Senior Research Associate, Protein Engineering

Location: San Diego, California, United States; 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 through molecular biology, chemistry, and systems engineering.

What you will do

• Construct site-directed, saturation, and combinatorial mutagenesis libraries, including molecular cloning and plasmid construction.
• Generate, express, and purify recombinant enzyme variants using bacterial expression systems.
• Execute automated and semi-automated screening assays in 96- and 384-well plate formats.
• Develop and optimize high-throughput screening assays and perform biochemical, functional, and preliminary kinetic analyses.
• Maintain library inventories, experimental databases, laboratory notebooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Analyze screening results, troubleshoot workflows, and collaborate with Protein Engineering, Biochemistry, Computational Biology, and Automation teams.

Requirements

• Industry experience in protein engineering, molecular biology, or enzyme engineering.
• Hands-on experience with mutagenesis libraries, recombinant DNA constructs, directed evolution, and library generation.
• Experience with Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate Assembly, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, DNA preparation, sequencing verification, and plasmid construction.
• Experience expressing recombinant proteins in bacterial systems such as E. coli, with protein purification using affinity chromatography and FPLC.
• Experience performing enzyme activity assays and screening large numbers of variants.
• B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Protein Engineering, Chemical Biology, or a related field; B.S. candidates should have 5–8 years or M.S. candidates 2–3 years of relevant industry experience.

Nice to have

• Experience with high-throughput screening platforms and automated liquid handling.
• Experience supporting directed evolution or enzyme optimization projects.
• Experience with polymerases, nucleic acid enzymes, or sequencing technologies.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, cross-functional R&D environment focused on scientific rigor and practical innovation.
• Opportunity to contribute to foundational platform development in an early-stage company.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Company-paid life insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan.
• Generous paid time off, voluntary benefits, employee perks, and discount programs.