Principal Scientist, Bioanalytical & Molecular Assays (Genomics)

Location: hirify.global’s Harwell site, United Kingdom; 70% in-office under a 70/30 work model

Company

hirify.global develops mRNA medicines and technologies to transform how medicines are created and delivered.

What you will do

• Lead the design, development, optimization, validation, and deployment of molecular assays supporting clinical endpoints.
• Develop RT-qPCR, dPCR, and NGS assays for gene expression, viral load, mRNA pharmacokinetics, RNA sequencing, immune repertoire profiling, targeted DNA panels, and pathogen sequencing.
• Own assay lifecycle activities from method development and qualification through validation, clinical sample testing, reporting, and technology transfer to laboratories and CRO partners.
• Ensure assay quality, reproducibility, scalability, data integrity, inspection readiness, and alignment with regulatory expectations.
• Provide scientific subject-matter expertise and matrix leadership across molecular biology, NGS, bioinformatics, clinical development, regulatory, quality, data, and IT teams.
• Translate molecular and genomic data into clinical development recommendations and identify scientific opportunities for the future pipeline.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Genomics, or a related field with 9+ years of biotech or pharma experience, or an M.S. with 12+ years of directly relevant experience.
• Hands-on experience developing and validating clinical qPCR, dPCR, and NGS assays across end-to-end workflows.
• Experience with library preparation, nucleic acid extraction from diverse matrices, and orthogonal QC using Bioanalyzer, TapeStation, qPCR, or dPCR.
• Demonstrated experience building and validating bioinformatics pipelines.
• Knowledge of GCLP/GLP, GxP, MHRA, and ICH expectations, phase-appropriate clinical validation, deviation investigations, CAPA, and inspection readiness.
• Experience integrating genomics data and instrumentation with LIMS/ELN, data governance, and secure clinical-data handling.

Culture & Benefits

• In-person collaboration supported through a 70/30 work model.
• Healthcare coverage and voluntary benefit programs.
• Fitness, mindfulness, and mental-health support.
• Family-building benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support.
• Paid vacation, bank holidays, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and discretionary year-end shutdown.
• Savings and investment programs plus location-specific benefits.