Staff Product Owner

About the role

Staff Product Owner, Multi-Omic Instrumentation

Element Biosciences seeks a Staff Product Owner to define and guide software for next-generation multi-omic data generation instruments. This role is a senior individual contributor focused on shaping the product strategy and execution across multiple scrum teams. You will own the end-to-end product vision for the instruments and their associated data platforms without managing direct reports. The position requires deep scientific context, strong technical judgment, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. This role reports to the Associate Director of Software Product and is based in San Diego.

The ideal candidate is passionate about empowering scientists with flexible tools that accelerate scientific discovery. You will ensure the integrity of scientific results while delivering robust, scalable software capabilities. The role demands comfort with both high-level architecture and hands-on validation. You will bridge the gap between complex instrumentation, cloud-based computation, and diverse user needs.

Key Facts

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Location: USA

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Engagement: Onsite role with up to 10% travel as needed.

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Compensation: Base salary range of $160,000 to $190,000 USD.

What You'll Do

You will define the architecture and roadmap for instrument control and cloud analytics that power multi-omic sequencing instruments. A core responsibility is designing interfaces that serve a diverse user base, from research scientists to laboratory technicians and bioinformatics specialists. You will ensure these interfaces are intuitive, powerful, and aligned with user needs.

• Own the prioritization and management of backlogs for multiple scrum teams, translating strategic company goals into clear epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Architect and define product capabilities that span physical instrument control, cloud-based analytics, machine learning pipelines, and evolving LLM/agent-driven user interactions.
• Partner with bioinformatics, cloud infrastructure, and instrument software teams to design scalable data pipelines and analysis workflows.
• Act as the system subject matter expert, understanding architecture and interfaces deeply to make informed technical trade-offs and remove blockers.
• Conduct hands-on prototyping, write scripts, and run test suites to validate concepts and reproduce issues early in the development cycle.
• Lead requirements gathering, analysis, and risk management; own the Software Requirements Specification and related risk documentation.
• Champion user experience and human-centered design to ensure the final product serves the needs of scientists and technical users effectively.
• Drive cross-team coordination, highlight dependencies proactively, and ensure delivery stays on schedule with a high degree of autonomy.
• Support troubleshooting and debugging efforts during both the development and sustaining phases of the product lifecycle.

Requirements

To be considered for this role, you must have a Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field. You should bring 8-12 or more years of professional experience building software in life sciences environments.

• Demonstrated success in shipping software that integrates instrumentation, cloud SaaS, and data analysis platforms.
• Strong skills in requirements engineering and solution architecture for complex systems.
• Hands-on coding ability to read, write, and review code and scripts.
• Experience leading product development across multiple scrum teams through technical leadership and vision, not organizational authority.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills, comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving fast iteration.
• Practical experience with ML/AI products, including traditional model training and deployment or LLM/agent-based features such as RAG and tool use.
• Familiarity with our core technology stack, including Go, React, MongoDB, Redis, gRPC, AWS, and Ubuntu Core.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools such as Cursor and Claude.
• Experience with regulated software environments is essential. This includes knowledge of standards such as IEC 62304, FDA 21 CFR Part 820, ISO 13485, or IVDR, specifically regarding design controls, traceability, and verification/validation.
• Proven experience collaborating across organizations and managing inter-company dependencies.

Nice to Have

Direct experience using AI development tools like Cursor and Claude is a strong advantage.

Skills & Tools

Go, React, MongoDB, Redis, gRPC, AWS, Ubuntu Core, Cursor, Claude.

Practical Notes

Please confirm specific details regarding the application process on the official portal. Ensure your submission reflects your full experience and aligns with the qualifications outlined above.