Scientist II, High Throughput Biology

Xaira Therapeutics; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Base salary + bonus

Career development

Job summary

Xaira Therapeutics in South San Francisco is seeking a Scientist II to lead design and execution of cutting-edge experiments applying functional genomics and synthetic biology to accelerate drug discovery. You will develop high-throughput screens, advance new technology initiatives, and work across cross-functional teams to ensure data quality and timely delivery.

The ideal candidate has a PhD with 2–4 years postdoc or industry experience, strong molecular biology and data analysis skills, and

Qualifications

• PhD in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Functional Genomics, or related field.
• 2–4 years of postdoctoral or industry experience preferred (recent PhDs considered).
• Proficiency with molecular biology techniques and cell line engineering.
• Experience with pooled screening and NGS readouts, including library prep and QC.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and optimize biochemical, molecular and cell-based assays for high-throughput screening.
• Scale HTS strategies for binder discovery in mammalian systems.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies to enhance discovery capabilities.
• Develop and optimize automated workflows ensuring data quality and reproducibility.
• Partner with drug discovery, computational biology, and AI protein design teams to analyze and share insights from screening data.
• Independently manage multiple projects with timely delivery and quality data.
• Maintain detailed records and contribute to internal and external scientific presentations.

Skills

Molecular biology

Flow cytometry

Data analysis

Python

Written communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Ph.D. in Immunology or related field

Tools

NGS library prep

GraphPad Prism

R

Job description

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Scientist II to join our dynamic team at Xaira Therapeutics. In this role, you will spearhead the design and execution of cutting-edge experiments aimed at accelerating our drug discovery and development efforts by applying functional genomics and synthetic biology approaches, developing high-throughput screens and driving new technology initiatives. The successful candidate should possess strong technical expertise & laboratory skills, have excellent written and oral communication skills, work productively in a collaborative cross-functional team environment, and keep current with the field of expertise, including literature and technology development.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and optimize biochemical, molecular and cell-based assays to support high throughput screening platform development.
• Scale high-throughput screening strategies for binder discovery in mammalian systems.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies and experimental workflows to enhance discovery capabilities.
• Develop and optimize automated workflows, ensuring data quality, reproducibility, and process efficiency
• Partner with drug discovery, computational biology, and AI-based protein design teams to analyze, interpret, and share insights from screening data.
• Independently manage multiple projects, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality data and adherence to team goals.
• Maintain accurate records of experiments, protocols, and findings, and contribute to internal and external scientific presentations.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Functional Genomics, or related field, with 2-4 years of postdoctoral or industry experience.
  • (Recent PhD graduates or candidates with fewer years of experience are also encouraged to apply and job level can be adjusted as appropriate)
• Proficiency with molecular biology techniques, complex library construction, flow cytometry and cell line engineering
• Experience with pooled screening and NGS-based readouts, including library preparation and sequencing QC
• Experience with high throughput antibody display technologies, including yeast, phage or mammalian display, is a plus
• Familiarity with single-cell genomics workflows (e.g., scRNA-seq, barcoded or multiplexed assays) is a plus
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex experimental issues independently.
• Strong data analysis capabilities, including proficiency with visualization and statistical software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, R, Python).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present scientific findings clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.
• Enthusiastic team player who can work effectively across interdisciplinary teams and drive cross-functional projects.

Compensation

Annual

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long-term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants. We offer a competitive package that includes base salary, bonus, and equity. The base pay range for this position is expected to be $124,000 to $155,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience.

Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.

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 hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Xaira Therapeutics’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 measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is 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.

This role is based in our South San Francisco office and requires five days per week in office.