Senior Translational Med Scientist

Summary

Join Natera as a Senior Translational Medical Scientist and play a key role in advancing its oncology pipeline. Partner with clinicians, product managers, and key opinion leaders to apply genomic data for improved healthcare outcomes. This role primarily supports early cancer detection product development and participates in translational initiatives optimizing ctDNA testing and informing clinical decision-making. It's a highly collaborative, cross-functional position requiring interaction with internal and external stakeholders. You will contribute to multiple high-impact projects in a fast-paced environment. The position involves genomic analyses, knowledge management, collaboration with external partners, and communication of research findings. You will also provide guidance to other scientists and support the Regulatory Affairs team.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Genomics, Cancer Biology, Genetics, or related field required
• Minimum of 5-8 years of relevant experience in translational science, oncology, or related fields
• Deep scientific background in oncology
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills; able to work effectively in cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

• Partner with R&D teams, clinicians, product managers, and KOLs to identify specimen biobanks to support early cancer detection assay development
• Apply expertise in genomics, molecular biology, and cancer biology to evaluate research and commercial opportunities in early cancer detection
• Collaborate with molecular biologists, computational biologists, and statisticians to develop and execute innovative research strategies
• Perform genomic analyses to investigate biological and clinical questions in oncology, with a focus on translating findings into improved patient care
• Lead internal efforts related to oncology knowledge management and curation
• Collaborate with external partners including academic KOLs, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies
• Communicate research findings to external collaborators and contribute to publications in high-impact journals
• Provide guidance and oversight to scientists and research associates
• Support the Regulatory Affairs team by assisting with responses to CLIA, CAP, and FDA inquiries related to product design and validation
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Regularly works with protected health information (PHI) in both electronic and paper formats
• Must complete HIPAA/PHI privacy training, General Policies and Procedures, and security training within the first 30 days of hire
• Required to maintain up-to-date training and compliance per Natera’s internal standards

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with circulating nucleic acids and early cancer detection methods (e.g., methylation, SNV/indel panels, fragmentation) strongly preferred
• Familiarity with the use and optimization of novel genomic technologies and awareness of the competitive landscape
• Working knowledge of bioinformatics and genomic sequencing analysis
• Proficiency with data mining or statistical tools such as R, SQL, or Stata is a plus

Benefits

• Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents
• Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits
• Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more
• We also offer a generous employee referral program!