COMPANY

Octant is a well-backed team of experienced scientists and entrepreneurs at the frontiers of biology, chemistry, and computation. We are a small molecule therapeutics company combining high-throughput synthetic biology, generative chemistry, and AI/ML to repeatedly develop precision medicines for genetically defined diseases.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Octant is looking for an analytical scientist with deep expertise in LC/MS techniques to join our Chemistry group.  In this role, you will be at the forefront of Octant’s analytical capabilities as you identify, develop, and perform high throughput analytical methods.  A core focus of your role will be to expand the Octant Navigator platform for the generation of low-cost, large-scale in vitro ADMET datasets to enable high quality mechanistic ADMET/PK models.  You will partner closely with Chemistry, Compute, and Biology colleagues, and your work will inform and empower Octant's small molecule pipeline. The ideal candidate will bring a fresh perspective to traditional analytical chemistry, driving innovation in processes and methodologies and leveraging Octant’s diverse automation infrastructure and analytical equipment.  You are motivated by Octant’s mission and have a team-first mindset. You bring strong technical skills with cutting-edge analytical methods, excellent communication, and an ability to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. 

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL:

  • Assay Development: Design, optimize, and validate novel analytical methods for a wide range of analytes and matrices, ensuring robust and reproducible results.
  • Innovation: Identify opportunities for improved analytical capabilities which leverage or synergize with Octant’s high throughput nanoscale synthesis and assay capabilities.
  • Data Analysis and Interpretation: Conduct in-depth analysis of complex analytical data,  partnering with Data Science colleagues to provide clear and actionable insights to cross-functional teams.
  • Facilitation of Assay Automation: Drive implementation of automated systems to enhance efficiency and throughput in analytical processes where applicable.
  • Technical Expertise: Utilize and maintain a variety of analytical instruments, including but not limited to HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and spectroscopic techniques.  Prior experience with EchoMS and high throughput experimentation software such as Virscidian is a plus
  • Collaboration: Work closely with interdisciplinary teams to support capability product development, troubleshooting, and process improvement initiatives.

THIS JOB MIGHT BE GREAT FOR YOU IF YOU HAVE:

  • Educational Background and Experience:  A PhD in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Biology or a related discipline, a MS degree with 6+ years of relevant experience, or a BS or BA degree with 8+ years of relevant experience.  Industry experience is a plus.
  • Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated expertise in a wide range of analytical techniques and instrumentation, with a strong foundation in mass spectrometry and chromatography.  Experience with ADME principles and assays are a plus but not required.
  • A Collaborative Mindset: This work will be part of a well-funded industry/academia grant program.  As such, the ability to communicate and work seamlessly across internal and external groups will be critical.
  • A Detail-Oriented Approach: Attention to detail in experimental design, data collection, and analysis, with a proven track record of maintaining high standards of accuracy and precision in analytical work.
  • Familiarity with Process Improvement and Automation: A track record of improving process efficiency; experience with laboratory automation systems is a plus.
  • Flexibility & Adaptability: Flexibility to rapidly changing priorities and project needs, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Comfortable with ambiguity and able to pivot strategies as needed to meet project goals.
  • Problem-Solving & Decision-Making: Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a proactive approach to anticipating potential issues and addressing them before they become critical.
  • A Drive to Innovate and Build: As a startup, there are many ways to contribute to Octant’s success.   An ideal candidate is excited to not only develop novel solutions to improve analytical processes, but is also excited to wear many hats and have a hand in building a successful company.

Optional: Along with your application, please share a paper/preprint/software repo that best highlights your strengths so we can better understand work you've led. If there is nothing public, please summarize that work in a few paragraphs. We'd love to also hear about things you've been proud to build or lead outside of science.

The expected annual salary for this role is in the range of $120,000 to $145,000, depending on experience level. We offer health benefits (medical, dental, vision), equity, and 401(k) matching.

Octant is located in Emeryville, California and we work onsite.

Octant is an equal opportunity company that values applicants of all backgrounds. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment. We value less traditional backgrounds, and may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. We know that confidence-gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply — we’d love to hear from you.

OCTANT’S NAVIGATOR PLATFORM:

Octant’s Platform, “The Navigator,” is an expanding set of drug discovery and development capabilities using scaled approaches that empirically explore and engineer biology and chemistry. The biology and chemistry platforms work in a virtuous cycle with each other, and are enabled by automation and compute:

  • Biology Platform – Cellular Intelligence – Octant's biology platform uses high-throughput approaches to design, build, and test human cell models that interrogate cellular and biophysical mechanisms implicated in disease. We use Cellular Intelligence to deeply explore how drugs and genetics impact those mechanisms that might be at play and correlate them with clinical outcomes. This enables us to identify druggable mechanisms and develop target candidate profiles. These assays then also serve as our screening infrastructure to discover molecules that achieve our desired target profiles.
  • Chemistry Platform – HT-SAR – Octant’s chemistry platform uses high-throughput and nano-scale synthetic chemistry to identify and iteratively improve chemical starting points that interact with the cellular and biophysical mechanisms implicated in our target disease pathways. HT-SAR enables us to drive suboptimal hits towards molecules that meet our candidate profiles, engineering them into high-quality lead molecules and ultimately drugs.

We bring both sides of this platform together through custom software, automation, and data science to drive speed, scale, and learnings in order to drive week-to-week progress on our drug programs.

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