Clinical Laboratory Associate II

Karius • Redwood City, CA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Clinical Laboratory Associate II (CLA II) is an enthusiastic, self-motivated individual with great communication skills. Along with the duties described below, this individual performs sample receiving and accessioning, performs routine preventive equipment and instrument maintenance, and assists in the performance of high complexity laboratory testing on patient specimens under the direct supervision of a CLS. The CLA II must demonstrate a high level of individual responsibility and accountability and possess the ability to perform to the requirements listed below. The CLA II must be comfortable in a rapidly evolving Biotech start-up environment. Karius aims to conquer infectious diseases through innovations around genomic sequencing and machine learning. The company’s platform is already delivering unprecedented insights into the microbial landscape, providing clinicians with a comprehensive test capable of identifying more than a thousand pathogens directly from blood, and helping industry accelerate the development of therapeutic solutions. The products Karius offers today are some of the most advanced solutions available to physicians who aim to deliver better care to many otherwise ineffectively treated patients. Our tests are the result of some incredible work done by our scientists, statisticians, engineers, and physicians, all driven by the same mission. You, as part of the Karius team, will be able to see how directly your work has a life-changing impact on people, and at scale.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Biological science or similar field required.
• 3+ (three) years of clinical laboratory experience, with 2+ (two) years of pertinent industry experience and increasing levels of responsibility within a molecular biology laboratory.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects independently, or with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrates personal accountability of assigned work and processes, consistently delivering results with quality, consistency, and attention to detail.
• Recognizes, communicates, and escalates issues, risks, or deviations in a timely and transparent manner.
• Adapts effectively to changing priorities and operational demands in a dynamic laboratory environment.
• Demonstrates awareness of how individual responsibilities impact adjacent workflows and overall laboratory operations.
• Demonstrates curiosity and learning agility, seeking to understand broader laboratory processes beyond immediate tasks and remaining open to feedback, coaching, and continuous skill development.
• Maintains a collaborative, respectful, and team-oriented approach to daily operations.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience with Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) preferred.
• Knowledge of aseptic techniques used in a microbiology laboratory is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Under supervision of licensed personnel, perform high complexity testing for commercial samples in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and laboratory SOPs.
• For non-commercial or clinical study samples, perform routine molecular test procedures including specimen processing, nucleic acid extraction, quantitative analysis, PCR, library construction, sequencing, and data analysis.
• Receive, unbox, and accession inbound biological samples per relevant SOPs; collaborate with the customer support team to obtain information necessary to complete the accessioning process.
• Prepare samples for processing in accordance with good laboratory practices and established contamination control procedures.
• Operate high-throughput integrated automation workstations and utilize laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and other infrastructure software in the performance of job duties
• Perform and document routine preventive maintenance for laboratory equipment and instruments.
• Support regulatory compliance through adherence to laboratory policies and procedures, and accurately document work performed.
• Flag SOPs for update; author or revise laboratory SOPs as directed.
• Identify, escalate, and support process improvement initiatives as appropriate.
• Provide training and support to junior or new laboratory staff as assigned.
• Perform all delegated activities as assigned in support of established timelines and quality standards.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by supervisory or laboratory leadership personnel
• In addition to those listed above, perform all duties and responsibilities of the CLA I position.

Benefits

• equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees
• honor and invest in the full diversity of people, in our hiring, recruiting and development of employees across the Company.

What This Job Offers

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