Research Automation Lead

Retro Biosciences is a fast-growing biopharma startup using high-throughput, high-dimensional approaches to develop therapies for diseases driven by the biology of aging. We are looking to expand our exceptional team at our Redwood City location.

We are looking for a highly organized and self-motivated person to lead our Research Automation team. The research automation team is a multifaceted team of scientists and engineers who partner with our scientific programs to automate and streamline their processes and accelerate the science. As a leader of the team, you will coordinate the team’s efforts towards the highest-impact solutions for Retro. You should be someone who craves a challenge and feels energized to roll up their sleeves alongside the group. You will report to the CEO. 

This position is an onsite role based in Redwood City. 

Responsibilities

• Work cross-functionally to develop a deep understanding of the scientific processes and identify the key bottlenecks that could be improved with automation.
• Research and continually develop your knowledge of state-of-the-art tools that Retro can use to advance our research in innovative ways.
• Work in lock-step with scientific teams to automate key experiments and increase research velocity, as well as develop novel assays in-house.
• Develop a deep understanding of the skills within the automation team in order to most effectively allocate team time and resources.
• Work as a collaborative leader to align automation team on the highest-impact work for Retro as a whole.

Qualifications (at least 2/3 of these):

• Highly knowledgeable in a bio/technical or bioengineering discipline with 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Knowledge of commercial liquid handling systems.
• Experience with assay development.
• Proficiency with any major programming language (especially python).
• Experience with one or more of the following standard life-science application areas: microbiology, molecular biology, flow cytometry, high content analysis (HCA), high throughput screening (HTS), genomics, and sequencing.

You will enjoy this role if:

• You are excited about 10x faster iteration loops than big pharma & academic labs and vertical integration of core, mission-critical functions.
• You enjoy highly cross-functional work and can balance multiple competing priorities.
• You lead through collaboration with and empowerment of your team.
• You practice clear and direct communication.
• You iterate rapidly to find the unknown unknowns.
• You are happy to jump in and help with any task that comes your way.
• You are enthusiastic about creatively experimenting, learning, and improving.