Associate Scientist, R&D

Natera • Austin, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Join Natera's Bio Development team as an Associate Scientist to design, optimize, and validate molecular assays for our market-leading non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) platform. This role bridges molecular biology with high-throughput liquid handling automation to directly impact patient care. The ideal candidate possesses strong experience in assay development, automated workflows, and data analysis, operating with an ownership mindset to convert scientific data into scalable clinical protocols.

Requirements

• BA/BS with 6+ years of experience OR MS with 3+ years of experience in assay development and automation within the life sciences industry
• Demonstrated track record of developing, optimizing, and validating manual and automated protocols
• Strong underlying scientific knowledge of nucleic acid extraction, PCR, NGS library preparation, and hybrid capture technologies
• Hands-on experience in reagent preparation and quality control for NGS-associated assays
• Direct experience implementing, optimizing, and troubleshooting high-throughput automated assays utilizing liquid handler robotics
• Experience designing and executing formal design control studies, including stability, guard banding, reproducibility, repeatability, and validation
• Prior experience operating within a regulated laboratory environment (CLIA, CAP, or FDA)
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration, organizational, and time management skills

Nice To Haves

• Data analysis and scripting proficiency in Python or R, along with liquid handler programming experience, is highly preferred

Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and execute complex laboratory experiments autonomously to advance non-invasive prenatal test development
• Analyze experimental data using advanced analytical tools, providing data-driven insights and troubleshooting laboratory processes
• Own and document technical workflows, summarizing findings in research reports and laboratory presentations
• Partner cross-functionally with Clinical Laboratory Operations (CLIA), Quality Assurance (QA), and Automation Engineering to ensure methods meet rigorous quality and regulatory standards
• Write standard operating procedures (SOPs) and technical documentation to seamlessly transfer protocols to manufacturing and operations teams
• Train junior team members and operator teams on newly developed protocols
• Maintain deep professional expertise by staying current with scientific literature relevant to cell-free DNA and nucleic acid technologies

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents
• Free testing for employees and their immediate families
• Fertility care benefits
• Pregnancy and baby bonding leave
• 401k benefits
• Commuter benefits
• Generous employee referral program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level