Associate Downstream Process Development Scientist Jobs in California

About Plasmidsaurus
Plasmidsaurus is on a mission to accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking a new level of productivity for scientists. Our sequencing services are used daily by thousands of innovators, including Nobel laureates, Fortune 100 pharma, and over 70,000 scientists.
We began by revolutionizing plasmid sequencing, making it exponentially cheaper and faster, with innovative sequencing technologies and a global network of laboratories that turn samples into answers in hours, not weeks.
Now we are expanding that same disruptive model across all of genomics. With the launch of our new RNA-seq service, we are taking a bold step toward our vision to sequence everything, providing scientists everywhere with faster, simpler, and more affordable access to the data that powers discovery.
Every team member at Plasmidsaurus plays a crucial role in driving the future of biotech research. Together, we are building the world's most efficient sequencing engine that operates overnight, scales globally, and helps scientists make breakthroughs faster than ever before.
Role Overview
Plasmidsaurus is building new sequencing products that can move from promising science to reliable, high-volume production. As a Process Development Scientist, you will own that transition.
You will identify bottlenecks, failure modes, and scaling challenges in our sequencing workflows-starting with RNA sequencing-and develop practical solutions that make our products faster, more reliable, and easier to operate at scale. Your work will sit at the intersection of R&D and production, helping new technologies become robust production processes.
What You'll Do

• Lead process development efforts for production-scale sequencing workflows.
• Identify root causes of process failures and design experiments that improve robustness, throughput, and ease of operation.
• Partner with Production to reduce failures, decrease technician intervention, and improve workflow efficiency.
• Work closely with R&D during product development to ensure new products are designed with scale and manufacturability in mind.
• Drive technology transfer from development into production, helping new products launch smoothly and scale successfully.
• Collaborate across Product, Bioinformatics, Automation, Production, Commercial, Custom, and Platform teams to solve complex technical problems.
• Guide the work of Research Associates and Laboratory Technicians as projects require.

What Success Looks Like
The First Three Months
You understand where our production workflows struggle today and have identified the highest-leverage opportunities for improvement.
You've already implemented meaningful process improvements that reduce failures, simplify operations, or improve turnaround time. Production teams feel supported and have greater confidence in the processes they run every day.
Within Six Months
Several process improvements are in production and delivering measurable results. Technology transfers move more smoothly, production issues are identified and resolved faster, and new products are arriving in production with fewer surprises.
You have become a trusted partner to both R&D and Production, helping bridge the gap between development and scale.
Within One Year
Process development has become a competitive advantage. Production workflows are more reliable, easier to operate, and better prepared for growth.
New products transition into production more efficiently, scaling creates less operational strain, and R&D teams have more capacity to focus on developing the next generation of sequencing products.
Who You Are
You enjoy solving complex biological systems and thinking from first principles. You care as much about whether a process works at scale as whether it works in a single experiment.
You bring strong molecular biology expertise and experience developing, optimizing, and scaling laboratory processes in an industry setting. You understand the realities of high-volume operations and can balance scientific rigor with practical execution.
You are comfortable working across functions and can communicate effectively with scientists, operators, engineers, and business teams. You bring clear opinions, but you're collaborative, curious, and willing to change your mind when the data supports it.
Your Background

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field preferred. Equivalent experience may be considered with an MS plus 8+ years of experience or a BS plus 12+ years of experience.
• 3-6 years of industry experience in process development, assay development, or R&D.
• Strong molecular biology and experimental design skills.
• Experience scaling biological processes into high-volume operation.
• Familiarity with laboratory automation and the tradeoffs involved in scaling automated workflows.
• Experience supporting product launches, process launches, or technology transfer is a strong plus.
• Programming, instrumentation, or data analysis experience is a plus.
• Experience guiding the work of technical team members, even without direct management responsibility.

This role is onsite in our South San Francisco, CA headquarters and will require ~10% travel.
We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description as we seek out diverse and creative perspectives. Team members who love to learn and collaborate in an inclusive environment will thrive with us. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please let us know at careers@plasmidsaurus.com.