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Scientific Operations - Associate / Scientist (Contract)

Transfyr

Cambridge, MAContract$30–45/hrPosted 7mo agoVerified open 5 days ago
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At a glance

Compensation
$30–45/hr
Location
Cambridge, MA
Schedule
Contract
Work Authorization
Not specified

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Bachelor's degree

Job overview

Transfyr is hiring a Scientific Operations - Associate / Scientist (Contract). The Scientific Operations Associate/Scientist will support day‑to‑day lab operations, maintain documentation, manage inventory and equipment, and help scale reproducible protocols in an early‑stage startup environment.

Key focus areas include Keep labs organized, stocked, and ready for daily experimentation, Assist with lab setup and teardown for protocols and workflows, and Draft and maintain SOPs, protocols, QA/QC, and operational documentation.

Successful candidates bring Bachelor's Degree In Scientific Or Technical Field, 2–5 Years Hands‑On Lab Experience, and Onsite Work In Cambridge MA Daily. Important skills include Lab Organization, SOP Documentation, Protocol Documentation, QA/QC Documentation, Operational Documentation, and Staff Scheduling. Preferred (not required): Comfort With Ambiguity, Rapid Iteration, Assay Design, and Assay Development.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Lab OrganizationSOP DocumentationProtocol DocumentationQA/QC DocumentationOperational DocumentationStaff SchedulingEquipment BookingLab LogisticsEHS RequirementsEHS AuditsCompliance ReportingChemical InventoriesBiological InventoriesWastestream ManagementOperator TrainingReagent OrderingConsumables OrderingEquipment OrderingDelivery TrackingUsage TrackingInventory MaintenanceEquipment SetupEquipment MaintenanceEquipment CalibrationVendor CoordinationProtocol ScalingProtocol Stress TestingProtocol TroubleshootingReproducibility BenchmarksScalability BenchmarksExperimental Data GenerationExperimental Variable DocumentationTacit Biological Knowledge CaptureCustomer ObsessionScientific Workflow ImprovementExperimental DesignSystematic TroubleshootingELNsLIMSLab Automation SystemsOrganizational SkillsAttention to DetailClear CommunicationCollaborationComfort With AmbiguityRapid IterationAssay DesignAssay DevelopmentAssay OptimizationCoding for Complex Data AnalysisImprove Scientific WorkflowsDocumentationReproducibilityIterationTroubleshoot Protocols SystematicallyAttention to Technical and Human VariabilityFamiliarity With Digital Lab ToolsClear CommunicatorCollaborative TeammateWorking in Fast-Paced Lab EnvironmentsHands-on Lab EnvironmentsStartup ExperienceEarly-Stage ExperienceDevelopmentPerformance OptimizationStatisticsPythonRTroubleshooting Next Generation Sequencing AssaysAI/ML Tools in ResearchData Analysis With AI/MLPredictive Modeling With AI/MLWorking With Internal Lab TeamsDirect Customer-Facing WorkDigital Lab ToolsCodingComplex Data AnalysisPredictive ModelingImproving Scientific WorkflowsData Analysis Using AI/MLPredictive Modeling Using AI/MLCoding for StatisticsSupporting Internal Lab TeamsTroubleshooting ProtocolsAI/ML ToolsNext Generation Sequencing AssaysELNFast-Paced Lab Environment AdaptabilityAssay Design and OptimizationNext Generation Sequencing Assay TroubleshootingCustomer-Facing Lab SupportElectronic Lab NotebooksWet Lab TechniquesPython ProgrammingR ProgrammingAssay Design Development OptimizationNext Generation Sequencing TroubleshootingCollaborative Teamwork

Qualifications

Bachelor's or Higher Degree in Scientific or Technical Field2–5 Years Hands-on Lab Experience With Modern Wet Lab TechniquesWork Onsite Daily in Cambridge MAStartup or Early-Stage ExperienceExperience With Assay Design Development and OptimizationHands on Experience Troubleshooting Next Generation Sequencing AssaysExperience Working With Internal Lab Teams and Customer-Facing Lab Environments

Full job description

Scientific Operations – Associate / Scientist (Contract)

Location : On-site, Cambridge MA Type : Full-time (40h/week) contractor (3-6 months) Pay: $30-45/h (pay is based on a 40 hour per week schedule and depends on experience/expertise) Level: Early Career (2–5 years industry experience)

About the Role

  • We’re looking for a hands-on, detail-driven Scientific Operations Associate to help keep our labs running smoothly as we scale.

  • You’ll be embedded in day-to-day lab operations to support experiments, uncover edge cases in protocols, and collaborate with both scientists and automation systems to help build the infrastructure behind fast, reproducible science.

  • This is a true doer role in an early-stage startup. You’ll wear many hats, move quickly, and help turn messy, real-world lab work into clean, repeatable operations that scale.

What you’ll accomplish with us:

Lab Ops & Daily Execution

  • Keep labs organized, stocked, and ready for daily experimentation.

  • Assist with lab setup and teardown for protocols and workflows.

  • Draft and maintain SOPs, protocols, QA/QC, and operational documentation.

  • Coordinate staff scheduling, shared equipment booking, and lab logistics.

  • Support EHS requirements, audits, and compliance reporting.

  • Maintain chemical and biological inventories, wastestreams, and documentation.

  • Help onboard and train visiting operators.

Inventory, Procurement & Equipment

  • Order reagents, consumables, and equipment; track deliveries and usage.

  • Maintain accurate inventory to avoid downtime.

  • Support equipment set-up, maintenance, calibration, and vendor coordination.

Technical Excellence

  • Assist with scaling, stress testing, and troubleshooting protocols.

  • Support benchmarks to validate reproducibility and scalability across lab settings.

  • Generate high-quality, structured experimental data for deviations, and edge cases

  • Document critical experimental variables for robust handoffs to humans and robots.

  • Capture of tacit biological knowledge, from intent to execution.

  • Be customer obsessed: initiate, support, and lead initiatives to deliver results to clients.

Requirements:

  • Work onsite daily in Cambridge, MA.

  • Bachelor’s or higher degree in a scientific or technical field.

  • 2–5 years of demonstrated hands-on lab experience with modern wet lab techniques

  • A strong desire to improve scientific workflows.

  • Experimental design skills with a strong bias toward documentation, reproducibility, and iteration.

  • Ability to troubleshoot protocols systematically, with attention to technical and human variability.

  • Familiarity with digital lab tools (e.g., ELNs, LIMS, lab automation systems)

  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

  • Clear communicator and collaborative teammate.

  • Comfortable working in fast-paced, hands-on lab environments.

Nice to Have

  • Startup or early-stage experience preferred; comfort with ambiguity and rapid iteration is a must.

  • Experience with assay design, development, and optimization

  • Coding experience for complex data analysis and statistics (python, R)

  • Hands on experience troubleshooting next generation sequencing assays

  • Demonstrated experience using AI/ML tools in research, whether for experimental design, data analysis, or predictive modeling.

  • Experience working with or supporting internal lab teams as well as direct customer-facing work in partner or external lab environments.

You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.

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