Job Title: Scientist (Immune Profiling & NGS Product Development)

Reports to: R&D Group Leader

FLSA Class: Exempt

How this role drives the company forward:

The Scientist works primarily hands-on in the lab conducting experiments to move projects through all stages of product development; from initial Proof of Concept, through Research and Development, to Product Launch. To accomplish these tasks, the individual works closely with other colleagues in R&D, Engineering, Marketing and Operations.

The Scientist role is lab-based.

Occasional travel, including overnight, may be required (e.g., to attend conferences).

How you will make an impact:

Let's do great science together! We are seeking a skilled and motivated Scientist to join our R&D team and drive innovation across our next-generation sequencing (NGS) immune profiling product portfolio. In this role, you will develop and optimize NGS assays for immune receptor repertoire analysis, including T cell receptor (TCR) and B cell receptor (BCR) profiling from diverse sample types, including human and mouse specimens in fresh, frozen, and FFPE formats.

You will design, execute, and analyze experiments supporting the development of bulk and single-cell immune profiling workflows, from wet lab development through data interpretation. You will bring deep, hands-on-wet lab expertise with the computational skills to analyze and interpret repertoire sequencing data, including working comfortably at the command line to process NGS datasets and extract meaningful biological insights.

In this role, you will lead projects through the entire product development lifecycle with guidance fromNGS group leader. You will mentor research associates, build their technical skills and help the team scale. You will also work collaboratively with cross-functional partners-including Bioinformatics, marketing and operations, to drive successful product transfer and launch. You will communicate and present complex data clearly to stakeholders and at R&D meetings to guide project decisions and derive scientific insights. Above all, leveraging strong molecular biology and NGS computational skills, you will translate biological questions into robust product solutions and advance immune repertoire sequencing technologies that empower researchers to better understand adaptive immunity, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic responses.

What will you do:

• Develops, evaluates, and translates cutting-edge technologies into robust NGS product solutions.
• Performs AIRR data analysis (e.g., clonotype calling, V(D)J annotations, and diversity/clonality metrics) using computational tools; visualizes and presents complex data clearly to generate scientific insights and informs project decisions through rigorous statistical interpretation.
• Carry out cell culture, single-cell processing and careful sample/cell handling to support assay development and maintain sample integrity from input through library.
• Plans, schedules, and conducts experiments for one or more projects, exhibiting good skills in experimental design, data analysis, and result interpretation.
• Understands project goals, meets project specifications, and commits to deliver projects within set deadlines under guidance from Senior Scientists and colleagues in Marketing (Product Managers and/or Market Strategy Managers).

• Prepares clear, detailed reports and ensures timely, accurate updates to electronic lab notebooks and project databases, maintaining data integrity and traceability across all projects.
• Drafts technical documents (e.g. SOPs, user manuals, technical notes and other related technical documents) with assistance from Senior Scientists, Marketing and Operations teams.
• Identifies potential new products for development based on assessment of customer demand, market trends, and competitor analysis with help from Marketing and more senior researchers in the group.
• Serves as a resource to R&D and other departments within the organization, including Product Management and Operations - especially during product development and launch.
• Participates in R&D scientific meetings, and may represent company in front of customers, e.g. by presenting posters etc. at conferences.
• May support Sales and Technical Support representatives on technical matters.
• This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

How will you get here?

• Typically requires a Ph.D. in immunology, molecular biology, genomics, or a related scientific discipline with 2-5 years of postdoctoral and/or industrial experience.
• Solid knowledge of general scientific principles and concepts with specialized skills in immune receptor repertoire (AIRR) profiling across both bulk and single-cell assay.
• Hands-on-experience with cell culture, single-cell processing, and cell handling techniques (e.g. PBMC isolation, lymphocyte (T/B cell) subset enrichment (MACS and/or FACS), single-cell sorting, cryopreservation, and viability assessment -with attention to preserving repertoire integrity and true clonal representation.
• Demonstrated ability to independently analyze and interpret repertoire sequencing data, including comfort at the command-line/UNIX environment and familiarity with repertoire analysis tools (e.g. MiXCR, TRUST4, Immunarch, or the immcantation framework).
• A systematic, data-driven approach to experimental design, troubleshooting and workflow optimization.
• Familiar with laboratory procedures, protocols, and state-of-art instruments.
• Strong interest in technology development and translating scientific ideas into novel applications.
• Effective analytical and critical thinking skills, including excellent attention to detail, grounded knowledge of troubleshooting, and strong quantitative background.
• Collaborative personality with good interpersonal skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Additional Information about the role:

Please note this job description may not cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. The US base salary range for this full-time position, expected to be located in San Jose, CA, is $150,000 - $165,000 USD. We may consider other candidates for this position with more experience and would expect the salary range to change accordingly. This range may be modified at any time at our sole discretion. This base salary does not include additional bonus compensation and benefits. Learn more about benefits at https://www.takarabio.com/about/careers/company-benefits. Individual compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including job-related skills, training, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions.