Senior Scientist, Molecular Diagnostics & Assay Development

CareDx; Brisbane (CA); Hybrid; USD 139,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Gym reimbursement

401(k) match

Employee stock purchase plan

Pre-tax commuter benefits

Benefits details on company page

Job summary

CareDx is seeking an experienced Staff Scientist to lead sustaining, improvement and product development efforts for our transplant diagnostic assays in our CLIA laboratory. This role serves as a technical lead on cross-functional R&D programs to drive product improvements and innovative development.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in diagnostic product development for gene expression profiling, low input genomics, and regulated development, thriving in a collaborative, fast-paced

Qualifications

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Immunology, Genomics, or related field, with 8+ years in molecular diagnostic assay development.
• Deep expertise with gene expression profiling, nucleic acid extraction methods, low input nucleic acid assays, NGS workflows, and PCR/qPCR.
• Strong experience with assay development, optimization, and validation in regulated environments (CLIA/CAP/FDA/ISO).
• Proven ability to lead projects, solve complex technical problems, and collaborate across functions.
• Experience leading small teams, setting priorities, guiding experimental design, mentoring, and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Excellent communication, data analysis, and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for cross-functional programs, translating product needs into technical requirements and performance criteria.
• Lead assay optimization, troubleshooting, and sustaining improvements to ensure performance, robustness, and scalability of complex molecular diagnostic assays.
• Drive new product development, including experimental design, development, and analytical validation.
• Define and execute plans to validate assay performance in accordance with CLSI guidelines.
• Manage and mentor junior scientific personnel while ensuring high-quality data generation, analysis, and reporting.
• Partner cross-functionally (Bioinformatics, Clinical, Regulatory, Operations) to define development strategy and enable technology transfer.

Skills

Leadership/mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Communication skills

Experiment design

Education

PhD in Molecular Biology/Immunology/Genomics (or related)

Tools

NGS workflows

qPCR/PCR

Nucleic acid extraction

Job description

CareDx is seeking an experienced Staff Scientist to lead sustaining, improvement and product development efforts for our transplant diagnostic assays in our CLIA laboratory. This role serves as a technical lead on cross-functional R&D programs to drive product improvements and innovative development.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in diagnostic product development for gene expression profiling, low input genomics, and regulated development, thriving in a collaborative, fast-paced