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Bioassay Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Revvity

Scientist II - Bioassay

San Diego, CA · On-site

$100K - $120K/yr

Job Title Scientist II - Bioassay Location(s) San Diego - BioLegend About Us Revvity is a developer and provider of end-to-end solutions designed to help scientists, researchers, and clinicians solve ...

BioLegend

Scientist - Bioassay GMP

San Diego, CA

Bioassay GMP scientist will interact with other departments to maintain continuous project flow while complying with GLP/GMP standards. Essential Functions Reasonable accommodations may be made to ...

ProFarm

Technician, Invertebrate Pest Biology

Davis, CA · On-site

$23 - $30/hr

The Technician will prepare materials for bioassays, rear and maintain insect colonies, support plant and greenhouse care, and maintain clean, organized work areas. The IPB Technician will also ...

Fladger Associates

Lab Tech - I

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$20.25 - $27/hr

Maintain, calibrate and operate equipment and instruments supporting cell bioassays, Flow Cytometry, ELISA and PCR assays * Work with internal resources to maintain lab in an optimal state * Perform ...

Eurofins

Senior Scientist, Analytical Development

Fremont, CA · On-site

$100K - $136K/yr

Bioassay Design, Development, Qualification, and Transfer * Design, develop, optimize, and qualify cell-based bioassays supporting potency, lot release, product characterization, stability, and ...

ProFarm

Assistant Scientist I

Davis, CA · On-site

$70K - $75K/yr

Responsibilities and Duties: * Assist in the design and execution of plant bioassay experiments to advance our understanding of plant-microbe interactions, at both small scale (lab) and large scale ...

ProFarm

Quality Control Technician

Davis, CA · On-site

$24 - $30/hr

Conduct microbial, insect, and plant bioassays, evaluate and record results * Set up, sterilize, clean, calibrate, and maintain lab equipment * Prepare a variety of media types and laboratory ...

SRI International

Intern, Sleep Lab

Menlo Park, CA · On-site

$17.55 - $23/hr

... bioassays, and multimodal MRI. Interns will work alongside an interdisciplinary research team and gain practical experience across different stages of clinical and translational sleep research. The ...

SRI International

Intern, Sleep Lab

Menlo Park, CA · On-site

$17.55 - $23/hr

... bioassays, and multimodal MRI. Interns will work alongside an interdisciplinary research team and gain practical experience across different stages of clinical and translational sleep research. The ...

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All JobsBioassay JobsBioassay Jobs in California

Bioassay information

See California salary details

$11

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How much do bioassay jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 2, 2026, the average hourly pay for bioassay in California is $25.13, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.27 and $30.62 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a bioassay?

A bioassay is a scientific procedure that uses living organisms, cells, or tissues to measure the potency or concentration of a substance, such as a drug, hormone, or chemical compound. Bioassays help determine the biological activity of a substance by observing its effects on the test system. These assays are crucial in pharmaceutical development, environmental monitoring, and quality control to ensure safety and efficacy.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a bioassay scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Bioassay Scientist, you need a solid background in biology, chemistry, or related sciences, often supported by at least a bachelor's or master's degree. Familiarity with laboratory equipment, data analysis software (like GraphPad Prism), and regulatory standards such as GLP is typically required. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective teamwork are crucial soft skills in this field. These skills and qualifications are essential to ensure accurate, reliable biological data and compliance with industry standards in drug development and quality control.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working in bioassay roles, and how can they be addressed?

One of the main challenges in bioassay roles is ensuring the accuracy and reproducibility of experimental results, as biological systems can be inherently variable. Professionals often need to meticulously optimize assay conditions and maintain strict quality control to minimize variability. Additionally, interpreting complex biological data and troubleshooting unexpected results are frequent aspects of the job. Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, such as analytical chemists and quality assurance specialists, helps address these challenges and ensures reliable outcomes.

What is the difference between Bioassay vs Laboratory Technician?

AspectBioassayLaboratory Technician
Required CredentialsTypically requires a degree in biology, biochemistry, or related fields; certifications may enhance prospectsUsually requires a high school diploma or associate degree; technical certifications are common
Work EnvironmentConducted mainly in research labs, pharmaceutical companies, or biotech firmsWorks in various lab settings, hospitals, or manufacturing facilities
Industry UsagePrimarily in biotech, pharmaceuticals, and research institutionsWidely used across healthcare, manufacturing, and research sectors

Bioassay professionals focus on testing biological activity of substances, often involving complex experiments and data analysis. Laboratory Technicians perform routine lab tasks, sample preparation, and equipment maintenance. While both roles require laboratory skills, bioassay roles tend to involve more specialized testing and analysis, whereas lab technicians support general lab operations.

What are popular job titles related to Bioassay jobs in California?

For Bioassay jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Bioassay jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Bioassay jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Bioassay jobs?

Cities in California with the most Bioassay job openings:

Bioassay jobs near you
Infographic showing various Bioassay job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $52,269 per year, or $25.1 per hour.

