Analytical Assay Development Scientist

Oath•Vacaville, CA

2d•$100,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

Oath is a leading microbial sciences company focused on using natural soil biology to address climate change and promote sustainable agriculture. We are seeking an experienced Scientist to join our R&D team as our primary Analytical Assay Development Scientist. This role involves developing, validating, and operationalizing quantitative analytical assays for live microbial products across R&D, bioprocess development, and manufacturing. You will play a key role in bridging the gap between R&D and industrial-scale manufacturing, ensuring the quality and performance of our microbial products. Your work will directly influence how Oath cultivates, processes, stores, and applies its products, and how their performance is understood in the field. The position requires a Ph.D. or equivalent experience in a relevant scientific field and 5+ years of experience in developing and optimizing quantitative assays for microbial-based processes and products. Strong analytical skills, familiarity with microbiome science, and proficiency with relevant software are essential. Preferred qualifications include experience in a corporate R&D environment, mentorship, CRO management, DoE, and SQL.

Requirements

Ph.D. (or equivalent experience) in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbial Ecology, or a related field.
5+ years of experience developing and optimizing quantitative assays for microbial-based processes and/or products.
Extensive experience developing and operationalizing microbial assays, including optimization of assay signal-to-noise ratio, accuracy, and precision.
Demonstrated ability to use DNA-based and other methods to quantify microbial abundance, physiological state, distribution, and activity.
Familiarity with microbiome science, microbial physiology and life cycles (including sporulation), fermentation/cultivation, and/or agricultural yield drivers.
Track record of designing and executing high-quality assay development plans, including experience with nucleic acid-based microbe detection and measurement approaches.
Strong capabilities analyzing large, complex datasets using statistical methods to generate actionable, strategic recommendations.
Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate scientific literature and translate outside innovations into in-house capabilities.
Effective communicator of technical and organizational topics with colleagues across multiple disciplines; strong interpersonal and collaboration skills.
Proficiency with LIMS systems (e.g., Benchling), statistical analysis and data visualization software (e.g., R, Spotfire, Tableau, JMP), and project management tools (e.g., Asana, Jira).

Nice To Haves

2+ years of experience developing assays for microbe-based products in a corporate R&D environment.
Prior experience with mentorship, technical leadership, or people management.
Experience vetting and managing CROs.
Experience with Design of Experiments (DoE) approaches to optimizing quantitative analytical assay methods, including sample preparation protocols.
Experience using SQL queries and relational databases.

Responsibilities

Develop, optimize, validate, and execute quantitative analytical assays to evaluate microbial strain status and product quality throughout cultivation/fermentation, downstream processing (drying, formulation, blending), storage, and soil/seed application.
Characterize the precision, accuracy, and scalability of methods for quantifying live microbial titer in single-strain and multi-strain formulations.
Lead sample-preparation and assay optimization efforts using methods such as qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, amplicon sequencing, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), RNA-Seq, classical plate-count/CFU methods, and other microbiological and analytical techniques.
Develop, validate, and oversee execution of colonization and persistence assays to assess microbial strain abundance and dynamics in the rhizosphere and on plant tissues.
Support efforts to connect lab-scale assay results with real-world product performance after field application.
Maintain deep expertise in the scientific and technological literature describing the advantages and limitations of product-relevant assay types, and bring forward emerging methods with potential to improve Oath's analytical capabilities.
Deliver data-driven recommendations on assays, microbial strains, production methods, blending, formulation, shelf life, and application methods to cross-functional stakeholders.
Engage as a key thought leader in the strategic development of Oath's R&D and process development platforms.
Identify, evaluate, and coordinate with CROs, collaborators, and service providers to support assay development and execution.
Review external data packages and technical reports to ensure rigorous, high-quality execution consistent with Oath's standards.
Implement sample tracking and automation solutions as needed.
Help guide development of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS); thoroughly document sample tracking, processes, procedures, and operations.
Collaborate closely with colleagues in bioinformatics, data science, microbiological cultivation and testing, production/manufacturing, business development, regulatory, and field science to ensure assays meet the needs of every stage of the product life cycle.
As the team grows, mentor and/or manage junior scientists and research associates supporting the analytical assay function.