Senior Scientist, Molecular Biology

Company Summary:

We are building a new venture, FL122, with the mission of reducing the risk of polygenic disease in children born through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The company was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an innovative enterprise that conceives, creates, resources, and grows first-in-category life sciences companies. Flagship Pioneering has created over 100 groundbreaking companies over the past twenty years, all of which are pioneering novel and proprietary biological, industrial, and engineering approaches to solve major needs in human health and sustainability. These companies include Moderna (MRNA), Generate Biomedicines, Tessera Therapeutics, and Quotient Therapeutics. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a first Molecular Biology hire, who will define and build the experimental foundation of the company’s scientific platform. As an early stage hire, you will operate with significant ownership, designing core protocols, establishing technical standards, and shaping the direction of experimental strategy from first principles, reporting the results to senior leadership. We are looking for someone who is resourceful, is open to a rapidly changing, agile environment and has bias to action. The ideal candidate combines deep technical rigor with a growth mindset, pays attention to detail, and has a deep-rooted desire to achieve excellence. Being collaborative is key – the environment is an early stage startup, where all members of the team need to work closely together to break new ground in science.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver molecular biology research projects with a high degree of autonomy, including project design, implementation, troubleshooting, interpretation and reporting results to senior leadership

• Help implement appropriate instrumentation, reagents, and consistent workflows to support scalable and reliable experimental operations

• Handle and process human biospecimen, specifically human sperm cells, in a BSL2 setting with rigorous adherence to quality and reproducibility standards

• Develop, optimize, and benchmark workflows for extracting and quantifying minute amounts of nucleic acids from single cells and other low-input samples

• Test, compare and implement multiple single cell RNA sequencing methods, including library quantification and QC required for Illumina sequencing

• Interact with external advisors, leveraging their inputs and building high-quality relationships

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in biology, molecular biology, genetics or a related discipline with 5+ years of relevant post-academic or industry experience with an excellent research track record

• Deep expertise in the handling of minute amounts of nucleic acids, including rigorous QC and troubleshooting of low-input workflows

• Experience testing and optimizing single cell RNA sequencing methods end-to-end, including library quantification and QC (e.g., yield, size distribution, complexity)

• Demonstrated ability to independently design, troubleshoot, and iterate on technically demanding experimental systems

• Comfort operating in fast-moving, ambiguous startup environments with high ownership and accountability

At Flagship, we accept impossible missions to enable bigger leaps. Our core values guide us through uncertainty and toward lasting impact.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We recognize that great candidates often bring unique strengths without fulfilling every qualification. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your background and interest in Flagship.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

The salary range for this role is $126,000 - $181,500. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. FL122 currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on FL122's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.