Scientist, Applied Cell Line Development & Customer Programs

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology with light. Our first-of-its-kind optogenetic platform delivers unprecedented control, precisely guiding cellular behavior when and where it matters most. Unlike existing tools used to control biology, our technology enables dynamic, tunable control over virtually any cellular function in any cell type. We're enabling partners to unlock robust efficiency, quality, and reproducibility advantages across the most complex pharmaceuticals and therapeutic proteins. Prolific is supported by leading investors, including Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield and SOSV.

We’re looking for an experienced Scientist to lead external customer projects focused on mammalian cell line development for biomanufacturing. Prolific’s optogenetic platform uses light to control cellular activity, creating new opportunities to improve recombinant protein production. Working with this emerging technology requires curiosity, creative problem-solving, and hands-on troubleshooting as you help translate platform advances into robust customer workflows. This role connects technical design, experimental execution, and team leadership - translating Prolific’s platform capabilities into reliable outcomes for customer delivery.

Working closely with the department head responsible for customer delivery, you will own the technical approach, day-to-day execution, and high level oversight of assigned projects. You will work closely with research associates and junior scientists, providing clear priorities, experimental guidance, and support for their professional development. In partnership with project managers and cross-functional technical teams, you will keep projects on track, resolve execution challenges, and communicate results, risks, and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders.

You will also be part of establishing how we deliver customer projects as our offerings expand: translating R&D advances into repeatable workflows, developing templates and execution standards, and ensuring customer work remains aligned with the broader Prolific platform. You’ll have support from experienced technical and project leaders while taking ownership of outcomes for the projects you lead. This role is based on-site in our headquarters in Emeryville, CA.

What you'll do:

• Lead technical project and experimental design: Work with program leads to translate customer objectives into experimental strategies, work plans, and decision points. Set technical direction with input and feedback from leadership, interpret results, and recommend next steps.
• Project and experimental execution: Independently and reliably execute experiments across stable cell line generation, protein production runs, analytical methods such as FACS and ddPCR and analyze experimental results.
• Work with and lead junior colleagues: Establish clear expectations, review experimental plans and data, and provide regular coaching and feedback to RAs on the team.
• Own project delivery: Coordinate with project managers to align activities, resources, dependencies, and timelines. Identify risks early, propose solutions, and escalate decisions with clear recommendations.
• Track, synthesize, and communicate project data: Establish and maintain clear data tracking, consolidate results across contributors, and develop slides for internal reviews and external partner updates. Distill findings into concise messages that connect results to project objectives, partner questions, risks, and recommended next steps. Contribute to customer discussions and presentations.
• Coordinate across functions: Work closely with R&D, platform development, bioprocessing, analytical, hardware, and data teams, in conjunction with project managers, to incorporate expertise and maintain alignment across project phases.
• Build repeatable delivery practices: Help develop workflows, templates, data packages, and handoff standards that translate emerging platform capabilities into consistent customer execution.

Some things about you:

You enjoy taking responsibility for both the science and the coordination needed to deliver it.
You bring structure to complex work and make priorities, responsibilities, and next steps clear to others you work with.
You communicate concisely, tailor technical detail to your audience, and make recommendations grounded in data.
You build productive relationships across disciplines and surface challenges early.
You enjoy working with junior colleagues and improving how a growing team operates.
You are excited about working in a fast-paced startup environment and are comfortable with evolving project scopes and shifting priorities

What you’ll need to succeed:

Have a Ph.D. in Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology or in a related field and 2-5 years of industry experience or 7+ years of relevant research experience to qualify for the Scientist II level. Candidates may be considered at the Scientist I, Scientist II, and Senior Scientist levels based on their experience, skillset, and demonstrated history of success in prior industry roles.
Hands-on experience in mammalian cell line development or demonstrated experience across molecular cloning, mammalian cell engineering, and recombinant protein production workflows.
Demonstrated experience leading technical projects in an industry setting, including experimental design, execution planning, data interpretation, and delivery against milestones.
Experience working closely with or directly managing junior scientists or research associates in industry, including setting priorities, guiding execution and providing feedback.
Demonstrated ability to organize and track project data and synthesize complex technical work into clear, concise presentations and written updates that support decisions.
Strong organizational skills and experience coordinating work across functions, managing dependencies, and adapting plans as results and priorities evolve.

Additional valuable experience:

Customer-facing scientific communication or external collaboration. Prior ownership of external communication is welcome but not required.

CHO cell line development for biologics production, including stable expression, screening, and clone selection.

Relevant cell engineering and characterization methods, such as transposon or targeted integration approaches, flow cytometry, fluorescence assays, and ddPCR.

Developing standardized workflows or transferring methods and capabilities from R&D into routine project execution.

This position description likely contains skills you already have as well as skills you would learn in the role. These skills are not requirements, so if you think you would do a great job at this role then you should apply regardless of whether you fit the above criteria.

Benefits: Generous equity package in an early stage company, retirement plan with company contribution, flexible PTO with healthy time off minimums, company-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability insurance, career coaching, mental health support, free team lunches everyday, great snacks, and companywide social events!

Diversity: Prolific Machines values diverse perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where all employees can bring their authentic selves to work and have equal opportunities to succeed. Prolific Machines is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Location: The San Francisco Bay Area (Emeryville, CA)