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Life Science Startup Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Collate

AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA

$150K - $350K/yr

Comfort working in an early-stage startup where ambiguity is high and ownership is expected. * Motivation to apply AI to life sciences in a way that prioritizes reliability, safety, and impact. Why ...

Collate

AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA

$150K - $350K/yr

Comfort working in an early-stage startup where ambiguity is high and ownership is expected. * Motivation to apply AI to life sciences in a way that prioritizes reliability, safety, and impact. Why ...

The ICE Group

DevOps Engineer, AWS Expert!

San Mateo, CA · On-site

Company Description ICE Group Client is a very well funded Life Sciences startup that is the leader in combining Big Data Analytics with IoT and massive Video Data Ingestion (CV & ML) . Their mission ...

Simple Solutions

Sr Applied LLM Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180K - $200K/yr

Are you comfortable with a high-intensity "startup hours" environment (roughly 12-14 hours/day) to hit aggressive growth targets? Preferred previous employers: Life Science Tech: Benchling, Viva.

Biotech Recruiting

Research Scientist

Poway, CA · On-site

$75K - $90K/yr

... and life science research markets. Your work won't sit on a shelf; it'll ship to labs that depend ... You'll have the freedom to lead projects and make technical decisions in a startup-speed ...

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Life Science Startup information

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$23.5K

$94.8K

$174.3K

How much do life science startup jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for life science startup in California is $94,767.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $53,857.00 and $128,768.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Life Science Startup position, and why are they important?

To thrive at a Life Science Startup, you need a strong background in biological sciences, biotechnology, or a related field, often supported by an advanced degree or relevant experience. Technical expertise in laboratory techniques, data analysis software, and regulatory compliance systems is commonly required. Initiative, adaptability, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to communicate ideas clearly are key soft skills in this setting. These competencies are crucial for navigating the fast-paced, multidisciplinary nature of startups, driving innovation, and translating scientific discoveries into viable products.

What is a Life Science Startup job?

A Life Science Startup job involves working at an early-stage company focused on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or healthcare innovations. Employees in these roles may work in research, product development, regulatory affairs, or business operations. Startups often require a mix of scientific expertise and entrepreneurial mindset, with employees taking on diverse responsibilities. These jobs can be fast-paced and dynamic, offering opportunities for innovation and rapid career growth.

What are some typical challenges of working at a life science startup, and how can I prepare for them?

Working at a life science startup often involves navigating rapid changes, limited resources, and shifting priorities as the company grows and pivots. Team members are usually expected to wear multiple hats, balancing scientific research with project management, regulatory tasks, or business development activities. To succeed, it's important to be comfortable with uncertainty, proactive in problem-solving, and open to learning new skills outside your core area of expertise. Bringing a collaborative mindset and willingness to adapt will help you thrive and contribute meaningfully to the startup’s mission and success.

What are popular job titles related to Life Science Startup jobs in California? For Life Science Startup jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Life Science Startup jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Life Science Startup jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Life Science Startup jobs? Cities in California with the most Life Science Startup job openings:
Life Science Startup jobs near you

AI Engineer

Collate

San Francisco, CA

$150K - $350K/yr

Full-time

Posted 21 days ago

Job description

About Collate
 
Collate is an AI document generation platform for life sciences. We automate paperwork with AI, helping our customers get life-saving innovations to patients years faster. Collate is an end-to-end solution, powering every step of drug, diagnostic, and medical device development—from concept to market.
 
Our CEO Surbhi Sarna is a former General Partner at Y Combinator. Surbhi founded nVision Medical, which developed a new method to detect ovarian cancer and was acquired by Boston Scientific. Our CTO Nate Smith is a former Visiting Partner at Y Combinator and founder of Lever. Our AI researchers, engineers, and designers have worked at Google, Nvidia, Meta, Netflix, Amazon, AirBnB, Hippocratic AI, and Grail, and 40% of our team are former founders.
 
We’re an elite team, with $125M in funding from top investors (Redpoint, First Round Capital, CRV, Conviction, Y Combinator) and leaders in healthcare and AI. This is a rare chance to join an early-stage company with world-changing potential, experienced founders, and resources to execute at scale.
 
 
About the Role
 
We’re looking for an AI Engineer to help build and productionize the models and systems that power Collate’s products. You’ll work at the intersection of machine learning, software engineering, and product — turning cutting-edge research into reliable, user-facing capabilities.
 
This is an opportunity to shape how advanced AI is applied in Life sciences — a space where performance, safety, and trust matter as much as innovation. As one of the first AI-focused engineers at Collate, you’ll define the standards for how we evaluate, and deploy models that directly impact drug  and medical device development.
What You’ll Do
  • Prompt optimization, red-teaming, and improving robustness of LLMs for life-science NLP applications within Collate’s products.
  • Build pipelines and infrastructure to deploy AI systems reliably, safely, and at scale.
  • Collaborate with product, design, and engineering teams to translate user needs into AI-driven features.
  • Develop evaluation frameworks to ensure models are accurate, fair, and trustworthy in real-world life science settings.
  • Experiment rapidly, while balancing iteration speed with the rigor required for high-stakes applications.
  • Create tools and workflows that make AI development more efficient across the team.
What We’re Looking For
  • Hands-on experience building and deploying ML/AI systems in production.
  • Strong foundation in deploying search and retrieval systems and NLP applications.
  • Ability to bridge research and engineering — from prototyping models to shipping them in user-facing products.
  • Comfort working in an early-stage startup where ambiguity is high and ownership is expected.
  • Motivation to apply AI to life sciences in a way that prioritizes reliability, safety, and impact.
Why Join Collate?
 
Impact: Build systems and experiences that touch real patients and providers, improving healthcare outcomes.
 
Ownership: Shape both our product experience and our engineering culture from the start.
 
Learning: Collaborate with a uniquely interdisciplinary team—AI researchers, healthcare leaders, and experienced startup builders.
 
Upside: Join a company early enough to have meaningful equity and career-defining impact.
 
The base salary range for this role is $150,000–$350,000 USD annually, depending on experience and level (Tier 1, San Francisco)

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.