Research Associate II – Drug Discovery

Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Life & Disability Insurance

401K Retirement Savings Plan

Direct Deposit & weekly epayroll

Referral Bonus Programs

Certification and training

Job summary

Yoh, a Day & Zimmermann Company, Seattle, WA is seeking a Research Associate II for drug discovery. The role emphasizes hands-on RT-qPCR and mammalian cell culture to support early-stage projects and assay development.

The candidate will work across biology, automation, and computational teams, performing cell-based assays and data analysis while maintaining thorough records and collaborative communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, molecular biology, cell biology, cancer biology, biochemistry, or related field.
• Approximately 3+ years hands-on lab experience; master’s degree acceptable with relevant experience.
• Strong hands-on RT-qPCR experience and mammalian cell culture experience.
• Experience designing, selecting, or optimizing primers, probes, or oligonucleotides.
• Experience developing, optimizing, or troubleshooting biological assays.

Responsibilities

• Perform mammalian cell culture, including maintenance and manipulation of cancer cell lines.
• Execute RT-qPCR and multiplex RT-qPCR to assess gene expression and compound activity.
• Design, evaluate, and optimize primers, probes, and oligonucleotides.
• Conduct cell-based assays including viability, proliferation, apoptosis, and reporter assays.
• Perform compound-treatment, dose-response, and validation experiments.
• Support hit validation and characterization from screening campaigns.
• Develop, optimize, troubleshoot, and scale molecular and cell-based assays.
• Analyse results and communicate findings to cross-functional teams.
• Maintain accurate lab documentation and protocols.

Skills

RT-qPCR

Mammalian cell culture

Cell-based assays

Primers/Probes/Oligos

Assay development

Data analysis & reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in biology-related field

Tools

GraphPad Prism

Job description

Research Associate II – Drug Discovery

Anticipated Salary Range: $80,000–$90,000

Seattle, WA | Onsite | Direct Hire

We are seeking a hands‑on bench scientist with particularly strong RT-qPCR and mammalian cell culture experience who enjoys assay development, troubleshooting, and supporting early‑stage drug discovery research.

This individual will work closely with scientists across biology, proteomics, automation, and computational disciplines to execute molecular and cell‑based experiments, evaluate compound activity, validate screening hits, and optimize assays supporting drug discovery programs.

What You’ll Do

• Perform mammalian cell culture, including maintenance and experimental manipulation of cancer cell lines.
• Execute RT-qPCR and multiplex RT-qPCR assays to evaluate gene expression and compound activity.
• Design, evaluate, and optimize primers, probes, and oligonucleotides.
• Conduct cell-based assays, including viability, proliferation, apoptosis, reporter, and compound-response assays.
• Perform compound-treatment, dose-response, and follow‑up validation experiments.
• Support validation and characterization of hits identified through screening campaigns.
• Develop, optimize, troubleshoot, and scale molecular and cell‑based biological assays.
• Analyze experimental results and communicate findings to cross‑functional scientific teams.
• Maintain accurate laboratory documentation, protocols, and experimental records.
• Collaborate with scientists across biology, proteomics, automation, and computational/data‑science functions.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, molecular biology, cell biology, cancer biology, biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• Approximately 3+ years of relevant hands‑on laboratory experience; candidates with a master’s degree and relevant practical laboratory experience may also be considered.
• Strong hands‑on RT-qPCR experience.
• Strong hands‑on mammalian cell‑culture experience.
• Experience designing, selecting, or optimizing primers, probes, or oligonucleotides.
• Experience developing, optimizing, or troubleshooting biological assays.
• Ability to independently organize, execute, document, and analyze multiple experiments.
• Strong scientific communication and laboratory documentation skills.

Preferred Experience

• Biotechnology or pharmaceutical drug‑discovery experience.
• Experience working with cancer cell lines.
• Compound screening or hit‑validation experience.
• Multiplex RT-qPCR.
• CRISPR, RNAi, transfection, or related gene‑perturbation techniques.
• Gene‑regulation or transcription‑factor biology.
• Medium‑ or high‑throughput screening.
• Laboratory automation.
• GraphPad Prism or similar scientific‑analysis software.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidate will be a hands‑on Research Associate who has personally performed RT‑qPCR and mammalian cell culture at the bench and can speak in detail about assay optimization, troubleshooting, experimental design, and data interpretation.

This opportunity is especially well suited for a scientist who enjoys solving experimental problems, working across multiple biological techniques, and contributing directly to fast‑moving drug‑discovery programs.

Position Details

• Employment Type: Direct Hire
• Location: Seattle, WA
• Work Arrangement: Onsite
• Anticipated Base Salary Range: $80,000–$90,000 annually

Benefits

Benefits include:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Benefits (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
• Health Savings Account (HSA) (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
• Life & Disability Insurance (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
• MetLife Voluntary Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401K Retirement Savings Plan
• Direct Deposit & weekly epayroll
• Referral Bonus Programs
• Certification and training opportunities

Note: Any pay ranges displayed are estimations. Actual pay is determined by an applicant's experience, technical expertise, and other qualifications as listed in the job description. All qualified applicants are welcome to apply.

Yoh, a Day & Zimmermann company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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For California applicants, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. All of the material job duties described in this posting are job duties for which a criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment.

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