Job title: Automation Scientist I

Reports to: Automation Team Leader

Location: Manchester Science Park (site based role)

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary & Benefits: Competitive Salary + Benefits Package

About Yourgene Health:

Yourgene Health is a leading integrated technologies and services business, enabling the delivery of genomic medicine. The group works in partnership with global leaders in DNA technology to advance diagnostic science. Our mission to enable scientific advances to positively impact human health remains at the core of our focus. It drives and motivates us to develop class leading products and services to meet our customers’ needs.

Yourgene primarily develops, manufactures, and commercialises simple and accurate molecular diagnostic solutions, for reproductive health, precision medicine and infectious diseases. We have a comprehensive offering of non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) NGS workflows that have been built with labs in mind, and clinical prenatal screening services. The IONA® test was the pioneer, the first to market as an IVD product, changing the NIPT screening landscape back in 2015. Continuing to build on our expertise in cell-free DNA, our next generation size selection Ranger® Technology uses machine vision for superior precision. With multiple platforms for a range of clinical and research cfDNA sample preparation applications including NIPT, liquid biopsy, gene synthesis and long fragment recovery.

In addition, we offer a portfolio of screening products in reproductive health, precision medicine and infectious disease including screening assays for cystic fibrosis and DPYD genotyping to prevent chemotoxicity.

Yourgene Genomic Services provides a range of genetic analysis services for our clinical, research and pharma customers to support partners with DNA extractions, biobanking, genotyping, arrays and sequencing workflows (WES and WGS). Yourgene Genomic Services offers a Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Service, enabling clinics to run their own NIPT service for pregnant women with our prenatal screening tests and service laboratory based in Manchester.

Yourgene Health is part of the Novacyt group of companies and is headquartered in Manchester, UK with facilities in Singapore and Canada.

Our Culture:

Yourgene is a growing, vibrant and exciting place to work, we are looking for committed driven individuals to be part of our next growth journey. Our culture is described by our employee's as collegiate, friendly, professional, innovative, open and fast paced. We have nay social and wellbeing initiatives run by our Social Huddle that keep our sense of community alive during challenging times that the pandemic has thrown our way. At Yourgene we focus on putting values led programmes in place to ensure that we can attract, retain and develop our people. We want our people to have a career with Yourgene and we ensure that they are recognised and rewarded for their achievements and commitment, everyone plays a critical role in our growth journey.

Description of role:

We are looking to recruit a full-time and permanent Automation Scientist I based onsite from our Manchester headquarters. The Automation Scientist I will design, implement and optimise the automation processes to support the design, development verification and validation of in vitro diagnostic products and services. You will provide automation expertise on development projects, ensuring experimental work is well planned and executed to a high quality in a timely fashion. Automates in vitro diagnostic products and services for use in a range of applications.

Key areas of responsibility:

• Provides automation expertise and input into experiments and study designs
• Support and, where appropriate, lead, design, planning and reporting automation testing and studies
• Work collaboratively with other scientists to automate laboratory processes which meet the user needs of our customers
• Create, maintain and improve of laboratory and automation SOPs, as well as systems and process SOPs
• Support the design and execution of studies involving;
• Install, test and validate new automation systems
• Accurate and timely documentation
• Design and optimise automation workflows to ensure they are compatible with test reagents to meet user requirements
• Establish user friendly interfaces on and between automated instruments
• Enable data transfer and traceability between automation platforms and LIMS (or similar) systems
• Data generation, ensuring integrity and organized data management
• Analysing data to enable interpretation by self and others
• Meeting regulatory or other requirements
• Perform troubleshooting activities when technical issues arise
• Participate in activities outside of own team, such as Innovation, Assay Development, Validation and Design Transfer, where required
• Train other team members, cross functional colleagues and customers can be trained in the use of laboratory automation equipment and software
• Performance of laboratory maintenance tasks such as lab maintenance, stock monitoring, goods in receiving and cleaning
• Ensure own work meets regulatory & quality requirements (including compliance to SOPs, documentation using lab books, study plans, study reports and integrity of data)

Qualifications, Skills and Abilities:

• Degree or further degree (or equivalent) in a life science such as molecular biology, biochemistry or genetics
• Typically 2+ years of relevant automation experience
• Experience with liquid handlers, plate readers, automation software and equipment; e.g. PerkinElmer, Beckman, Hamilton, Agilent, Tecan
• Software programming skills including but not limited to Python, PostgreSQL/batch files and VBA for robotic operation and graphical user interface
• Experience of full development cycle designing/adapting robotic platforms (user requirement specifications/FATs and SATs) in conjunction with suppliers an advantage
• Knowledge of GLP, as well as instrument qualification and validation
• Able to analyse scientific workflows and recommend changes to improve scientific processes
• Able to contribute to experimental design and can perform execution
• Capable of analysing data
• Enthusiasm, drive, self-motivated, thoroughness, diligence and a willingness to take personal responsibility to ensure that projects are successful
• Good organizational skills
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office suite

Closing Date:

Sunday 27th April, 2025

Equal opportunities:

Yourgene Health and the Novacyt Group of companies provides equal employment opportunities for all current employees and applicants for employment. This policy means that no one will be discriminated against because of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, nationality, citizenship, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, genetic predisposing characteristics or any other basis prohibited by law.

Notice to Agency and Search Firm Representatives:

Yourgene Health and the Novacyt Group of companies is not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies and/or search firms for this job posting. Resumes submitted to any Yourgene Health and Novacyt Group employee by a third party agency and/or search firm without a valid written and signed search agreement, will become the sole property of Yourgene Health and the Novacyt Group of companies. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired for this position as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral. Thank you.