Senior Scientist

About Pivot Bio:  

Fueled by an innovative drive and a deep understanding of the soil microbiome, Pivot Bio is pioneering game-changing advances in agriculture. Our products harness the power of naturally occurring microbes to provide nutrients to crops and new sustainable ways for farmers to reduce the usage of synthetic fertilizers as they work to help feed the world’s growing population.

Read/Hear more about Pivot Bio on Forbes or PBS News Hour. 

Pivot Bio seeks an experienced Assay Development Scientist to lead development and implementation of high-throughput (HTP) laboratory assays that measure selected physiological and metabolic phenotypes of soil-derived microbes from many different species. This Scientist will lead a team and work closely with other teams within the company. The ideal candidate will have experience leading teams to develop and implement high-quality HTP assays in an industrial setting, and will have expertise in biochemistry, microbial physiology, and statistical process control. We are looking for someone who is energized by solving creatively and excited to tackle key agricultural and environmental challenges in a fast paced and supportive environment.  

Location: Berkeley, CA with occasional travel to other Pivot Bio or CRO sites. This is an onsite role with possibility of remote work 1-2 days per week. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Lead a team to develop, validate & scale novel high-throughput (HTP) microbial assays that are predictive of microbial performance in-planta (establishment, proliferation, bioactivity) and in complex microbiomes (fitness, niche).  
• Ensure that HTP assays can deliver the required throughput, precision, reproducibility, and predictive power to support high quality decision making for new product development.  
• Collaborate with Strain Isolation & Optimization, Fermentation & Formulation, and Automation teams to adapt existing assays to novel microbes or formulations. 
• Coach and supervise more junior researchers to help expand the capabilities & impact of the HTP Assay team.  
• Collaborate with Data Science and Scientific Computing teams to ensure that assay data and metadata are captured adequately to enable statistical process control, facile data analyses, and rapid decision-making. 
• Develop dashboards and reports to communicate microbial strain performance.  
• Potentially, identify, validate, and manage CROs for offsite analyses. 
• Keep abreast of novel technological developments outside Pivot Bio that should be considered for integration into our strain testing pipeline.   
• Write standard operating procedures, process transfer documents, and technical reports, and provide training and guidance to research staff across the R&D organization.  

Required Skills and Experience: 

• Ph.D. in microbiology, biological engineering, biochemistry, or a related field and at least 8 years of relevant post-Ph.D. experience including at least 10 years of industrial experience, or M.S. degree with at least 6 years of relevant industrial experience.  
• Strong understanding of microbial physiology, metabolism, and growth conditions 
• Extensive experience developing and implementing high-throughput (HTP) assays for microbial phenotyping, including automation, tiered testing approaches, and statistical process control. 
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing assays for non-model microbes. 
• Understanding of requirements for working safely with BSL-2 microbes. 
• Exceptional organizational, interpersonal, coaching, alignment-building, and customer service skills.  
• Strong written and oral communication skills, and experience with tech transfer and training. 
• Strong experience with a variety of data visualization and analysis tools, for example Python, R, Spotfire, Tableau, MySQL, and JMP. 
• Prior experience coaching, training, and directly supervising junior researchers. 
• Ability to work collaboratively within a highly diverse team in a fast-paced, innovative environment. 

What we offer: 

• Competitive package in a disruptive startup 
• Stock options 
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance with employer-paid premiums 
• Life, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability policies 
• Employee Assistance Program with free referrals and discounts 
• 401(k) plan, 3% Match 
• Commuter benefits 
• Annual Training & Development support 
• Flexible vacation policy with a generous holiday schedule 
• Exciting opportunity to work with a talented and fun team