Principal Chemist

Key Responsibilities Leadership in Oligonucleotide Chemistry, Project Execution and Delivery Lead Petaluma Innovation Hub Oligo Chemistry Function by delivering customer co‑creation and NPD products/projects from concept through delivery.  Partner with peers and global team to deliver to customers and achieve Innovation Hub development and financial objectives. Serve as a technical lead for multi-site, multi-function development team for oligonucleotide synthesis, modification, deprotection, purification, and analytical characterization. Participate in evaluation of new technologies and oligonucleotide market strategy Oversee and Execute oligo synthesis projects, including experimental design/planning, prioritization, and resource coordination. Deliver and control new methods, workflows, and manufacturing protocols for oligonucleotide synthesis, purification and analysis.  Support operations technically. Optimize, and define manufacturing instructions for low‑yielding or impure processes. Laboratory Execution & Product Manufacturing Lead projects and staff hands-on in the lab by performing and training synthesis and purification of oligonucleotides using automated and manual techniques. Conduct analytical characterization (LC‑MS, HPLC, CE, UV‑Vis) to confirm identity, purity, and impurity profiles. Troubleshoot synthetic routes, instrument performance, and purification workflows and analytics to ensure consistent, high‑quality output. Develop and refine synthetic routes, synthesis method refinement, coupling conditions, deprotection strategies and purification methods. Experimental Design, Data Analysis & Development Strategy Design rigorous, data‑driven experiments to optimize yield, purity, scalability (up and down), and process robustness. Use mechanistic understanding and statistical analysis to adjust development plans and guide next‑step decision‑making. Lead troubleshooting efforts by designing investigation maps and structured experimental plans. Document experimental results, conclusions, and recommendations by industry standard technical summary reports and within quality certification requirements. Customer Co‑Creation & Technical Communication Successfully lead and deliver oligonucleotide customer co‑creation and NPD projects. Participate in technical customer calls related to custom oligo manufacturing, product investigations, and development updates. Present technical content to commercial teams and customers, including data reviews, capability overviews, and project progress. Operations Support, Tech Transfer & Continuous Improvement Provide technical support to Operations for process optimization, scale‑up, and continual improvement. Lead the successful transfer of custom product methods and procedures into MSAT and Operations teams. Develop effective tech transfer plans and verify training for newly developed processes. Deliver method validation in alignment with Quality department requirements. Support troubleshooting and root‑cause investigations for manufacturing challenges. Mentorship & Team Development Mentor and develop scientists in oligonucleotide chemistry; providing guidance in technical skills, experimental design, and professional development. Promote rigorous laboratory order and management, controlled documentation, and best practices in experimental execution. Foster a collaborative, trust building and growth‑oriented environment that supports scientific excellence. Technical Skills Proven expertise in oligonucleotide chemistry. Demonstrated knowledge of solid‑phase oligonucleotide synthesis and modification. Skilled in analytical characterization of oligonucleotides, including impurity profiling. Demonstrated project management skills with experience leading matrixed teams through complex development projects. Seasoned ability to design, optimize, and troubleshoot oligonucleotide manufacturing development processes Qualifications Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or related field inclusive of extensive experience in oligonucleotide chemistry. Minimum of 15 years of direct industry experience in oligonucleotide synthesis, product and process development, and tech transfer into manufacturing. Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects, mentor scientists, and collaborate cross‑functionally. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical content to internal and external audiences. ABOUT LGC BIOSEARCH TECHNOLOGIES: With manufacturing sites across the US, UK, Germany and Denmark, LGC Biosearch Technologies has plans to continue growing. We deliver mission critical genomics to our diverse customer base in molecular diagnostics, pharma/biotech and agrigenomics. Our integrated portfolio of products, services and expertise supports our purpose of Science for a Safer World and we have embodied our mission by working with customers to enable research into life-altering treatment for disease and illness worldwide. We are currently seeking candidates who are up for the challenge of operating in a high-growth, purpose-driven organisation. The typical pay range for this role is: Minimum: $ 131,155/ Annualy Maximum: $196,733/ Anually  This range represents the low and high end of the anticipated salary range for the California -based position.  The actual base salary will depend on several factors such as: experience, skills, and location. ABOUT LGC: LGC is a leading, global life science tools company, providing mission-critical components and solutions into high-growth application areas across the human healthcare and applied market segments. Its high-quality product portfolio is comprised of mission-critical tools for genomic analysis and for quality assurance applications, which are typically embedded and recurring within our customers’ products and workflows and are valued for their performance, quality, and range.  OUR VALUES PASSION CURIOSITY  INTEGRITY BRILLIANCE RESPECT EQ