Senior Principal Scientist - Assay Development (m/w/d)

Senior Principal Scientist – Assay Development (m/w/d)

Following the acquisition of ATTO-TEC GmbH and the launch of the ATTO Auriga Spatial Reagents Platform, Leica Microsystems is expanding its Assay Development Platform (ADP) to accelerate innovation in spatial biology and multiomics. The Senior Principal Scientist – Assay Development is responsible for leading the development and advancement of biological assay technologies that enable differentiated application solutions and next‑generation spatial biology workflows. This role serves as a recognized scientific expert within the organization, contributing to platform evolution through deep technical expertise, scientific leadership, and cross‑functional collaboration. This position reports to the Director, Assay Development Platform and is part of the Research & Development organization located in Siegen, Germany, and will be an on‑site role.

Responsibilities

• Assay Development & Innovation – Lead the development, optimization, verification, and validation of biological and molecular assays, ensuring robust performance and suitability for intended applications.
• Platform Capability Leadership – Advance platform‑critical assay technologies and contribute to the development of new assay capabilities that support Leica Microsystems’ spatial biology strategy.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration – Partner with Research & Development, Product Management, Commercial, and other stakeholders to translate scientific and customer requirements into scalable assay solutions.
• Laboratory Excellence & Quality – Establish and continuously improve laboratory infrastructure, experimental workflows, and quality‑compliant practices that enable efficient and reproducible assay development.
• Scientific Leadership & Knowledge Transfer – Serve as a scientific authority within the organization by mentoring colleagues, sharing technical expertise, and contributing to publications, patent generation, and technology roadmaps.

Essential Requirements

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related life science discipline.
• Long‑standing experience in biological research and assay development within academic and/or industrial R&D environments.
• Demonstrated experience developing, optimizing, and validating biological or molecular assays across multiple technologies and sample types.
• Hands‑on experience with molecular biology and imaging‑based technologies, such as immunoassays, nucleic acid detection methods, next‑generation sequencing, single‑cell workflows, or spatial biology applications.
• Fluent in German and English.
• Experience providing technical leadership and scientific guidance within multidisciplinary project teams.

Travel, Motor Vehicle Record & Physical/Environment Requirements

Occasional domestic and international travel (<10%) may be required to support collaborations, conferences, customer interactions, and business needs.

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:

• Spatial biology, multiomics, advanced imaging, or next‑generation disease models.
• Modern microscopy platforms, including confocal, widefield, or light‑sheet imaging systems.
• Scientific publications, intellectual property generation, or technology transfer activities.