Senior Research Associate, HPC Production (Fixed-Term Contract)

Location: Palo Alto, California, United States; onsite at hirify.global's Palo Alto headquarters. Fixed-term 12-month position; flexibility to work weekends as needed. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Salary: $84,250–$114,250 base salary per year.

Company

hirify.global is an independent nonprofit research organization working at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology to accelerate scientific progress and understand complex diseases.

What you will do

• Execute staggered weekly rounds of hematopoietic progenitor cell production and banking using parental and genetically edited human stem cell lines.
• Perform flow cytometry, molecular, and functional quality-control assessments for each production lot and document acceptance outcomes.
• Troubleshoot failed productions, escalate issues, and reschedule runs to maintain continuity of HPC supply.
• Forecast demand with requesting teams, scale production rounds, and coordinate end-to-end delivery.
• Maintain production, QC, and distribution records in ELN/LIMS systems, including reagent and consumable inventories.
• Optimize the cell-production platform to improve output, quality, and lot-to-lot consistency.

Requirements

• BS/MS degree in cell biology or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience for BS or 2+ years for MS.
• Hands-on proficiency in mammalian cell culture, aseptic techniques, human hESC/iPSC maintenance, and large-scale HPC differentiation.
• Ability to execute reproducible, multi-step differentiation protocols across repeated production rounds.
• Experience with and documentation of flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, and colony-formation assays.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, planning, time management, communication, and cross-team coordination.
• Ability to work on weekends when required by production schedules.

Nice to have

• Experience developing or using automation for quality cell production at scale.
• Independent process and workflow optimization experience.
• Experience with multiple differentiation protocols or stem cells from diverse genetic backgrounds, including patient-derived iPSCs.
• Familiarity with reagent inventory, operations management, and LIMS platforms such as Benchling.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a fast-paced, collaborative team-science environment.
• Collaborate with Functional Genomics and Genome Engineering Technology Center teams.
• Contribute to research supporting the Virtual Cell Initiative and Alzheimer's Disease Initiative.
• Work in an independent nonprofit research organization with long-term funding and industry-like resources.