The opportunity to work at the leading edge of science and technology while working on solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems is what attracts people to Verily.
Formerly known as Google Life Sciences, the company ranked #8 overall in 2017 Ideal Employer Report
The opportunity to work at the leading edge of science and technology – while working on solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems – is what attracts people to Verily, Alphabet Inc.’s not-quite-two-years-old life sciences company.
“Verily is in a unique position at the intersection of healthcare, science, and technology,” says Ashley Young, a Verily recruiter. “As an Alphabet company we can blend our Google legacy with cutting edge scientific and clinical approaches to yield new ideas. We are looking to push the boundaries of healthcare and life sciences, so we draw many people who are looking to make an impact.”
A peek at some of Verily’s on-going projects shows why the company was ranked #1 for Interesting and Meaningful Work (and #8 overall) in BioSpace’s 2017 Ideal Employer Report. The Debug project, for instance, is an effort to decrease mosquito-transmitted diseases throughout the world by introducing sterile male mosquitos into the population. Because male mosquitoes don’t bite, and sterile males can’t breed, the introduction of sterile males can decrease the numbers of people exposed to potentially infectious mosquito bites. In fact, a recent field test in Fresno County, CA found that the release of sterilized males into neighborhoods caused an average 68% decrease in biting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. It is hoped that such research will eventually decrease human suffering from yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and the Zika virus.
See the full list of BioSpace’s 2017 Top 20 Biotech Bay Life Sciences Employers
Simlarly, Verily’s Project Baseline is an ambitious quest to better understand human health and the transition to disease. The hope is that the 10,000-person, four-year study will reveal important clues and markers of human health, pointing the way toward disease prevention.
This work is possible because life sciences professionals at Verily work closely with engineers, data scientists and others. “One thing people are often surprised to learn is that over half of the employee population at Verily consists of engineers,” Young says. “They partner deeply with our clinical and science teams to build medical-grade products and tools based on the data we’re gaining through research and partnerships. Our team combines expertise in biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, engineering, computer science, and more to create interventions that exponentially improve patient care.”
The company’s tech-industry roots influence both the company culture and compensation. “Our compensation and benefits philosophy can be different from the biotech companies we compete with,” Young explains. “As an Alphabet company, our compensation packages are similar to the tech world. Employees also receive free breakfast and lunch, coffee, gym and exercise classes and great holiday/PTO benefits.” To date, life sciences professionals seem pleased with the compensation package at Verily – they voted the company #1 for Competitive Salary in BioSpace’s 2017 Ideal Employer Report.
Life sciences professionals who are interested in working for Verily would do well to highlight their desire to work collaboratively across disciplines to find solutions. “We are looking to hire people who are excited about working with people outside of their traditional skill set so we can continue to build a collaborative, cross-functional team. We’re looking for employees who want to have a real impact on healthcare, who embrace change, operate effectively in a fast-paced organization, and can thrive in a learning environment where people are trying to push boundaries and work at the edge of science and technology,” Young says. The company hires life sciences professionals of all experience levels, from new college grads to experienced veterans.
“We look at problems from a different lens and push the boundaries on traditional approaches,” Young says. “Being named Ideal Employer is a real honor, and reflects all of the hard work our whole company has put in to make sure we’re hiring the best teammates we can and investing in the development of our organization.”
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