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

Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany - West Point, PA

Full-time

Onsite - West Point, PA

Chemical Manufacturing

About the position

Our company in the United States and Canada 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 Process Development (VPD) department, which is part of our company's Research Labs. The individual will support our company's discovery & development efforts for Vaccine programs at West Point, PA. Our department, Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies 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.

Responsibilities

• 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
• Mentor the work of junior staff in the laboratory settings and provide technical guidance in the various aspects of the process development of the vaccine candidate
• Conduct lab work in a way which complies with company expectations of data integrity and safety

Requirements

• Must have a degree in relevant field: Engineering (Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering) or Science and Technology (Cell Biology, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology)
• For BS, at least two (2) years of post-graduate experience in bioprocess/biotechnology-related position (vaccines and/or therapeutic proteins)
• For MS, at least one (1) year of post-graduate experience in bioprocess/biotechnology-related position (vaccines and/or therapeutic proteins) or relevant academic research thesis
• Must have scientific understanding of downstream bioprocess purification processes
• Scientific understanding of purification operations of large complex molecules
• Technical understanding of bioprocess scaling principles
• Prior hands-on bioprocess development experience through academic lab or industry experience
• Position requires employee to be willing to work with infectious agents and/or pathogens

Nice-to-haves

• Prior hands-on experience with any of the following purification bioprocesses: Tangential Flow Filtration, Dead-End Filtration, Chromatography, or Homogenization
• Experience in Process Tech Transfer to production facilities