Veracyte

Director, Reagent Development

Veracyte$216K — $240K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, or related discipline
  • 10+ years of experience in life sciences, biotechnology, or clinical diagnostics
  • 5+ years in a management or leadership role
  • Extensive hands-on experience developing Next-Generation Sequencing reagents
  • Demonstrated success in NGS reagent development lifecycle from concept to manufacturing

Responsibilities

  • Direct and mentor R&D team, promoting scientific rigor and innovation
  • Define project goals and manage timelines for reagent development
  • Provide technical guidance for biochemical challenges during optimization
  • Lead development and optimization of enzymes and chemical reagents for NGS
  • Design and execute verification and validation studies for manufacturing workflows
  • Ensure compliance with GMP and ISO 13485 standards in reagent development
  • Collaborate with various teams to ensure seamless design transfer and production

Benefits

  • Career growth opportunities in a dynamic company
  • Competitive compensation and benefits package
  • Commitment to diversity and inclusive workforce
  • Recognition as a Certified Great Place to Work®
  • Innovative and inspiring workplace culture
Full Job Description
The Position:

We are seeking a highly driven and experienced Director of NGS Reagent Development to lead a dedicated team of development scientists in design, development, and optimization of NGS reagents specifically for use within our clinical laboratory products. Leveraging your deep expertise in biochemistry and molecular biology, you will guide the team from early-stage proof-of-concept through successful internal implementation. You will ensure all development, formulation, and internal scale-up activities maintain strict adherence to GMP and ISO 13485 quality standards to support our rigorous clinical testing operations.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management
  • Direct, mentor, and grow a team of research and development scientists, fostering a culture of scientific rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement.
  • Define project goals, allocate resources, and manage timelines to ensure assay and reagent development milestones align with product and clinical laboratory needs.
  • Provide technical guidance and troubleshooting support for complex biochemical and molecular challenges encountered during reagent optimization.

NGS Reagent Development
  • Lead the end-to-end development, formulation, and optimization of enzymes, buffers, and chemical reagents for internal NGS applications (e.g., library preparation, target enrichment, sequencing chemistries).
  • Design and execute robust verification and validation (V&V) studies tailored for the manufacturing workflows.
  • Establish critical quality attributes (CQAs) and stability testing protocols for raw materials and finished reagents.

Quality & Compliance (GMP / ISO 13485)
  • Ensure all reagent development and internal manufacturing activities strictly comply with ISO 13485 standards, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and our internal Quality Management System (QMS).
  • Oversee the generation of meticulous design control and validation documentation, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), batch records, and quality control specifications required for CLIA/CAP compliance.
  • Lead technical design reviews and phase-gate meetings for internal deployment.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner closely with Product Development, Operations, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain teams to ensure seamless design transfer, scale-up, and internal production of NGS reagents.
  • Collaborate with Bioinformatics team to ensure reagent specifications meet required assay performance metrics and turnaround times.
Who You Are:

Education & Background
  • Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, or a closely related discipline.
  • 10+ years of industry experience in life sciences, biotechnology, or clinical diagnostics, with at least 5+ years in a management or leadership role.

Technical Expertise
  • Deep Biochemistry Knowledge: Proven track record of developing and optimizing complex biochemical systems, enzymology, and nucleic acid interactions.
  • NGS Mastery: Extensive hands-on experience developing reagents, kits, or assays specifically for Next-Generation Sequencing
  • Reagent Development Lifecycle: Demonstrated success development of least one NGS reagent or relevant formulation from concept through design transfer and manufacturing implementation.

Regulatory & Quality Experience
  • GMP/ISO Regulated Environments: Direct experience developing products under strict design control processes within an ISO 13485 and/or cGMP compliant environment.
  • Clinical Lab Standards: Familiarity with CLIA/CAP guidelines and the specific quality and regulatory requirements for scaling reagents within a high-throughput clinical laboratory.
  • Expertise in Design of Experiments (DoE), statistical analysis, and establishing rigorous QC metrics for reagent formulation.

Preferred Skills
  • Excellent cross-functional communication and presentation skills.
  • Strong strategic thinking paired with a willingness to "roll up your sleeves" and engage with the science.
  • Experience managing raw material supply chains and interacting with external vendors for critical reagent components.

#LI-Onsite

The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to years of experience, skillset, geographic location, industry, education, etc. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Pay range

$216,000-$240,000 USD

What We Can Offer You

Veracyte is a growing company that offers significant career opportunities if you are curious, driven, patient-oriented and aspire to help us build a great company. We offer competitive compensation and benefits, and are committed to fostering an inclusive workforce, where diverse backgrounds are represented, engaged, and empowered to drive innovative ideas and decisions. We are thrilled to be recognized as a 2024 Certified™ Great Place to Work® in both the US and Israel - a testament to our dynamic, inclusive, and inspiring workplace where passion meets purpose.

About Veracyte

Veracyte is a genomic diagnostics company that uses advanced genomic technology to resolve diagnostic uncertainty and deliver actionable results that improve patient care and outcomes. The company's tests in thyroid, lung, and breast cancer, and in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, are becoming standard of care in helping patients avoid unnecessary invasive procedures, while resolving inconclusive results from traditional diagnostic methods. Veracyte's genomic tests are covered by Medicare and many commercial insurance plans. With Veracyte's exclusive global license to a best-in-class diagnostics instrument platform, the company is positioned to deliver its tests to patients worldwide. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.
Learn more about Veracyte
Size
761 employees
Market Cap
$1.8 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$34.9 million
Founded
2006
5 Year Trend
+27.5%
Revenue
$117.4 million
NASDAQ

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