Scientist II

Job Description

Target Pay Rate: 45-55/hr **salary will be commensurate with experience

The Opportunity

Join a dedicated team of scientists with diverse expertise within the Biospecimen Acquisition and Management team, part of the broader organization. Our team plays a crucial role in delivering essential biological materials to support product launches in the Molecular and Near Patient Care customer areas. The BioSpecimen Acquisition and Management function is a centralized service function which supports the acquisition, characterization, and management of biological materials, as well as build of select panels for clinical research and cultivation and characterization of various Microorganisms and Mammalian cell lines.

As a Scientist II, you will be an integral contributor, facilitating daily laboratory operations and managing sample delivery to fulfill service requests. Your efforts will provide project teams with the critical materials necessary to support new product launches. This position will be based on-site in Pleasanton, California.

Local Candidates Only

Specific Responsibilities

• Under minimal supervision, executes assigned project activities using established procedures and applying scientific knowledge and accumulated experience to complete projects involving manipulating human cell lines, microorganism and/or other
  
  

biological material.

• Perform standard microbiological techniques to culture diverse bacterial isolates under aerobic and anaerobic conditions for banking and delivery to clients. Responsible for maintaining and optimizing the growth of diverse microbes under various conditions.
• Makes recommendations to resolve problems encountered while performing procedures.
• Receives general direction; plans and executes own work. May act as a project lead.
• Maintains an effective scientific knowledge base and effectively uses broad scientific concepts to resolve problems of moderate scope and complexity.
• Analyzes alternative approaches to solve problems or develop new perspectives on existing solutions.
• Responsible for the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of all assigned projects, tasks and related activities. Summarizes experimental results, and reviews conclusions with supervisor/project leader. May communicate the results of experiments in the form of reports and presentations.
• Accountable for electronic records management and use of validated systems ensuring information is recorded in a timely manner, accurately and consistently.
• Performs work according to established internal safety guidelines and procedures, and as specified by appropriate external regulatory agencies (e.g., OSHA).
• Participates in routine lab maintenance, lab safety, ISO, and QSR implementation.
  
  

Position Requirements & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, or Microbiology or related field and 4+ years of relevant experience.
• Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, or Microbiology or related field and 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with aseptic techniques and bacterial or cell culture.
• Experience culturing within an anaerobic chamber preferred
• Experience performing bacterial enumeration, MPN and identification with MALDI-TOF. Familiarity with microbial taxonomy and identification.
• Must be able to manually manipulate samples (plating, pipetting, labeling and vialing) on a routine basis.
• Must be able to work in a laboratory environment on a daily basis under BSL-2 laboratory conditions. May work a variety of infectious human material (HxV, pathogenic bacteria, or engineered material, etc) and sample types (blood, serum, urine, stool etc).
• Must be able to work in a dynamic and collaborative team environment with multiple stakeholders across the organization.
• Understanding of good laboratory, data and documentation practices.
  
  

Preferred

• Flexibility with respect to projects, unique biological material handling requirements, and meeting client/organizational goals and expectations.
• Excellent analytical, problem solving, communication skills and strong data analysis skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced and cross-functional team.
• Good work ethic with a ‘can-do’ mentality and interest in approaching challenging questions with attention to details and independent, critical thinking.
• Able to grasp new concepts quickly.
• Knowledge of LIMS software and eLN.
• Experience with ddPCR.
• Project Management experience.
• Client facing experience is a plus.
  

The Planet Group of Companies is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.