope of work and change orders are followed by technical team, and minimizes scope creep
• Helps support the scheduling of work with the team, to ensure financial targets are being met by the lab staff

Qualifications:

• Must have a Ph.D. in life sciences or relevant field (e.g. Molecular Biology)
• At least 8 years related full-time laboratory experience

Other Required:

• Strong bench scientist skills around molecular assays. Hands on sequencing, ddPCR, and qPCR experience is required.
• Experience in validation/qualification of assays to CAP/CLIA/GLP or ISO guidelines
• Strong organizational skills
• Experienced technical report generation
• The ability to see and differentiate between colors on the full color spectrum
• Ability to lift and carry between 1-15 lbs.; Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. overhead with assistance; frequently required to sit, grasp, and use right/left finger dexterity; May be exposed to a cold freezer environment (Freezer temperatures range between -20ºC -196ºC)
• Must be able to read, write, speak fluently, and comprehend the English language

Preferred

• 10-15+ years’ experience as a molecular laboratorian in a leadership role with direct reports
• Experience supervising or mentoring scientists or technical personnel
• Industrial experience and/or management of outside collaborations is desirable
• A solid understanding of current GxP or CAP/CLIA/ISO standards
• Previous work experience in GLP or GCLP or CLIA regulatory compliance

Precision is required by law in some states or cities to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This compensation range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to: skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Precision, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. This role is also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, health insurance, retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, and paid time off for sick leave and vacation, among other benefits.

Reasonable estimate of the current range

$110,700 - $166,100 USD

Any data provided as a part of this application will be stored in accordance with our Privacy Policy. For CA applicants, please also refer to our CA Privacy Notice .

Precision Medicine Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability or unable to access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact Precision Medicine Group at [e-mail] .

We use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate insights during the end to end application journey, including resume review and interviews . Please review our Privacy Policy - Precision Medicine Group for more information.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Precision for Medicine’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

By checking this box, I agree to allow Precision for Medicine to retain my data for future opportunities for employment for up to 730 days after the conclusion of consideration of my current application for employment.