A Bit About Us:
We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms.
The Opportunity:
We are seeking a Core Technologies Lead who can help build and manage a team of experimental specialists that provide critical research support across science teams. Our current core technologies include advanced microscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology/genetic engineering, cell cultivation and biology, assay development, and chemistry. We plan to apply high throughput and automated approaches to workflows within each area.
An ideal candidate is an experienced and knowledgeable wet lab scientist who is a strategic experimental problem solver across a wide range of scientific areas. In collaboration with our science teams, they should be able to quickly identify technical bottlenecks in our research and address these by developing and implementing solutions with the Core Technologies team. They should be excited to scale recurring challenges through automation or more efficient service workflows. Enthusiasm for developing robust and reproducible data and documentation practices that accelerate Arcadia’s open science work is a must.
As the first lead of a new division of Core Technologies, the Lead will have a unique opportunity to truly shape the strategy and future directions of Core Technologies at Arcadia. We expect the Core Technologies Lead to quickly build and manage a new team. This will include working alongside leadership to develop strategic goals for Core Technologies, identifying critical hiring needs, and leading the recruitment and management of new team members. At this early stage, we also expect the Lead to spend some fraction of their own effort (30-50%) doing experimental work as they grow the team. While this fraction will likely go down over time, candidates must be well-versed in at least one of our core technological areas such that they can also do independent, hands-on experimentation themselves.
We are in the midst of scaling our research operations at Arcadia. Therefore, we are seeking someone with direct industry experience who knows how to nimbly address experimental needs, iterate on strategies, and quickly grow a team within a fast-paced, biotech start-up environment. We expect the Lead to also work well with our software engineers and bioinformaticians, so they should have a solid grasp of best data and computational practices. They must also work smoothly with our Operations team to co-develop research infrastructure as we expand various efforts across the organization.
Key Responsibilities
- Building and managing our new Core Technologies team, consisting of 4-6 scientists with specializations across key technology areas
- Creating processes to identify and support core experimental needs across the organization
- Collaborating with scientists to set up and potentially automate central, recurring workflows
- Seeking out and managing CRO support when needed
- Setting strategy and budget for Core Technologies
- Working closely with Lab Operations to acquire and maintain equipment and reagents
- Ensuring methodology and results for Core Technologies work is clearly documented, such that it can be reproducible, reusable, and quickly published
Requirements
- Ph.D. in the life sciences
- 10+ years experience in direct wet-lab research experience (including Ph.D.)
- 2+ years experience in a scaling biotech start-up
- 2+ years experience in industry team management (>2 direct reports)
- Demonstrable expertise in at least one of these wet lab technologies: microscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology/genetic engineering, cell cultivation and biology, assay development, and chemistry
- Some basic experience with data and computation best practices
- Direct experience with electronic lab notebook and other digital documentation/data storage practices
- Clear and succinct verbal and written communicator
Preferred skills
- Direct experience implementing high throughput/automation strategies to common experimental workflows
- Ability to do some light programming, especially for automation workflows
- Expertise in >1 core wet lab technologies (listed above)
- Experience teaching or training others
Successful applicants can expect to be compensated between $165 -200K with benefits and a highly competitive equity offering, depending on experience level and familiarity with cutting edge technologies for lab operations. The Core Technologies Lead is part of Arcadia’s growing Engineering team and will build and oversee a small team.
Arcadia is a fully on-site team. The position will require the individual to also be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters.
Application Process:
Interested applicants should send a resume and fully answer all application questions addressing their interest in and qualifications for the position. Please note that failure to follow instructions and address all questions will lead to automatic disqualification.
Arcadia Science is an equal-opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work.
Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.
