About the Role

Alta is seeking a Scientist I/II in Protein Engineering to join our Applied Biology team. This role will be responsible for developing and implementing assays for data-driven protein design campaigns towards discovering and validating enhanced binding specificity. This role will be a key contributor to building high-throughput screening capabilities and developing assays for ion binding and bioconjugation.

A successful candidate will have expertise in assay development that supports protein discovery workflows in small molecule, ion, or metal binding proteins. The candidate will collaborate with data scientists, strain engineers, analytics, and chemistry groups to generate robust and reliable assays that scale. The individual will join a group of collaborative scientists with diverse skill sets and must have strong communication and critical thinking skills with a rigorous approach to science.

Key Responsibilities

• Work within a team to develop and execute high-throughput assays for protein characterization including for protein quantification, bioconjugations, and binding capacities.
• Design and implement microtiter plate workflows for directed evolution campaigns.
• Work with scientists for rapid turnaround of testing data to aid in novel protein discovery and leverage the outcomes for additional protein design campaigns.
• Interpret test data and protein analysis data for guiding round-over-round improvements.
• Develop and onboard novel assays for protein characterization.
• Collaborate with strain engineers to achieve reliable microtiter production.
• Ensure excellent practices in documentation of all protocols and experiments.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biochemistry, molecular biology, or related field with 1-3+ years of research experience.
• Expertise in high-throughput protein assays and library-scale workflows.
• Experience with metalloproteins, protein-ion or small molecule interactions, or bioconjugate biochemistry.
• Experience with assay analysis for modeling novel candidate leads.
• Experience in protein discovery and directed evolution campaigns to improve protein characteristics.
• Experience in design and implementation of automated workflows.
• Deep knowledge of classic and state-of-the-art molecular biology and multiplex library-scale approaches to directed evolution campaigns.
• Demonstrated knowledge of experimental design, the scientific method, and statistical analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work within different teams.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• U.S. citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in bioinformatics pipelines and scripting to aid in data analysis and protein design.
• Experience with generative protein design and structural modeling.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to lead a breakthrough program redefining U.S. supply chain resilience in critical materials.
• A mission-driven, high-trust team operating at the intersection of innovation, national security, and sustainability.
• High Impact & Visibility: direct interaction and reporting to executive leadership.

Compensation & Benefits

The starting pay range for this position is $82,000 - $120,000, commensurate with educational background and work experience.
Benefits include:

• 401(K)
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans (or equivalent)
• Flexible Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Company Holidays