Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

Join our highly collaborative team building the data and analytical backbone of our innovative genomics platform. As a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist focused on scientific data systems, you will design and build the database and data infrastructure that unifies laboratory, instrument, and bioinformatics data across the RAPTOR™ platform, while also contributing directly to bioinformatics analysis, method development, and scientific interpretation. You are a scientist-engineer hybrid with strong database expertise and a solid bioinformatics foundation, equally comfortable modeling heterogeneous assay data, writing analysis code, and reasoning about sequencing and molecular biology workflows.

Sitting within the Bioinformatics team, you will partner closely with cross-functional teams to capture the full scientific data lifecycle, from instrument output and experimental metadata through bioinformatics inputs, outputs, and downstream analyses, and to turn that data into scientific insight. Your work will enable cross-project meta-analyses, systematic tracking of assay design artifacts, and the kind of structured, queryable scientific record that transforms individual experiments into durable institutional knowledge.

This is a high-impact opportunity to shape how Pleno captures, integrates, and analyzes its scientific data as we scale from early development into broader platform use and multi-program expansion.

In this role you will:

• Design and build the database systems and ingestion pipelines that unify instrument output, laboratory metadata, assay design artifacts, and bioinformatics results into a coherent, queryable data model.


• Build systems to track assay design components—such as primer sets, molecular barcodes, and oligo libraries—across projects, enabling reuse, benchmarking, and historical performance analysis.


• Conduct meta-analyses across projects and experimental conditions to surface patterns in assay performance, molecular design efficacy, and platform behavior.


• Perform bioinformatics analysis on RAPTOR experimental data and develop analytical methods that inform assay optimization and product decisions.


• Partner with Assay Development, Lab Operations, and Software teams to define schemas, data standards, and integration requirements, and to establish documentation and quality control practices for scientific data.

To be successful in this role you have:

Data Engineering & Database Expertise

• Demonstrated expertise in relational database design and implementation for scientific or research data, including strong proficiency in PostgreSQL.


• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL, with experience building data pipelines and ETL/ELT workflows that integrate laboratory, instrument, and analytical systems.


• Experience integrating LIMS, instrument, or laboratory metadata systems with downstream analytical pipelines.


• Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools and cloud-based data infrastructure.

Scientific & Bioinformatics Expertise

• Hands-on experience analyzing sequencing data, molecular assay outputs, or related high-dimensional biological data.


• Working knowledge of molecular biology and genomics, including primer and oligo design, multiplexed assays, and sequencing-based readouts.


• Experience applying statistical methods to evaluate assay performance and experimental conditions.

Education & Experience:

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field with

4+ years of progressively responsible industry experience
, including demonstrated ownership of bioinformatics method development and/or statistical genomics.

• OR

MS in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field, with
6+ years of progressively responsible industry experience
, including demonstrated ownership of bioinformatics method development and/or statistical genomics.

*Note:*
*This position will require regular*
*onsite participation at our office/lab in San Diego, CA*
*- Applicants should reside in the greater San Diego County area.*

*Compensation decisions are dependent on several factors including, but not limited to, level of the position, skills, knowledge and experience, internal equity, and alignment with comparable market data.*
*The base salary range for this position is $130,000-$150,000 .*

About Pleno

Pleno is a multidisciplinary team of scientists and technologists focused on collaboration and asking questions. We strive to find the best, and most meaningful answers for biochemistry and engineering problems in our mission to build a novel multi-omic instrument platform that will revolutionize biological target detection for a wide array of meaningful applications.

We value our Pleno people and each person's wellbeing is important to us, so in addition to offering industry‑competitive compensation, we also offer the following:

• Equity - everyone at Pleno has a stake in our success


• Generous company-sponsored contribution to health, dental and vision coverage


• Company contributions to life insurance, short-term and long-term disability


• Flexible Paid Time Off - plus 11 paid holidays including a winter break company-wide close


• Parental Leave - we value our families and include generous parental leave and wage replacement


• Free catered onsite meals twice weekly


• Fitness and wellness facilities


• Regular opportunities to spend social time together like happy hours & team building events - we stop to celebrate our wins

*We are hiring for positions*
*onsite at our office/lab in San Diego, CA*
*– all positions are*
*full time employment*
*. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, or on the basis of disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form.*