Scientist, Discovery

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Umoja Biopharma is a game‑changing biotech start‑up with locations in Seattle, WA and Louisville, CO, focused on transforming the treatment of cancer with a novel integrated immunotherapy platform. Our vision is to develop off‑the‑shelf therapies capable of treating any tumor, any time. We are a diverse and growing team working in brand‑new facilities in downtown Seattle, Washington, and Louisville, Colorado, and we are looking for innovative thinkers who are excited by groundbreaking science and technology, and passionate about squaring up to the challenges inherent to cutting‑edge drug development.

Umoja Biopharma – Your Body. Your Hope. Your Cure.

Umoja is seeking a Scientist to join the Discovery Research team. This position will provide scientific technical leadership in delivering both routine IND‑enabling studies, and studies exploring novel CAR T product concepts. This role initiates, designs, executes, analyzes, and communicates medium‑sized projects consisting of several related experiments. A successful candidate will have experience with in‑vitro CAR‑T assays (e.g., cell growth, cytokine production, cytotoxicity, and phenotypic analysis) and high‑throughput screening methods that leverage genome editing (e.g., CRISPR).

This is a fully onsite role based out of our Seattle, WA location.

• Lead by demonstrating high standards for experiment design, execution, documentation, analysis, and communication.
• Solve moderately complex technical problems pertaining to product, experiment, and assay design.
• Perform experimental design, execution, data analysis, and reporting of results for IND‑enabling studies.
• Design and implement novel screening campaigns to explore new product functionalities.
• Execute routine CAR T cell functional assays and assay development (MSD, flow cytometry, Incucyte®) as needed by the department.
• Author reports with clear and concise figures and messaging.
• Audit Benchling entries and perform data verification.
• Collaborate closely with adjacent departments.
• Proactively communicate activities, issues, and ideas to the team and serve as a subject‑matter expert on program teams as needed.
• Identify opportunities for product and assay improvements.
• Maintain familiarity with current scientific literature, maintain and update knowledge of CAR T biology, vector biology, and immunology.

• PhD/MS/BS in Biological Science, Immunology or related discipline with at least 0+/8+/10+ years of relevant work experience respectively.
• Expertise with platforms used for T cell analysis including the MSD, Incucyte, dPCR, and Attune/Aurora (or other flow cytometers).
• Experience with high‑throughput screening methodologies.
• Extensive experience with experimental design, planning, execution, and basic data analysis.
• Strong team communication and collaboration skills, along with self‑motivation to contribute to the development of novel cancer immunotherapies.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional and dynamic environment.

• Strong analytical capability.
• Excels as both a team member and individual contributor.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Experience with data analysis with JMP, R, and/or python.
• Experience with INTEGRA pipetting equipment.
• Experience working with electronic lab notebooks.
• Experience with regulatory filings.

• 100% compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements in biological laboratory environments for wet lab work, including gloves, protective clothing, and eye safety glasses.
• Perform physical tasks required for the role, including standing, walking, bending, kneeling, sitting, working your hands in a biosafety cabinet, and occasionally moving materials up to 50 pounds.
• Project‑oriented work in this role will require regular on‑site presence (5 days/week) to complete essential job‑related functions.

$123,250 - $152,250

Umoja Biopharma offers its employees competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans. Additionally, we offer Umojians access to a 401(k) plan through Fidelity, with a 100% match up to their first 4% deferral. Umoja also provides a generous Paid Time Off policy, employee commuter benefits, and cell phone stipend. For a full breakdown of our benefits offerings, please see the Benefits section of our website.