Scientist R&D – Immunohistochemistry (IHC) & Histology

Natera; San Carlos (CA); Remote; USD 125,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Fertility care benefits

401k plan

Employee genetic testing benefits

Job summary

Natera is seeking a Scientist, R&D – Immunohistochemistry (IHC) & Histology to advance IHC and tissue-based workflows for oncology products and clinical assay development. The role emphasizes hands-on IHC assay development, histology, and use of automated platforms like Roche BenchMark ULTRA, with exposure to NGS and molecular workflows as a plus.

The candidate will design studies, optimize assays, and collaborate across Pathology, CL Operations, QA, and Automation to translate methods into

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Pathology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field with minimum 2 years of industry experience; or Master's with 5+ years; or Bachelor's with 6-8+ years.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute development, verification, and validation studies for IHC and histology workflows.
• Develop and optimize IHC assays, including antibody selection, titration, antigen retrieval, staining conditions, and controls.
• Evaluate histology variables (FFPE processing, embedding, sectioning, H&E) and slide preparation.
• Troubleshoot workflows on automated IHC/ISH platforms and investigate artifacts and variability.
• Plan moderate- to high-complexity experiments and analyze results using Excel, JMP, or image analysis tools.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to transfer R&D methods to clinical lab workflows.
• Author study protocols, validation reports, SOPs, and provide training during implementation.
• Communicate progress, findings, risks, and recommendations to project teams.

Job description

Scientist R&D – Immunohistochemistry (IHC) & Histology

POSITION SUMMARY

Natera is seeking a highly motivated Scientist, R&D – Immunohistochemistry (IHC) & Histology to join the Oncology Product Development team. This role will focus on the development, optimization, verification, and validation of IHC and tissue-based workflows supporting oncology products and clinical assay development.

The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience in IHC assay development and optimization, supported by a solid foundation in histology and FFPE tissue workflows. Experience with automated IHC/ISH staining platforms, particularly the Roche BenchMark ULTRA IHC/ISH System, is highly desirable. Experience with NGS and molecular biology workflows is an additional plus.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and execute development, optimization, verification, and validation studies for IHC, histology, and tissue-based workflows.
• Develop and optimize IHC assays, including antibody selection and titration, antigen retrieval, staining conditions, controls, and assay performance assessment.
• Evaluate and optimize histology and pre-analytical variables, including tissue fixation, FFPE processing, embedding, sectioning, H&E staining, and slide preparation.
• Develop and troubleshoot workflows on automated IHC/ISH staining platforms and investigate staining artifacts, reagent performance, tissue quality, and assay variability.
• Plan and execute moderate- to high-complexity experiments; analyze and interpret results using tools such as Excel, JMP, and image-analysis approaches.
• Collaborate with Pathology, Clinical Laboratory Operations, Quality, Automation, and other cross-functional teams to transfer R&D methods into robust clinical laboratory workflows.
• Author study protocols, development/validation reports, SOPs, and transfer documentation, and provide technical guidance and training during implementation.
• Communicate project progress, experimental findings, risks, and recommendations to project teams and stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS

Ph.D. in Pathology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field with a minimum of 2 years of relevant industry experience; or a Master's degree with a minimum of 5 years of relevant industry experience; or a Bachelor's degree with a 6-8+ years of relevant industry experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong hands-on expertise in IHC assay development, optimization, and troubleshooting, with solid knowledge of histology and FFPE tissue workflows.
• Experience with antibody characterization/titration, antigen retrieval, staining optimization, controls, tissue morphology, and assay performance evaluation.
• Experience with automated IHC/ISH platforms is highly preferred; hands-on experience with the Roche BenchMark ULTRA IHC/ISH System is a strong plus.
• Experience with H&E staining, microtomy/tissue sectioning, microscopy, digital pathology, or image analysis is desirable.
• NGS and molecular biology experience is a plus, particularly with FFPE nucleic acid extraction, PCR/qPCR, NGS library preparation, or hybrid capture workflows.
• Experience with assay development and validation in a regulated clinical laboratory, molecular diagnostics, or LDT environment is preferred.
• Ability to independently design and execute experiments, interpret data, troubleshoot technical challenges, and determine appropriate next steps.
• Strong technical writing, communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced R&D environment.

The pay range is listed and actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications and specific office location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations.

Remote USA

$125,000 - $140,000 USD

Natera is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women's health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you'll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you'll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

Competitive Benefits - Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more. We also offer a generous employee referral program!

Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace environment, and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents.