Senior Scientist II, 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 bioreactor process development (perfusion and intensified fed-batch) at the bench and pilot scale for the advancement of low-cost biotherapeutics manufacturing.  This position will oversee bioreactor process development and will include clone screening, process optimization, technology transfer, and process characterization for continuous perfusion and intensified fed-batch processes as well as technology development to support end-to-end continuous bioprocessing. The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and efficient in completing hands-on laboratory tasks, and experience with bioreactor equipment operation and maintenance, lab management, and organizing workspace and tasks is required.  The ideal candidate will have strong scientific group management and leadership skills as well as a proven track record of a deep understanding of mammalian cell culture and perfusion bioreactor developmentfor the production of clinical and commercial therapeutic proteins.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.) isrequired.  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

• Leada diverse group of scientists responsible for development and tech transfer of early and late-stage (characterization and validation) upstream perfusion/intensified fed-batch processes for biotherapeutics manufacturing as well as technology development projects.

• Prepare and run bench-scale bioreactors and bioreactor-related equipment (controllers, pumps, autoclaves, etc.). This may include but not limited to,build and autoclave bioreactor parts and assemblies as well as assisting with bench-scale bioreactor operations (daily sampling and analytics, inoculation activities, run preparation, and troubleshooting).

• Serve as a functional area lead for platform or complex client early-stage (FIH)and late-stage Process Characterization (PC) projects as well as technology development projects.

• Serve as an internal technical resource for cGMP manufacturing and Process Design, as well as a resource and subject matter expert for external clients and partners for cell culture and bioreactor processes (small scale models, process transfer, and scale up).

• Communicate experimental plans and data to teams and clients clearly and effectively including communicating scientific information to a diverse set of audiences, including external clients, vendors, and technology development collaborators.

• Independently design, execute, and analyze statistically designed experiments (DOE).

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

• Train, mentor, and supervise junior staff and interns.

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

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS in Engineering, Biochemistry, Biology, or related field with 9+ years of experience or Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience.

• Expertisein bioreactor cell culture and perfusion technology development, transfer to cGMP manufacturing plants, and reviewingCMC sections of regulatory filings.

• Experience with commercial process development, process characterization, and validation.

• Expertise in design of experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis.

• Experience with high throughput cell culture technologies (e.g.HT assays, robotics such as Ambrsystems, lab automation, or multi-omic data)is a plus.

Pluses

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

• General understanding of cell biology, fluid dynamics, and biotransport as well as knowledge in other functional areas (downstream purification and analytical sciences).

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be $125,000 to $140,000;  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.