Director, Bioassay Development

Denali Therapeutics

South San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Retirement

Re-posted 4 days ago

Job description

Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the largest medical challenges of our time. Denali Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing breakthrough therapies for neurodegenerative diseases through our deep commitment to degeneration biology and principles of translational medicine. Denali is founded on the collaboration of leading scientists, industry experts, and investors who share the vision that scientific discovery energetically applied to translational medicine is the key to delivering effective therapies to patients.
We invite you to consider an opportunity with Denali to help achieve our goal of delivering meaningful therapeutics to patients.
We are seeking a Director, Bioassay Development to lead the Bioassay Development function within the Technical Operations Analytical & Formulation Development organization. This leader will provide strategic leadership to a team responsible for potency assay development and plate-based impurity assay development for complex protein biologics across a pipeline spanning early clinical development through commercial lifecycle management. The Director will be expected to balance commercial-ready assay rigor with phase-appropriate development for emerging programs, while building platform capabilities that can be leveraged across related protein biologic modalities. In addition, the individual will be expected to have program-specific responsibilities driving assay development and potency strategy for one or more programs.
The role requires deep technical expertise in biologics potency methods, ligand-binding and cell-based assay platforms, method qualification and validation, assay transfer, regulatory filings, and GMP readiness. The Director will mentor a team, build functional capability, influence CMC strategy, and deliver bioassay methods that support the development and commercialization of innovative protein biologics for serious diseases.
This highly visible leadership role is expected to partner closely with Process Development, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Regulatory CMC, Pharmaceutical Development, Translational Sciences, Program Teams, and external CRO/CDMO partners to ensure that bioassay strategies support clinical development, regulatory submissions, commercial readiness, and product lifecycle management.
Key Accountabilities / Core Responsibilities
  • Lead the Bioassay Development sub-function within CMC Analytical Development, providing scientific, technical, and people leadership for potency methods and plate-based impurity assays supporting protein biologics across the development lifecycle.
  • Develop and implement phase-appropriate bioassay strategies for programs spanning early development, clinical-stage advancement, late-stage readiness, and commercial lifecycle support, ensuring methods are fit for purpose at each stage.
  • Drive development of robust, mechanism-of-action-based potency and plate-based impurity methods for complex biologics, including enzymatic activity, receptor binding, cellular uptake, signaling, functional cell-based assays, reporter assays, and other relevant biological readouts.
  • Lead program-specific potency assay strategy and development, including assay design, development, optimization, qualification, validation, transfer, and lifecycle management in alignment with product mechanism of action, critical quality attributes, and regulatory expectations.
  • Mentor, develop, and grow a high-performing team of scientists, providing technical guidance, career development, prioritization, feedback, and coaching. Includes leading direct report(s) through annual goal setting, growth planning, adherence to company policies, maintain training compliance and provide ongoing feedback on growth, development and areas of improvement.
  • Build a culture of scientific excellence, collaboration, accountability, and pragmatic problem solving, ensuring the team applies rigorous experimental design, sound data interpretation, strong documentation practices, and phase-appropriate decision-making.
  • Partner cross-functionally with Process Development, QC, QA, Regulatory CMC, Translational Sciences, Program Leadership, and external partners to ensure bioassay strategies support process understanding, control strategy, comparability, release, stability, and regulatory submissions.
  • Establish and maintain assay control strategies, including reference standards, critical reagents, system suitability criteria, assay acceptance criteria, statistical models, trending approaches, and lifecycle monitoring.
  • Provide technical leadership for assay troubleshooting, method transfer, regulatory support, and external laboratory oversight, ensuring bioassay methods are robust, reproducible, compliant, and capable of supporting key CMC and program milestones.

Qualifications/Skills:
  • Typically requires a Ph.D. in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, or a related discipline with 10+ years of directly relevant biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, including 8+ years in a people leadership role (or M.S. with 14+ years of relevant experience).
  • Deep technical expertise in bioassay development for protein biologics, including ligand-binding and cell-based potency methods and plate-based impurity assay formats.
  • Hands-on experience developing potency assays for complex biologics such as recombinant proteins, enzymes, Fc-fusion proteins, monoclonal antibodies, bispecifics, receptor-targeted biologics, or other engineered protein therapeutics.
  • Strong knowledge of assay statistics, design of experiments, reference standard strategy, assay trending, and troubleshooting of complex biological assays.
  • Demonstrated experience with plate-based impurity assays, host cell protein ELISA, residual DNA, residual affinity ligands, process residuals, or product/process-specific impurities.
  • Strong understanding of CMC development for biologics, including analytical control strategy, critical quality attributes, reference standards, method qualification, validation, transfer, comparability, stability, and specification setting.
  • Experience supporting biologics programs across multiple development stages, ideally including early clinical development, late-stage development, regulatory filing, commercial launch, or post-approval lifecycle management.
  • Prior experience managing experienced scientists and leading a functional or sub-functional team within Analytical Development, CMC, Technical Operations, or Quality Control.
  • Strong working knowledge of GMP expectations and regulatory requirements for biologics analytical methods.
  • Experience authoring or reviewing regulatory submission content and responding to regulatory questions related to analytical methods.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, prioritize across multiple programs, and make phase-appropriate technical decisions in a fast-moving biotech environment.

Salary Range: $208,000.00 to $271,000.00 . Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Denali offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k, healthcare coverage, ESPP and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at https://www.denalitherapeutics.com/careers
This compensation and benefits information is based on Denali's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.
Denali is committed to its core company value of unity by creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

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