Scientist, Biologics Full-time NEW

Scientist, Discovery Biologics

We are on a quest for cures and are committed to be a premier, research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Our teams combine leading drug discovery capabilities and world-class R&D with the purpose of turning breakthrough science into life-changing medicines.

We are seeking a highly motivated scientist with experience in an academic or biopharmaceutical laboratory setting. The ideal candidate will have exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills along with a solid background in life sciences. The selected individual will join the Discovery Biologics group at our company and will be responsible for designing, cloning, and delivering transfection-ready plasmid DNA using an established high-throughput platform. Additionally, delivery of DNA at larger scales will be needed. The successful candidate will manage the cloning and DNA prep workflows, ensure the integrity, traceability, and timely processing of samples, and troubleshoot issues with cloning or automation when they arise. This position will interface with other functional groups within project teams including in vitro and in vivo discovery teams, protein engineering, and protein production.

Key Responsibilities

• Delivery of high-quality plasmid DNA for expression of antibodies or binding proteins for therapeutic programs.
• Apply standard molecular biology methods and automation to clone DNA sequence outputs from antibody discovery platforms into suitable expression vectors.
• Independently manage multiple experiments with flexibility and efficiency in a collaborative environment.
• Manage molecular biology workflows and databases.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve technical challenges in cloning, DNA preparation, and automation processes.
• Optimize and implement process improvements.
• Maintain inventory of in-house generated stocks of cloning reagents and purchased consumables necessary to carry out cloning and DNA purification workflows.
• Buffer and media preparation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Biochemistry or related discipline with ≥2 years of hands-on post-graduate industry experience, or Master's in Biochemistry or related discipline with hands-on industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with PCR, plasmid construction, purification, and QC
• Proficiency with sample registries (e.g Dotmatics, GeneData Biologics, Benchling) and/or DNA cloning software (e.g. Geneious Prime, SnapGene, Benchling) for sequencing analysis.
• Strong organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Effective communicator with the ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams and adapt to changing priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in operating one or more automated liquid handling platforms (Hamilton, Echo, Q-Pix).
• Experience with plate-based high-throughput plasmid cloning workflows.
• Experience with primer design.

Required Skills: Adaptability, Antibody Discovery, Automated Liquid Handling Systems, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biological Sciences, Biologics, Cell Culture Techniques, Cell Transfection, Cloning, Detail-Oriented, DNA Cloning, DNA Sequencing, Expression Vectors, Gene Cloning, High-Throughput Screening, Molecular Biology, Molecular Biology Techniques, Molecular Microbiology, Plasmid Cloning, Plasmid Preparations, Plasmids, Process Improvements, Protein Engineering

Preferred Skills:

Salary range for this role is $98,000.00 – $154,300.00. 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.