Senior Scientist– Antibody Characterization

Xaira; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 136,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Xaira Therapeutics in the San Francisco Bay Area seeks a Senior Scientist to lead antibody characterization in the Protein Analytics team. The role emphasizes hands-on lab work, high-throughput antibody screening, and rigorous data analysis to support antibody discovery and developability assessments.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience with ELISA, BLI, SPR (Carterra/ Biacore), with a PhD and 5+ years in biophysics or related fields, or an MS/BS with 10+ years.

Qualifications

• PhD with 5+ years in biophysics, biochemistry, structural biology, or related field, or BS/MS with 10+ years.
• Candidates with fewer years are welcome and leveling can be adjusted.
• Extensive experience screening antibodies including monoclonals, bispecifics, and related molecules.
• Hands-on ELISA, BLI and SPR on Carterra or Biacore platforms.
• Knowledge of protein production and characterization techniques (affinity, ion exchange, HIC, DLS, DSF, SEC).
• Proficient in data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism) and statistics.

Responsibilities

• Support discovery and development of therapeutic molecules through hands-on lab work.
• Characterize antibodies via BLI and SPR to obtain binding, kinetics and affinity data.
• Screen antibodies for off-target binding via ELISA and poly-specificity assays.
• Perform early developability assessment using SPR, DLS, DSF, SEC and ELISA.
• Support additional workflows including fluorescence-based assays and automation.
• Analyze data, curate results and present findings to cross-functional teams.
• Maintain experimental records in an ELN and ensure lab safety and organization.

Skills

Antibody screening

BLI

SPR

ELISA

Data analysis

Independent work

Self-starter

Collaboration

Lab techniques

Biophysics basics

Education

PhD + 5+ years

BS/MS + 10+ years

Tools

Carterra

Biacore

Job description

Senior Scientist, Antibody Characterization

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

As a part of the Protein Analytics team, you will play a crucial role in discovering and developing novel biotherapeutics. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience characterization of monoclonal and bi/multispecific antibodies within a biotherapeutics discovery setting, coupled with a proactive and can-do attitude. This is a hands-on, lab-based position.

Responsibilities:

• Support the discovery and development of therapeutic molecules through hands-on laboratory work.
• Characterize antibodies in high-throughput manner via biolayer interferometry (BLI) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based biosensor platforms to determine Yes/No binding, Kinetics and Affinity information.
• Screen antibodies and other antibody-like molecules for off-target binding assessment via BVP ELISA or other poly-specificity/poly-reactivity assays.
• Perform early developability assessment on antibody panels using SPR, DLS, DSF, SEC and ELISA platforms.
• Support other workflows as needed, including fluorescence-based binding assays and assay automation.
• Analyze experimental data, curate results and reports, and present findings to cross-functional teams.
• Maintain experimental records in an ELN.
• Ensure compliance with laboratory safety protocols and contribute to lab organization and operations.

Qualifications:

• PhD degree in a relevant discipline with 5+ years of industry experience or aBS/MS degree with 10+ years of industry experience in biophysics, biochemistry, structural biology, or a related discipline
  • Candidates with fewer years of experience are also encouraged to apply, and the leveling of the role can be adjusted if needed
• Extensive experience in antibody screening including monoclonals, bispecific, and other antibody-like molecules.
• Extensive hands-on experience with ELISA, BLI and SPR based platforms (Carterra, Biacore).
• Basic knowledge of protein production, purification and characterization techniques (including affinity, ion exchange, HIC, DLS, DSF and SEC).
• Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism) and other statistical tools.
• Proactive attitude with a self-starter mindset.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong collaborative skills and interest in working in cross-functional teams and a startup environment.
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities.
• Ability to work independently with accountability and meticulous attention to detail.

CompensationWe 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 $136,000 - $170,000 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.

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

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 hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential 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 measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis 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 that 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.