Associate Scientist/Engineer, Downstream Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies Process R&D Full-time

Associate Scientist/Engineer – Downstream Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies Process R&D

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company – one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us.

Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity, and teamwork of an individual like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement, and teamwork. As part of our global team, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.

Applications are sought for an opportunity in the Vaccine and Advanced Biotechnologies Process R&D department, which is part of our Research Labs division. The individual will support our company's discovery & development efforts for Vaccine programs at West Point, PA.

Our department (Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies, VAX) Process R&D is responsible for the development and clinical manufacturing of Drug Substance (DS) and Drug Product Intermediates (DPI) for the vaccine and advanced therapy pipeline, spanning from preclinical to commercialization stages. We are part of the Process R&D organization, which enables modality-agnostic DS process development and clinical manufacturing for all of our company's pipeline.

The successful candidate is expected to work with other downstream scientists and engineers, typically focusing on one to two vaccine programs at a time. The candidate must have the ability to work independently and as part of a team, self-motivation, adaptability, and a positive attitude. The candidate must have the ability to learn new techniques, to balance multiple projects, to keep accurate records, to follow instructions, and to comply with company policies. The successful candidate will possess proven ability to work in a hands-on laboratory setting and excellent organization, interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct laboratory benchwork to execute, optimize, and troubleshoot downstream process unit operations
• Contribute to the development of new principles, concepts, and methods to enable process development, scale-up of processes to pilot scale, and technology transfer to manufacturing scale
• Design, execute, and analyze process development experiments to maximize understanding of purification bioprocesses to make vaccine products
• Analyze, summarize, and present experimental results in a collaborative team environment
• Conduct lab work in a way which complies with company expectations of data integrity and safety

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Must have a BS in relevant field:
• Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering
• Science and Technology: Cell Biology, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology

Required Experience and Skills:

• Must have scientific understanding of downstream bioprocess purification processes.
• Scientific understanding of purification operations of large complex molecules.
• Technical understanding of bioprocess scaling principles.
• Position requires employee to be willing to work with infectious agents, pathogens and/or potent compounds
• Position requires occasional travel and off hour/weekend work.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Prior hands-on bioprocess development experience through academic lab or industry internship/co-op.
• Prior hands on experience with any of the following purification bioprocesses: Tangential Flow Filtration, Dead-End Filtration, Chromatography, or Homogenization.
• Prior hand-on experience with production or analysis of nano-particles

Required Skills:

Bioprocess Engineering, Bioprocesses, Biotechnology, Cell Physiology, Centrifugation, Chemical Engineering, Chromatographic Techniques, Chromatography, Column Chromatography, Data Analysis, Downstream Process Development, Experimentation, Membrane Filtration Systems, Process Scale Up, Production Process Development, Protein Biochemistry, Protein Purifications, Technology Transfer

Preferred Skills:

The salary range for this role is $71,900.00 – $113,200.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.