Scientist, mRNA Downstream Purification Process Development
Biotechnology company developing epigenetic-reprogramming medicines for age-related disease, Bay Area
| Employer | Biotechnology company developing epigenetic-reprogramming medicines for age-related disease, Bay Area (not named) |
|---|---|
| Location | South San Francisco, CA (Bay Area) · On-site |
| Type & level | Full-time · Mid-level |
| Pay | USD 120k–155k salary Source: pay range stated in the source posting |
| Visa path | O-1A fit |
| Role family | mRNA / Vaccine Platform Scientist |
About the role
The mRNA engineering team needs a scientist to own downstream purification of mRNA drug substance. The work covers bench-scale process development, automated high-throughput purification of research-grade material, and hand-off of processes to contract manufacturers. The role links early research needs to preclinical and CMC program timelines.
What you'll do
- Design, run and analyze process development studies for mRNA purification
- Serve as the downstream lead for CMC program teams
- Help build and put in place automated, high-throughput purification workflows for research-grade mRNA
- Support research-grade mRNA production runs and scale-up from bench to pilot scale as needed
- Transfer downstream processes to CDMOs, be the person in plant during manufacturing runs, and help troubleshoot deviations
- Evaluate new purification technologies and chromatography resins, and document work in ELNs, SOPs and technical reports
Requirements
- Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical engineering or a related field with 0–3 years of industry experience; alternatively an M.S. with 5+ years or a B.S. with 7+ years
- Hands-on experience developing downstream purification processes for nucleic acids or other biologics
- Hands-on experience with tangential flow filtration
- Experience operating AKTA chromatography systems
- Ability to independently design, run and troubleshoot experiments and to analyze and present complex data
- Strong technical writing, communication and organizational skills
Nice to have
- Experience with traditional nucleic acid purification methods such as desalting, precipitation and size-exclusion
- Experience with plasmid DNA purification
- Experience with Design of Experiments and statistical data analysis
- Experience implementing automated or high-throughput purification workflows, and process transfer to CDMOs
- General understanding of cGMP and phase-appropriate process development, plus familiarity with mRNA analytics such as HPLC, CGE and dsRNA ELISA
Pay & benefits
USD 120k–155k salary. The posting lists health, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) with company match, paid parental leave, 20 days of PTO plus holidays, and on-site meals and snacks.
Pay source: pay range stated in the source posting. Market data, not an offer from O1DMatch.
Visa path
People in mRNA process science often support an O-1A case with peer-reviewed publications, patents, invited talks, peer review activity, and documented contributions to manufacturing or platform development. The posting states no citizenship restriction. An employer like this, or a U.S. agent, can file an O-1A petition for a qualified candidate, though approval depends on the individual evidence.
How to get matched
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