About the Role:
Hound Labs seeks an experienced scientist or engineer to play a critical role on our team as we create leading edge diagnostic systems and applications. The Head of Assay Development will establish our internal capability to implement and optimize microfluidic assay workflows on our novel diagnostic platform. In addition, the Head of Assay Development will collaborate closely on the conception, definition, and development of new systems and applications. The successful candidate will combine extensive hands-on experience developing microfluidic-based biological assay workflows with the ability to effectively lead projects and teams.
The Specific Duties and Responsibilities Include:
- Responsible for assay implementation: Conception, design, and optimization of assay workflows specific to Hound Labs diagnostic platform
- Direct project teams and perform as an individual technical contributor as needed
- Act as a technical leader or project leader as needed
- Direct or perform experiments and interpret results
- Conduct tradeoff studies during product development
- Develop engineering tests, including tests involving biological models, for production systems
- Help define system level specifications for technical development and compliance
- Develop, maintain, and work within processes consistent with a regulated industry (e.g. FDA)
- Define realistic technical schedules and budgets
- Coordinate between engineering and scientific activities
- Collaborate with other senior members of organization to define and drive application strategy
- Recruit, train, and manage developers and technicians
- Manage wet lab and associated staff
Basic Qualifications:
- MS (PhD preferred) in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, bioengineering or related technical or scientific discipline
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in a research and development environment
- Minimum of 4 years of experience leading teams
- Extensive hands-on lab experience in assay development and optimization
- Experience developing assay technology in concert with instrumentation systems
- Knowledge of key disciplines and technologies (e.g. Lyophilization, Surface Chemistry)
- Proven ability to work with prototype experimental setups
- Proven record in delivering products to manufacturing
- Ability to work in a multidisciplinary, collaborative environment
- Broad knowledge, expertise, and interests
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Project leadership skills
- People leadership skills
Preferred Qualifications:
· Experience developing microfluidic-based systems for diagnostics or life science applications
· Medical device experience
· Project management experience
About Hound Labs:
Hound Labs is a technology startup that has created an ultra-sensitive breath analysis technology platform. We are applying our technology to solve fundamental issues with disease and drug detection. The first application of our technology, the Hound Alcohol and Marijuana Breathalyzer, solves the public safety problem associated with marijuana legalization: how to objectively determine if someone has recently consumed marijuana. Founded in 2014, Hound Labs recently closed our Series B funding and is backed by Benchmark, Icon Ventures as well as individual investors.