Associate Director, Cell Based Assays

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Job description

About the role

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. As a Senior Scientist, you will report to Senior Director, Cell Based Assays in the Analytical Development Technical Operations group to build cell-based/functional assay capabilities at Sana. This Scientist will join an innovative, multi-disciplinary team developing functional methods, instrumentation, and data analysis to support the advancement of Sana's pipeline. You will work with Scientists within Research, Process Development, and Analytical Development to determine the appropriate methodologies to assess cell health, phenotype and function.

What you'll do

• Develop MOA-reflective assays for use in both regulated (lot release, in-process, stability testing) and un-regulated environments (characterization, high throughput screening)
• Design functional assays to support company objectives
• Evaluate assay platforms and new technologies to improve data and throughput while reducing acquisition/analysis time
• Provide analytical support to advance process development

What we're looking for

• Ph.D. in cell, molecular biology, or related field with 5+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience in academic research or industry. BA or MS plus 8+ years or equivalent combination of education and work experience. Deep subject matter expertise and an emerging leader
• Strong knowledge of cell-based functional assay principles and strategies, method development, optimization, data analysis
• Strong, demonstrated experience with multiple functional assay instrumentation platforms, including, for example live cell imaging, FRET, absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, ECL
• Experience with or expertise in allogenic CAR-T or cell therapies desired
• Experience with flow-based applications a plus

What will separate you from the crowd

• Familiarity with development and /or commercialization of cell-based therapeutics, including the development of analytical methods
• Knowledge of relevant application of automation a plus
• Ability to work in a high paced team environment, meet deadlines, and prioritize work from multiple projects

What you should know

• Ability to lift moderate loads, 25lbs
• Occasional travel to other sites (1-2x a year to Seattle and/or Cambridge)
• Working safely in person on a predictable and regular basis is an essential job function for this position and the Company requires that all individuals working in-person, subject to certain exceptions, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

How we work together

• Lead from every seat - we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team - we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen - we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off, parental leave, short- and long-term disability, financial wellness programs, a 401(k) Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.