Associate Scientist 1

Xencor•Pasadena, CA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Xencor is a public, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in the Los Angeles area (Pasadena) and in San Diego. Our focus is developing high-potential XmAb® bispecific T-cell engagers and additional engineered drug candidates that leverage our differentiated technology platforms, and we are advancing our pipeline toward clinical proof-of-concept decisions. Our goal is to create high-impact therapeutics for patients with cancer and other serious diseases. More than 20 XmAb drug candidates engineered with our technology are in clinical development, and three XmAb medicines have been marketed by partners. For more information, please visit www.xencor.com. We have an exciting opportunity for an Associate Scientist I–Biophysical Characterization & High-Throughput Screening, to join our team. This position is based fully onsite at our Pasadena, CA. site. SummaryWe are seeking a highly motivated Associate Scientist I to support antibody discovery, engineering, and characterization efforts across Xencor’s preclinical pipeline. This role will help advance antibody screening and developability assessments through hands-on execution of cell-based, flow cytometry, and biophysical assays that inform lead selection and project decisions. The ideal candidate will bring strong experimental and troubleshooting skills, with an interest in or experience leveraging automation, data analysis tools, and AI-assisted technologies to enhance assay workflows, data processing, and reporting capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, Cell Biology, Immunology, or related scientific discipline with 6+ years of relevant industry laboratory experience, or Master’s degree with 4+ years of relevant industry laboratory experience.
Strong hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, transient/stable cell line generation, and cell-based antibody screening assays, including binding and competition assays, reporter assays, and related screening technologies.
Demonstrated experience with multi-color flow cytometry and flow cytometry data analysis software (e.g., FlowJo, OMIQ, or equivalent).
Experience with high-throughput assay workflows and liquid handling systems.
Experience with scientific data analysis and visualization platforms such as Benchling, GraphPad Prism, SpotFire, or similar tools.
Demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot assays, optimize experimental workflows, and generate reproducible high-quality data.
Strong organizational, record-keeping, and communication skills with attention to detail.
Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic research environment.
Ability to follow the established Environmental Health & Safety rules, procedures, and/or BioSafety Guidelines
Ability to read and understand Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
Ability to be available and willing to work some weekends and evenings to conduct and complete experiments
Knowledge of biosafety techniques and aseptic/gowning practices
Experience with laboratory safety standards and procedures, including biohazard handling and disposal techniques, and the ability to ensure laboratory compliance with required safety regulations
Experience working with biological and chemical hazards, infectious agents, bloodborne pathogens and animal allergens
Experience working in and maintaining a sterile environment
Experience working with chemical and biological hazards
Thorough knowledge of the operation and maintenance of various lab equipment such as microscopes, centrifuges, spectrophotometers, balances, pH meters, and electrophoresis equipment, freezers, and incubators.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying scripting, data automation, or AI-assisted tools to improve experimental data processing, visualization, and reporting is strongly preferred.
Experience with plate-based biochemical and developability assays such as polyreactivity ELISA, thermal stability assays, self-association assays, or related methods is preferred.

Responsibilities

Support antibody discovery, engineering, and characterization activities by executing cell-based assays, multi-color flow cytometry, and plate-based developability assays.
Execute, optimize, and troubleshoot high-throughput experimental workflows, including liquid handling systems.
Analyze, interpret, document, and communicate experimental results to project teams in a clear and timely manner.
Contribute to the development and streamlining of data analysis and reporting workflows through scripting, workflow automation, and laboratory informatics tools.
Maintain accurate experimental records and ensure proper data integrity, traceability, and documentation practices.
Support laboratory operations through routine instrument maintenance, inventory management, reagent preparation, and sample tracking.