Senior Research Associate, NGS & IVD Assay Development

Natera; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 109,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health benefits

401(k) with company match

Generous paid time off

Wellness programs

Fertility care benefits

Job summary

Natera is seeking a Senior Research Associate to join the Early Cancer Detection product development team in California. The role focuses on process optimization and product verification studies to support automated, high‑throughput NGS assays intended for FDA submission and CLIA laboratory use.

The candidate should bring strong molecular biology expertise, experience with design controls, and the ability to work cross‑functionally with regulatory, QA, and engineering teams to deliver

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, or related field with 4+ years of industry experience or an MS with 2+ years in a research/assay development setting.
• Experience with IVD product development and design controls.
• Strong understanding of nucleic acid extraction, PCR, NGS library prep, and hybrid capture technologies.
• Hands-on experience with reagent prep and QC for NGS-based assays.
• Experience with high-throughput automated assays using liquid handlers.
• Experience in regulated lab environments (CLIA/CAP).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate automated high-throughput NGS assays for FDA submission and CLIA lab use.
• Implement technical projects with timelines and deliverables.
• Design and execute moderate to high complexity experiments with basic data analysis.
• Collaborate with assay development, QA, regulatory, and automation teams.
• Ensure methods meet Natera’s quality standards in collaboration with QA and CLIA teams.
• Write protocols, reports, and SOPs; train lab staff.
• Plan and execute verification activities; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Molecular biology

IVD design controls

Data analysis (JMP/Excel)

Coding (Python/R)

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulated lab experience (CLIA/CAP)

Project planning & time management

High-throughput NGS assays

Education

Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology/genetics/biochemistry/cell biology

MS in molecular biology or related field

Tools

JMP

Excel

Python

R

Liquid handling robots

Job description

Natera is seeking a Senior Research Associate to join the Early Cancer Detection product development team in California. The role focuses on process optimization and product verification studies to support automated, high‑throughput NGS assays intended for FDA submission and CLIA laboratory use.

The candidate should bring strong molecular biology expertise, experience with design controls, and the ability to work cross‑functionally with regulatory, QA, and engineering teams to deliver