Key Responsibilities

• Build and troubleshoot engineered reporter cell lines: Design and deliver lines end-to-end, from construct design and build through to full QC and stability analysis, so candidate molecules can be functionally verified in high- and low-throughput screening assays.
• Develop and troubleshoot functional assays: Build the cell-based and biochemical assays that measure function and potency (IC50/EC50) to enable ranking of lead candidates for further characterisation.
• Optimise reporter lines and assays for signal-to-noise: Design systems to ensuring a wide assay window and low background that hold in our screening format.
• Own banking and documentation: Keep lines reproducible, traceable and recoverable, including master/working banks, records, and clear handover specs maintained in the electronic lab notebook (ELN).
• Partner with internal end users on your team: Understand the needs of and iterate with your screening and assay development colleagues so engineered cells consistently have the right expression window, reporter dynamic range, growth behaviour and format.
• Support the discovery programmes: Design lines for new targets, modalities and assay formats as our portfolio moves: multispecific antibodies, VHHs, Fabs, Fc fusions and whatever comes next.
• Lead the technical work: Set best practice, mentor colleagues, and grow the team’s capability as our platform scales.
• Embody good lab citizenship: Maintain lab cleanliness and organisation, comply with local SOPs and health-and-safety/risk-assessment requirements, and keep detailed records.

Required Experience

We envision candidate coming from one of two potential paths:

• Path A: PhD in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry or a related discipline, plus 5+ years of relevant post-PhD experience building and characterising mammalian cell lines.
• Path B: MSc or BSc in a related discipline, plus 7+ years of relevant industry experience.

In either path, the candidate must have:

• Experience in an industry drug discovery environment, with a clear understanding of how engineered cells and cell-based assays feed a discovery pipeline and what it takes to progress a molecule.
• Biologics experience (e.g., antibodies, bispecifics, fusion proteins) and familiarity with the cell systems used to express, present and characterise them.
• Deep practical mammalian cell culture: primary and cell-line work such as transfection/transduction, stable line generation, selection and single-cell cloning.
• Strong knowledge in either (or both) CRISPR knock-in/KO/KD or landing-pad/integrase systems (Bxb1, Flp/FRT, attP/attB, or similar) in mammalian hosts.
• Good awareness and practical experience of setting up cell-based or biological assays to perturb biological processes or test candidate molecules for function.
• Fluency across the required characterisation toolkit, including strong knowledge of flow cytometry and cell sorting, qPCR/ddPCR, functional/reporter assays and genomic sequencing.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, appropriate for a small, integrated team where cross-domain conversation happens daily.
• A genuine desire to be in the lab with a passion for being hands-on, rigorous, and organised about documentation and banking.

Additional Experience Welcomed

Not required, but candidates with one or more of the following will be at an advantage:

• Experience with reporter cells for immune signalling or receptor/ligand systems.
• Experience generating large libraries for high-throughput screening, and an appreciation for what makes a line suitable for screening at scale.
• Experience developing HTS-compatible or automated assays including 384-well formats, acoustic dispensing or liquid handlers.
• Experience with viral vector production (lentiviral, AAV) for cell engineering.
• Primary immune cell work, or arrayed and pooled screening experience.
• Experience mentoring or managing junior scientists.

Cultural Profile

At Divergence Labs, our culture is built on a foundation of intellectual honesty, independence of thought, and a relentless commitment to excellence. We believe in fostering a collaborative environment where every team member feels empowered to contribute and grow. We are looking for individuals who embody the following characteristics and can fit in with a high-performing team of drug hunters, investors, engineers, and machine learning researchers:

• Intellectual Honesty: We value candid and open discussion. Our team admits when wrong, advocates when right, and never shies away from constructive feedback.
• Bias for Action: We take initiative and ownership of our work, actively seeking out new ideas, and taking well-researched and smart risks.
• Team First Attitude: We win as a team and lose as a team. There are "no egos" at Divergence Labs, and we understand great ideas can come from anywhere.
• Independence of Thought: We think critically and challenge assumptions. When it suits us, we develop hypotheses that may run counter to consensus, "zigging while others are zagging."
• Resilience: Drug development is a tough sport. We persevere in the face of challenge.
• Embrace the Unfamiliar: We are humbled and excited by how much there is left to learn.

Next Steps

Interested candidates can reach out to careers@divergencelabs.com with their resume and two to three sentences expressing their interest.

Divergence Labs is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.