Senior Research Associate - Systems Integration (Molecular Diagnostics)

Location: San Diego, California, United States; Workplace: On-site

Salary: $72,000–$85,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications

Company

hirify.global is an early-stage biotechnology company developing genomics and molecular detection platforms that integrate molecular biology, chemistry, and systems engineering.

What you will do

• Build, characterize, and iterate on prototype molecular diagnostic instruments and consumable systems.
• Lead integration testing, risk analysis, troubleshooting, and failure-mode investigations across development cycles.
• Design studies and DOEs to characterize fluidics, flow cells, reagent cartridges, sample preparation modules, and surface chemistry performance.
• Operate fluorescence imaging or spectroscopy systems and analyze signal intensity, background, specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility.
• Translate molecular biology, sample preparation, and detection chemistry processes into automated, system-compatible workflows.
• Document development work and collaborate with engineering, assay development, chemistry, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory teams through scale-up and IVD production.

Requirements

• BS/MS in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, bioengineering, molecular biology, chemistry, or a related field, plus 5+ years of relevant industry experience or an equivalent combination.
• Product development experience with early prototypes, immature hardware, ambiguous specifications, and iterative design cycles.
• Hands-on experience characterizing consumables, defining test methods and acceptance criteria, and performing root-cause analysis.
• Experience with fluorescence instrumentation, fluidic or flow cell-based systems, and molecular biology techniques for nucleic acid diagnostics.
• Experience in regulated development environments, including GMP, ISO 13485, FDA design controls, design history files, and quality-system documentation.
• Strong laboratory, troubleshooting, documentation, written communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice to have

• Experience developing in vitro diagnostics, molecular diagnostics, or point-of-care platforms.
• Experience with automated liquid-handling systems and whole-blood sample handling.
• Experience supporting verification and validation or manufacturing transfer.
• Statistical analysis experience with JMP, Minitab, Python, or R.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, cross-disciplinary R&D environment with a builder mindset.
• Work on genomics and molecular detection technologies at an early stage of development.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Company-paid life insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan.
• Paid time off, voluntary benefits, employee perks, and discount programs.