Senior Scientist

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Working at Abbott 
At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to: 

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of. 

• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year. 

• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution. 

• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree. 

• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune. 

• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists. 

The Opportunity 
This position works out of our Madison location in the Cancer Diagnostics Division. 

The Sr. Scientist, with input from senior scientists and leaders, works in collaboration with others on one or more projects that are complex in scope. The Sr. Scientist participates in or leads the planning of projects and experiments and is often the technical lead responsible for the successful execution of the project.

This position involves independently making detailed observations, analyzing data, interpreting results, and providing insights into the next steps and direction of the project, as well as independently determining methods and procedures on new assignments or projects.

Working in a team setting, the Sr. Scientist will be involved in Research and Development projects serving as a technical lead and/or a subject matter expert in exploring and researching new technologies, providing ideas and concepts to improve or develop processes, and/or establishing methods and processes for product development toward the development of diagnostic assay products. This position will also mentor and provide technical guidance to junior scientists on project teams.

The successful candidate will support the research and late-stage development of NGS-based methods to improve clinical diagnostic test access, quality, and performance for patients with cancer. Responsibilities of this position include optimization of innovative NGS-based solutions that integrate clinical product requirements with analytical and operational performance. This role will require a deep understanding of NGS sample preparation and data analysis to collaboratively develop and transfer new workflows for the highly accurate detection of somatic mutations and methylation changes in clinical oncology samples.

Essential Duties

Include but are not limited to the following:

• Conduct bench-level experiments within several product or technology areas and identify problems and discrepancies.
• Independently develop, plan, and analyze results of bench-level experiments within several product or technology areas; effectively present and clearly communicate findings at data meetings, group meetings, and project team meetings.
• Analyze research/experimental data, interpret the results, and provide insights into the next steps and direction of the project.
• Independently develop methods and procedures for new assignments, studies, and experiments.
• Provide technical guidance to junior scientists on project teams.
• Operate scientific instrumentation related to the performance of duties and notify appropriate personnel of any problems.
• Effectively determine, utilize, and apply methods or technologies and provide ideas for new techniques when appropriate.
• Maintain knowledge of technological industry developments that could assist in the completion of an assignment or aid in the development of new processes or procedures.
• Provide technical input and participate in decisions affecting project planning and experimental design.
• Prepare and provide information and data for scientific abstracts, conferences, project meetings, and publications.
• Contribute to the intellectual property portfolio by implementing innovative and creative ideas to solve problems or improve current methods.
• Generate, document, and communicate development plans for critical aspects of a project.
• Develop research plans and experimental outlines to write experimental protocols and perform laboratory experiments.
• Prepare detailed technical procedures, protocols, and reports.
• Evaluate the impact of nonconforming data on a product or process.
• Identify and address trends in study data.
• Prepare and approve written reports.
• Lead identification of areas for process improvement.
• Maintain a lab notebook in a clear, complete, and consistent manner, following all legal, ISO, and QSR requirements.
• Prepare reports and documentation providing highly technical analysis or summarization of experimental results, outcomes, next steps, and the future direction of the project to functional leaders, technical teams/groups, or project teams.
• Present experimental results and defend scientific ideas and findings at data meetings, group meetings, project team meetings, and/or departmental meetings; lead meetings as a subject matter expert.
• Work on problems that are extremely complex in scope, in which analysis of data requires an evaluation of intangible variables.
• Exercise independent judgment in developing methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining solutions.
• Work on individual assignments and with project team members, as appropriate, to meet department and project objectives.
• Work within project timeframes with successful outcomes on multiple projects and key responsibilities.
• Act as the technical leader for one or more projects that are complex in scope.
• Act as a subject matter expert in core team and/or cross-functional meetings.
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining and interpreting results, analyzing data, and presenting findings in a professional and knowledgeable manner.
• Promote an open, collaborative environment built on trust to foster positive teamwork.
• Plan and recommend activities that account for prioritization of organizational and department goals.
• Train, guide, and mentor research associates and junior-level scientists.
• Organize, present, and convey complex problems or issues.
• Ability to communicate clearly and frequently with all levels of the organization, including team members, project team members (core and extended), functional managers, clinical lab personnel, and other stakeholders.
• Create high-quality presentations that effectively communicate project status and/or experimental results in a cohesive story.
• Apply strengths in performing complex analyses and presenting data and recommendations to a variety of audiences throughout the organization.
• Apply qualitative and analytical skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively work on several varied projects at one time with frequently changing priorities.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Apply technical expertise, scientific creativity and rigor, collaboration with others, and independent thought; ability to provide insights and defend scientific ideas.
• Apply experimental knowledge and outcomes to new and valuable problems; ability to make predictions based on a deep understanding of the fundamental nature of the inputs into a decision or action.
• Uphold company mission and values through accountability, innovation, integrity, quality, and teamwork.
• Support and comply with the company’s Quality Management System policies and procedures.
• Maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to lift up to 20 pounds for approximately 5% of a typical working day.
• Ability to work on a mobile device, tablet, or in front of a computer screen and/or perform typing for approximately 50% of a typical working day.
• Ability to grasp with both hands; pinch with thumb and forefinger; turn with hand/arm; reach above shoulder height.
• Ability to comply with any applicable personal protective equipment requirements.
• Ability to use various types of laboratory equipment including microscopes, microtomes, blades, strainers, and pipettes for extended periods.
• May perform repetitive actions using laboratory tools.
• Ability to use near vision to view samples at close range.
• May be exposed to hazardous materials, tissue specimens, and instruments with moving parts, lasers, heating and freezing elements, and high-speed centrifugation.
• Ability and means to travel between local Exact Sciences locations.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of working time away from the work location, which may include overnight and weekend travel.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in Life Sciences, Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Chemical, Physical, Biological Science, or a related field; or
• Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Chemical, Physical, Biological Science, or a related field and 4 years of related experience in lieu of a PhD; or
• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Chemical, Physical, Biological Science, or a related field and 6 years of related experience in lieu of a PhD.
• 5+ years of industry or academic experience in biology and/or chemistry.
• 3+ years of experience in the medical device/IVD, biotech, life sciences, or pharmaceutical industry.
• Demonstrated ability to apply molecular biology and/or biochemical techniques.
• Demonstrated understanding of GMP, ISO, and Quality Systems.
• Technical expertise in molecular biology, biochemistry, and/or next-generation sequencing (NGS) and genomics.
• Good knowledge of product/assay research, design, or development.
• Basic working knowledge of statistical and mathematical methods in biology/genetics, including experience with statistical software such as JMP.
• Proficient computer skills including internet navigation, email usage, and word processing.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without accommodation.
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• 8+ years of industry or academic research experience in Life Sciences, Chemistry, or a related field.
• 6+ years of experience in the medical device/IVD, biotech, life sciences, or pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience in a pharmaceutical or biotech manufacturing environment, preferably in a GMP and/or ISO environment.
• Experience with genomic databases and related software.
• Previous experience working in a molecular diagnostics or clinical laboratory setting.
• Deep understanding of NGS practices and principles, including molecular biology and data analysis, based on extensive hands-on experience developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting NGS-based workflows for DNA and RNA from clinical samples.
• Extensive experience with interpretation and analysis of NGS data using external and in-house computational methods to support method development and characterization of genomic and epigenomic biomarkers associated with cancer.
• Experience with product development for use in an LDT- or FDA-regulated environment, including designing analytical validation studies, ideally in medical device development.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives: https://abbottbenefits.com/ 

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity. 

Connect with us at abbott.com, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AbbottCareers. 

The base pay for this position is

In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

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