Scientist, Biobanking Operations
At Parallel Bio, we are leveraging the human immune system to unlock safer, more effective drugs. We believe immunotherapies are the future of medicine, but their discovery is hindered by outdated models that fail to capture the complexity of the human immune system.
Our platform overcomes these challenges by combining best-in-class human immune organoids with massive scale and advanced computational methods, including AI and machine learning. This allows us to generate unprecedented, population-scale insights into human health and disease.
We can rapidly discover new drugs that we know will work in patients from the start and understand how they will perform across an entire population—something not possible with today's technology. This knowledge will allow us to engineer therapies that will work for as many people as possible, ensuring a safe and effective cure for everyone.
We are a fast-paced, venture-backed company at a pivotal moment of growth. Join us on our journey as we create new tools to push the boundaries of what is possible.
The Role
You will run the day-to-day operations of our human tissue biobank: receiving, processing, cryopreserving, and inventorying irreplaceable donor samples, and performing the analytical QC that ensures banked material meets the standards required by downstream programs.
Donor samples are biologically unique and cannot be re-collected. A broken cold chain, a mislabeled specimen, or a documentation gap permanently destroys material and the scientific value it carries. This role exists to ensure that never happens.
You will supervise a Biobanking Specialist, maintain and execute QC assays on banked material, and operate within the quality systems and regulatory frameworks established by your manager. When those systems need to evolve, you are the first person to notice and escalate. This is a 100% onsite role based in our San Francisco lab.
Key Responsibilities
Biobank Operations
Oversee end-to-end processing of human biological samples (blood, tissues) from receipt through cryopreservation, ensuring every step follows established SOPs.
Maintain rigorous chain-of-custody records for all samples, derivatives, and associated donor metadata in LIMS/ELN, ensuring the link between specimen and donor is never broken.
Manage biobank inventory, storage infrastructure (freezers, liquid nitrogen), and consumables, proactively flagging capacity or maintenance issues.
Coordinate timing and logistics of clinical sample shipments, ensuring cold-chain integrity and proper documentation.
Analytical QC
Execute and maintain QC assays on incoming and banked material (e.g., flow cytometry, viability/activation panels, cytokine assays, cell-based functional assays), following validated protocols.
Monitor assay performance over time, identifying drift or inconsistencies and escalating to your manager for corrective action.
Maintain QC standards for cell preparations, including acceptance criteria, in-process controls, and reference materials.
Team Supervision
Supervise and develop a Biobanking Specialist, setting clear expectations around chain-of-custody discipline, documentation completeness, and the instinct to stop and escalate rather than improvise when deviations occur.
Ensure your direct report operates within established SOPs and documentation standards; provide day-to-day guidance, structured feedback, and skill development.
Process Maintenance & Improvement
Operate within the quality systems (SOPs, deviation management, change control) established by your manager; execute faithfully and flag when processes need to evolve.
Propose practical improvements to processing and QC workflows to enhance throughput, consistency, or traceability, routing all changes through proper review and approval.
Collaborate with automation and data teams to support translation of manual workflows into scalable processes, ensuring metadata capture in LIMS/ELN.
Cross-Functional Support
Work closely with platform and discovery teams to provide appropriately prepared samples for downstream applications.
Communicate clearly with your manager about risks, capacity constraints, and operational issues within sample and assay workflows.
Support compliance with IRB protocols, donor consent requirements, and HIPAA as directed by your manager.
Qualifications
Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Immunology, Cell Biology, Biotechnology, or a related field, or BS with 5+ years of directly relevant industry experience; degree level is flexible for exceptionally strong, hands-on candidates.
Hands-on experience with human primary cell or tissue processing, ideally in a GMP, GMP-adjacent, or biobanking environment.
Practical experience with cell-based analytical assays (e.g., flow cytometry, viability readouts, cytokine assays). Immunology domain knowledge is valued but secondary to analytical rigor.
Experience working within process-driven lab systems: SOPs, batch records, or comparable structures.
Prior experience supervising or mentoring an RA or junior scientist.
Ability to work onsite daily in San Francisco, with flexibility for occasional off-hours support tied to time-sensitive clinical samples.
Why Parallel Bio
Our platform generates insights that begin with the human context. The systems you build and the standards you set will determine whether the data downstream is trustworthy. This is a role where operational rigor is the foundation of our scientific aspirations.
Parallel Bio is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.