Job Title: Sr Associate
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 (100% Onsite)
Duration: 12 Months
Shift: Monday–Friday, approximately 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
  
Top 3 Must Have Skill Sets:
• Strong hands-on experience in molecular biology (e.g., PCR, cloning, DNA assembly)
• Experience with aseptic technique and microbial systems (e.g., bacterial and/or yeast culture and handling)
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to clearly document and communicate experimental results
 
Overview:
Manager is seeking a highly reliable and hands-on Senior Associate to support a protein engineering lab in Thousand Oaks. This individual should possess strong foundational molecular biology skills, including PCR, cloning, DNA assembly, and transformation, paired with solid laboratory execution experience. The ideal candidate is organized, transparent, collaborative, and capable of independently performing experiments after initial training. This role is heavily lab-based and requires someone comfortable operating onsite daily while contributing to optimization, screening, and molecular engineering workflows. Strong communication, data organization, and team-oriented mindset are critical. Experience with microbial culture systems, aseptic technique, yeast/phage display, FACS, or protein engineering is highly preferred.
 
Description:
The Integrated Protein Discovery and Engineering group within Protein Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated Senior Associate to contribute to binder generation and optimization efforts at client’s Thousand Oaks campus in California.
The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team working on display technologies within large molecule discovery, and will contribute to executing and troubleshooting experimental workflows that support project milestones.
This is a fully onsite role in Thousand Oaks, CA. Relocation support is not provided.
 
Must-Have Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree with 2+ years of hands-on lab experience OR Master’s degree with relevant lab experience
• Degree in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, or related scientific field
• Strong foundational molecular biology experience including:
o PCR
o Cloning
o DNA assembly
o Transformation techniques
• Experience working in a laboratory environment with strong documentation habits
• Strong Excel/data organization skills
• Ability to independently execute experiments after minimal training
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
 
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with microbial culture systems (bacteria, yeast, mammalian systems)
• Aseptic technique experience
• Experience with display technologies such as:
o Yeast display
o Phage display
• Flow cytometry / FACS experience
• Troubleshooting experimental failures independently
• Exposure to AI-assisted scientific workflows or analytical tools
• Protein engineering exposure
 
Red Flags
• No meaningful laboratory experience
• Frequent short job tenure (?1 year repeatedly without explanation)
• Employment gaps exceeding 6–12 months without explanation
• Lack of demonstrated molecular biology fundamentals
• Poor documentation or organization examples during interview
• Candidates unable to speak clearly about hands-on lab ownership
• Lack of accountability or inability to discuss troubleshooting/problem-solving
 
Basic Qualifications
Master’s degree
OR
Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of experience
OR
Associate’s degree and 4 years of experience
OR
High school diploma / GED and 6 years of experience
 
Day to Day Responsibilities:
• Execute molecular biology workflows to construct libraries of protein variants for binder discovery using display technologies
• Contribute to the optimization and troubleshooting of selection and binding screens to identify candidate molecules
• Analyze and interpret experimental data to identify potential issues, and maintain clear, accurate documentation of experimental plans, procedures, and results
• Work independently on well-defined experiments while collaborating effectively within the project team
• Plan and execute assigned experiments within established workflows to meet project timelines and deliver high-quality data
 
Possible Extension:
Yes
 
Red Flags:

1. Bad Execution & Work Ethic
2. No Lab experiences
3. No degree
4. Inconsistent timelines or employment gaps without explanation
5. Defensive personality
6. Can’t prioritize or manage time

 
Interview Process:
4 virtual interviews (1 individual, 3 group interviews)
How Availability to start interviewing: May 1st 
 
At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws. This position’s starting pay is: $ 27.86/hr.