Senior Principal Protein Scientist — Onsite Team Leader

Ideaya Biosciences, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

401k

Employee stock purchase plan

Wellness programs

Job summary

IDEAYA Biosciences in South San Francisco seeks a Senior Principal Research Scientist to lead Protein Sciences, supervise a small team, and solve challenging protein-production problems across multiple programs. You will oversee expression, purification, and characterization using bacterial and insect-cell systems, contributing to a diverse drug-discovery portfolio.

You will work onsite four days a week, collaborating with Bioassays, Biophysics, Structural Biology, and Data Science to drive

Qualifications

• PhD with 9+ years’ hands‑on expertise in recombinant protein production using bacterial and insect-cell expression systems; mammalian expression desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to independently develop and troubleshoot purification strategies for challenging proteins and protein complexes.
• Hands‑on experience with protein characterization methods such as SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, concentration determination, analytical SEC, thermal-stability methods, and aggregation assessment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day work and priorities of the Protein Sciences team in alignment with drug-discovery program needs.
• Develop and execute protein-expression and purification strategies for challenging proteins and complexes.
• Perform and oversee construct design, expression testing, purification, characterization, and troubleshooting for complex proteins.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality, fit-for-purpose protein reagents for biochemical, biophysical, structural, and screening applications.
• Partner with Bioassays, Biophysics, Structural Biology, Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Data Science to translate results into program decisions.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop research associates and PhD-level scientists.
• Identify, engage, and coordinate CROs for protein production and related activities; ensure timely delivery.
• Communicate strategies, findings, risks, and recommendations to project teams and leadership.

Skills

Protein expression

Protein purification

Protein characterization

Team leadership

Communication skills

Education

PhD in related field

Tools

SDS-PAGE

Western blotting

SEC‑MALS

Analytical SEC

Job description

IDEAYA Biosciences in South San Francisco seeks a Senior Principal Research Scientist to lead Protein Sciences, supervise a small team, and solve challenging protein-production problems across multiple programs. You will oversee expression, purification, and characterization using bacterial and insect-cell systems, contributing to a diverse drug-discovery portfolio.

You will work onsite four days a week, collaborating with Bioassays, Biophysics, Structural Biology, and Data Science to drive