Flow Cytometry Specialist

About Arc Institute
The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution that conducts curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley.
While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include:

• Funding: Arc will fully fund Core Investigator's (PI's) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants.
• Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators.
• Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support-operationally, financially and scientifically-that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction.

Arc scaled to nearly 100 people in its first year. With $650M+ in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly to several hundred in the coming years.
About the position
In this position you will:

• Run a variety of internal experimental samples on our FACSAria sorter daily, including setting up appropriate sorting and compensation strategies
• Perform daily, weekly, and monthly routine maintenance and QC of all Flow Cytometry analyzers and cell sorters at Arc (e.g. FACSAria, Attune, Quanteon, etc).
• Assist and train end users in operating flow cytometers and cell sorters as needed.
• Develop internal training material and perform hands-on training of end users on flow cytometer analyzers to make the end users self-sufficient. Offer training for people who want to be able to sort independently after hours and on weekends, including details on a successful setup of a flow experiment - such as compatible fluorescent markers, negative controls and samples for compensation.
• Write and amend standard operating procedures (SOPs) for instrument operations and maintenance.
• Monitor and manage the supply of all commonly required flow cytometer supplies and consumables.
• Ensure safe operation of flow cytometers in accordance with best practice safety standards and maintain a safe work environment.
• Develop and evolve an equipment management program in concert with the lab ops team to minimize equipment downtime. Act as a shared point of contact with the manufacturer's technical support and field service engineering teams to coordinate instrument preventative maintenance and repairs as needed. Must be comfortable performing hands-on troubleshooting and solving basic instrument problems as they arise. Maintain equipment service logs.

• Manage and update Flow Cytometry Core information on various communication platforms, including Arc Wiki and scheduling calendars/software. Manage Flow Joe licenses.
• Explore advances in cytometry with an eye towards utility at the Arc Research Institute, coordinate presentations and demos of new technologies, and work with labs to most effectively review and justify new technology purchases.
• Oversee IT activities with respect to data storage, and assist in the development and implementation of a data naming schematic and organizational structure from a Flow Cytometry perspective.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in biological science or related field, or equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience. Advanced degree with a Flow Cytometry element is preferred
• 5+ years of experience regularly operating flow cytometers and cell sorters with minimal supervision.
• Ability to confidently and independently create a new flow experiment, adjust detector voltages/gains, compensate, and acquire data.
• Fluency with Flow Cytometry data acquisition and some data analysis software.
• Core or lab management experience.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a collaborative team environment.
• Responsible, punctual, organized, detail-oriented, and accountable.
• Independent problem solver with excellent critical thinking and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong communication and customer service skills.
• Competency with pipetting and other similar activities that require fine motor control.
• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs if needed.

The base salary range for this position is $71,000 to $91,000. These amounts reflect the range of base salary that the Institute reasonably would expect to pay a new hire or internal candidate for this position. The actual base compensation paid to any individual for this position may vary depending on factors such as experience, market conditions, education/training, skill level, and whether the compensation is internally equitable, and does not include bonuses, commissions, differential pay, other forms of compensation, or benefits. This position is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus, with the amount dependent on individual and institute performance factors.