Translational Medical Scientist

Role Summary

The Scientist, Translational Medicine (TMED) is a strategic and analytically driven research leader who leverages multi-omic, genomic, and real-world clinical data to advance precision medicine. This role integrates expertise in oncology, molecular genomics, computational analysis, and biomarker science to design, execute, and interpret translational research programs that directly influence clinical development, evidence generation, product strategy, and regulatory submissions across the Oncology and Early Cancer Detection business units.

The TMED Scientist serves as a scientific owner and subject matter expert across cross-functional programs, driving Natera’s external scientific impact and contributing to the advancement of translational oncology.

Key Responsibilities

Advanced Analytics & Scientific Leadership

• Design, lead, and execute complex genomic, clinical, and multi-omic analyses addressing high-impact scientific and clinical questions in oncology and early cancer detection.
• Develop, optimize, and implement scalable analytical pipelines that integrate raw, structured, and unstructured data into robust analytical frameworks.
• Engineer, benchmark, and validate predictive and inferential models for clinical interpretation, patient stratification, biomarker discovery, and translational insights.
• Conduct multi-layered genomic and clinical analyses to investigate biological mechanisms, treatment response dynamics, and disease progression.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Research Strategy

• Partner with molecular biologists, computational scientists, statisticians, clinicians, Medical Affairs, and R&D to design and drive end-to-end translational research strategies.
• Contribute to and support scientific components of external collaborations with academic institutions, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical partners.
• Translate clinical, scientific, and market needs into rigorous research plans, study designs, and technical specifications that inform future Oncology and Early Cancer Detection products.
• Support evidence-generation strategies that inform product development, regulatory submissions, payer engagement, and scientific differentiation.

Scientific Communication & External Impact

• Synthesize complex analytical findings into clear, actionable insights for internal scientific, clinical, product, and executive stakeholders.
• Collaborate on the development of manuscripts, abstracts, posters, and presentations for high-impact journals and scientific conferences.
• Represent Natera as a scientific contributor in oncology genomics, biomarker development, and multi-omic data integration.

Innovation, Emerging Technologies & Industry Awareness

• Evaluate emerging biomarkers, computational methods, datasets, and assay technologies to inform future research directions and product roadmaps.
• Maintain awareness of competitive biomarker platforms (e.g., ctDNA, MRD, CGP, IHC) and analytical approaches across the oncology landscape.

Data Stewardship & Compliance

• Work with protected health information (PHI) using secure systems in compliance with HIPAA, data privacy regulations, and internal security policies.
• Complete and maintain all required training related to HIPAA/PHI, compliance, and data security within required timelines.
• Must pass a post-offer criminal background check.

Qualifications

Education

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Genomics, Bioinformatics, Oncology, Cancer Biology, Genetics, or a closely related discipline.

Scientific & Domain Expertise

• Strong scientific foundation in cancer biology, clinical oncology, molecular genomics, and biomarker research.
• Solid understanding of genomic sequencing and analysis techniques (e.g., NGS, alignment and variant-calling pipelines, assay QC, and analytical performance benchmarking).
• Experience applying statistical and analytical methods to biomarker evaluation, including survival analysis, hypothesis testing, and clinical trial interpretation.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in R and/or Python, including scientific computing and visualization libraries (e.g., ggplot2, data.table, Bioconductor; pandas, NumPy, matplotlib, statsmodels, scikit-learn).
• Strong SQL skills for querying and manipulating large-scale relational clinical and genomic datasets.
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git) and modern data/analysis workflows is a plus.

Biomarker & Product Experience

• Experience with clinical application and optimization of biomarker technologies (e.g., ctDNA, MRD, comprehensive genomic profiling, IHC), with an understanding of competitive landscapes and assay differentiation.

Leadership & Communication

• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment while managing multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated solution-oriented approach to identifying and addressing analytical or strategic risks.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality, accurate scientific output.
• Proven ability to work effectively on both collaborative and independent projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills with a collaborative, team-oriented mindset.

Our Opportunity

Driven by a passion for elevating the science and utility of genetic testing, Natera is committed to helping families identify and manage genetic diseases. Natera is a rapidly growing diagnostics company with proprietary bioinformatics and molecular technologies for DNA analysis. Our technology has been clinically and commercially validated in the prenatal testing space, and we are actively expanding its application in liquid biopsy and oncology.

Our team includes statisticians, geneticists, clinicians, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers, and other experts from world-class institutions who care deeply about our work and each other. At Natera, you’ll work hard, grow quickly, and contribute to innovations that are reshaping the landscape of genetic disease management.

For more information, visit www.natera.com.

Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.