Position Summary

The Director, Molecular Sciences will lead the molecular services team, help create the scientific vision and overall direction of the Precision for Medicine (PFM) laboratory molecular services business unit. This role includes formulating and implementing a strategic scientific plan, including technology assessment, to support translational research in helping PFM achieve its goals of delivering innovative services to Precision’s global biopharmaceutical clients. Key responsibilities will be focused on the design, development and validation of molecular assays including the management of assigned scientists to ensure efficient organization and execution of experiments to generate high quality data. The Director must demonstrate both technical and scientific leadership as well as exceptional skills in building and leading a multi-faceted team in a competitive landscape.

Essential functions of the job include but are not limited to:

• Lead the development and implementation of molecular scientific services to support the Translational Research needs of PFM customers
• Oversee efficient and reliable sample processing related to molecular sciences assays
• Mentor scientific staff to design and perform experiments, independently and accurately analyze and present data to clients.
• Responsible for high quality output with the ability to build efficiency into improving productivity metrics
• Work with senior management to develop project timelines and track to these timelines with efficiency to maximize margins

• Lead, manage and allocate appropriate resources, including personnel and facilities, in a cost-efficient manner in order to achieve successful and timely completion of all projects, contracts, and department objectives, e.g., validation plans
• Assist in establishing and improving all procedures and required SOP documentation
• Responsible for trouble shooting and correcting scientific issues/problems
• Identify, update and implement emerging laboratory techniques including making innovative technology recommendations to senior management
• Responsible for ensuring all equipment in the molecular laboratory is appropriately qualified, that preventative maintenances are performed as scheduled by the facilities team and that team members are thoroughly trained in the correct use and maintenance of the equipment
• Analyze operations and generate performance metrics on an ongoing basis to build a continuous improvement environment
• Coordinate with other departments regarding available resources and needs to maximize utilization of staff and equipment
• Work toward increasing efficiency and decreasing laboratory supply costs by making recommendations to management for improvements in process flow, either personnel or equipment
• Recommend to Management/QA for replacement of equipment or instruments, or provide notification of poor functioning equipment
• Monitor project/contract expenses and ensures that all resources are allocated and on track
• Enforce GMP/GxP/ISO/CAP/CLIA regulations and standards within all aspects of the department
• Maintain and support safe lab practices and environment
• Work collaboratively with other technical teams in resource sharing and providing technical expertise
• Monitor Product and Service/R&D related project expenses
• Act as a scientific expert resource externally to clients and internally
• Assists with writing, reviewing and editing proposal as appropriate
• Assist with writing and publishing papers, abstracts, techniques/or chapters to maintain the scientific standard and image of the company
• May present completed work at appropriate scientific meetings and in publications
• Supervision of scientists to ensure quality, development, validation and execution of project(s)
• Review scientific data generated by other scientists and make recommendations to improve quality
• Manage rotation and holiday back up schedule for sample processing
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• D. in Genomics/Genetics, Cellular/Cancer Biology, Immunology or other related field
• 5 years of relevant laboratory experience
• CLIA laboratory experience

Other Required:

• Expert level technical and scientific skills for molecular technologies such as NGS, qPCR, nucleic acid extraction and quantification etc.
• Ability to prioritize tasks
• Experience supervising scientific staff as direct reports.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills required
• Must have the ability to organize and analyze data, as well as, prepare reports
• Must possess strong computational skills, preferably experienced with Word, Excel, Power Point, GraphPad and Prism
• Must have next generation sequencing (NGS) experience using a variety of technologies
• Excellent use of judgment and discretion required
• Extended work hours may be occasionally necessary in order to meet business demands
• Ability to lift and carry between 1-15 lbs.; frequently required to sit, grasp, and use right/left finger dexterity; May be exposed to a cold freezer environment (Freezer temperatures range between -20ºC -196ºC)
• Must be able to read, write, speak fluently and comprehend the English language

Preferred:

• A solid understanding of current GxP/ISO/CAP/CLIA standards
• Demonstrated skills in various molecular scientific assays, clinical trial knowledge especially in oncology