Scientist I, Bioreactor Process Design

Just – Evotec Biologics’ Bioreactor Process Development group is seeking an enthusiastic and hardworking team member who is passionate about expanding worldwide access to biotherapeutics through the advancement of continuous bioprocessing technology and mammalian cell culture processes.  This person will join a fast-paced, collaborative, and multidisciplinary team to support perfusion bioreactor process development at the bench and pilot scale for the advancement of low-cost biotherapeutics manufacturing.   The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and efficient in completing hands-on laboratory tasks, and experience with bioreactor equipment operation, cleaning and maintenance, lab management, and organizing workspace and tasks is required.  The ideal candidate will have management and leadership skills as well as expertise in mammalian cell culture and perfusion bioreactor development for therapeutic protein production. Strong written and verbal communication skills are required, and experience in client and multi-site communication is preferred.  Experience with common software packages (such as Microsoft Office, Google Suite, etc.) is desired.  Finally, the ideal candidate is curious, creative, engaged, and the type who works well independently and in teams while constantly looking for ways to advance scientific processes and improve technology.

Responsibilities

• Preparing and running bench-scale bioreactors and bioreactor-related equipment (controllers, pumps, autoclaves, etc.) including building and autoclaving bioreactor parts and assemblies as well as assisting with bench-scale bioreactor operations (daily sampling and analytics, cleaning and maintenance, inoculation activities, run preparation, and troubleshooting).

• Performing mammalian cell culture work in an aseptic hood such as cell passaging and cell banking.

• Subject Matter Expert (SME) level understanding of bioreactor control systems, software, and analytical equipment as well as maintaining and troubleshooting instruments.  Some experience in other functional areas (media, purification, and/or analytical sciences) is also preferred.

• Serving as a team member or functional area lead for platform or complex client early-stage (FIH) or technology development projects; may also serve as a team member or functional area lead for platform late-stage Process Characterization (PC) projects.

• Designing, executing, and analyzing statistically designed experiments (DOE) independently or with minimal supervision.

• Documenting best practices and technical results in ELNs, SOPs, summary reports, etc.

• Authoring SOPs, reports, and slides which summarize, organize, and interpret experiment results with review by a supervisor and appropriate team members. 

• Communicating experimental plans and data to teams and clients clearly and effectively.

• Working with vendors and manufacturers in developing, ordering, and troubleshooting equipment prototypes.

• Training, mentoring, and supervising junior staff and interns.

• Assisting with media and buffer preparation when needed.

• Potential for weekend work (5-day work week/ 2 days off) and being on-call for critical bioreactor runs.

• Other tasks as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• BS in Engineering, Biochemistry, Biology, or related field and 5-7 years industry experience or PhD with minimal industry experience.

• Excellent attention to detail and focused when completing technical tasks; able to stay organized and relaxed in complex situations while keeping track of multiple tasks and data.

• Strong writing skills and efficient at documentation; comfortable communicating with project managers and subject matter experts about processes and technologies.

• Enthusiastic problem-solver who is self-motivated, able to make and follow through on goals, action-oriented, flexible, and eager to learn and grow their science and technology skill set.

• Experience with Microsoft Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

• Occasionally respond in person to alarms during off-hours.

Pluses

• Experience with aseptic technique and small-scale cell culture.

• Experience with upstream bioprocessing equipment, especially perfusion technology, as well as analytical or downstream purification equipment.

• Experience maintaining and troubleshooting scientific or electronic equipment.

• Experience preparing cell culture media and buffers.

• Experience with design of experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis.

• Experience with paper or electronic lab notebooks or other record-keeping methods.

• Experience analyzing data in tools such as JMP, R, or Python.

• General understanding of cell biology, fluid dynamics, and biotransport.

• General understanding of circuits (grounding, power, signal, etc.).

• Experience working in a cGMP or clean room setting (this job is non-GMP but knowledge of GMP is helpful for process/tech transfer activities).

• Experience working in retail, service industry, or other environments that require physical work and positive attitude.

• Experience in training, mentoring, and supervising team members.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be $90,000 to $102,000;  Base salary offered may vary depending on individual’s skills, experience and competitive market value. Additional total rewards include discretionary annual bonus, comprehensive benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, short-term and long-term disability, company paid basic life insurance, 401k company match, flexible work, generous paid time off and paid holiday, wellness and transportation benefits.