Scientist, Mammalian Cell Engineering
Design edited donor-derived immune cells for an off-the-shelf cell therapy program aimed at solid tumors.
About the role
The company is developing an allogeneic immune-cell therapy platform built around edited donor-derived T/NK-cell chassis with improved persistence, tumor activity, and reduced alloreactivity. This role sits between cell engineering, analytical development, and process development. You will design edits in primary immune-cell systems, evaluate whether engineered cells keep the right phenotype and function, and help decide which chassis is ready for process transfer.
- Team: Cell-engineering group of 4 embedded in a 30-person therapeutic platform
- Stage: Series B allogeneic cell therapy company advancing its lead solid-tumor program
- Reporting line: Head of Cell Engineering
- Experience: PhD with 2+ years, or MS with 4+ years, in mammalian cell engineering, immune-cell biology, or cell therapy R&D
- Rhythm: Lab-based role with four onsite days in South San Francisco
Responsibilities
- Design knockout, knock-in, promoter, or landing-pad strategies for lead cell designs and run the experiments needed to compare them.
- Measure edit efficiency, target expression, phenotype, viability, post-thaw recovery, and functional activity using flow, qPCR/ddPCR, sequencing, and cell-based assays.
- Work with process development so cell construction methods, culture conditions, and analytical readouts can transfer into closed-system or scale-up workflows.
- Troubleshoot donor variability, delivery efficiency, cell stress, expansion limits, and assay artifacts before they slow the program down.
Requirements
- PhD with 2+ years, or MS with 4+ years, in mammalian cell engineering, immune-cell engineering, cell therapy R&D, immunology, bioengineering, or a related field.
- Hands-on experience using CRISPR-Cas, base editing, transposon systems, or related editing tools in mammalian cell lines, primary T cells, NK cells, iPSCs, or similar systems.
- Working knowledge of viral and non-viral delivery, population or clone screening, edited-cell expansion, and stability assessment.
- Experience running characterization assays such as multi-parameter flow cytometry, qPCR/ddPCR, targeted amplicon sequencing, killing assays, cytokine assays, or other cell-based functional readouts.
- Good experimental judgment around controls, donor-to-donor variability, viability issues, and the limits of small-scale assays before process transfer.
Preferred qualifications
- Prior experience with allogeneic cell therapies or ex vivo manufacturing processes.
- Familiarity with off-target assessment or next-generation sequencing library preparation.
- Strong understanding of cGMP manufacturing requirements and tech transfer principles.
Technical stack
- CRISPR/Cas editing
- electroporation/nucleofection
- viral vector delivery
- primary T-cell/NK-cell culture
- edited-cell expansion
- multi-color flow cytometry
- ddPCR/qPCR
- targeted amplicon sequencing
- cell-based functional assays
- Benchling
- GraphPad Prism
What we offer
- Base salary: $145k - $178k
- Equity / upside: Pre-IPO equity plus annual cash bonus tied to programme and company milestones.
- Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), commuter support, and relocation assistance within the US.
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