Scientist II, Upstream Process Development - Vir Biotechnology, Inc.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Vir Biotechnology is looking for a Scientist II, Upstream Process Development to develop antibody cell culture processes used for cGMP production of Vir's pipeline of therapeutic antibodies. Reporting to the Director, Process Development you will work primarily in the laboratory to design, execute and evaluate cell culture process development experiments at pilot scale for early and/or late-stage clinical development programs. You will analyze and optimize complex experiments in a team setting and work toward scalable cell culture processes to produce recombinant antibodies. You will represent your work at functional area meetings and provide support for purification development, analytical development, formulation and drug product teams, process analytics, manufacturing sciences, and other CMC functions.

This role calls for your presence in the office 4 to 5 days per week and we provide flexibility to balance work and personal life.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead and implement experiments in the design, development, optimization and scale-up of protein production processes in suspension cell culture systems (shake flasks, AMBR250, bench scale bioreactors, pilot scale)
• Develop scalable mammalian cell culture and harvest processes for upstream cell culture development in collaboration with our CDMO partners
• Lead pilot scale planning, media formulations, execution of seed train, production and harvest processes
• Design scientifically rigorous experiments, using statistical DoE where applicable, execute experiments and analyze and interpret data to inform next studies
• Design and implement early-stage process development and late-stage upstream process characterization and process validation studies
• Provide technical oversight for outsourced process development and cGMP production with CDMOs
• Participate in process tech transfers and coordination of manufacturing internal and external interfaces for reporting and solving of cell culture processes
• Review process descriptions and batch records during cGMP operations and tech transfer
• Author technical process development reports, process descriptions, and other relevant process documentation including SOPs and protocols
• Perform on-site lab work including coverage of weekend work to support experiments (an estimated 8 – 16 hours/month)

WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU BRING

• Degree in chemical engineering, biochemistry or related field
• 8 + years (with Bachelors' degree.), 6+ years (with Masters' degree) or 3 + years (with Ph.D.) of experience in protein upstream process development
• Experience operating in early stage clinical to commercial environments
• Understanding of cGMP antibody process development and production using CHO host cell expression systems
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, aseptic techniques, understanding of biochemical engineering concepts, and biochemical pathways
• Experience developing and improving scalable fed-batch, transfection, and perfusion upstream processes in PD setting
• Familiar with Bioreactor Scale-up concepts with a track record for scaling-up processes to disposable/stainless bioreactors
• Use Design of Experiments in JMP, Design Expert, or other software for statistical experimental design and data analysis
• Able to travel as needed (up to 15%)

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WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE OFFER:

The expected salary range for this position is $128,500.00 to $169,500.00. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors.

Vir's compensation and benefits are aligned with the current market and commensurate with your experience and qualifications. All full-time employees receive a package that includes: compensation, bonus and equity and many other Vir benefits and perks such as: health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance benefits, non-accrual paid time off, company shut down for holidays, commuter benefits, child care reimbursement, education reimbursement, 401K match and lunch for all onsite employees!