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Merck · 1 month ago

Senior Principal Scientist, Microbial Process Operations

USA - New Jersey - Rahway

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$187K/yr - $294K/yr

15+ years exp

Merck is a leading company in the pharmaceutical industry, seeking a Senior Principal Scientist with expertise in microbial process development for enzyme production. The role involves shaping strategy, driving innovation, and ensuring robust microbial fermentation processes while collaborating with cross-functional teams throughout the lifecycle of enzyme manufacturing.

BiotechnologyHealth CareMedicalPharmaceutical

Comp. & Benefits

Responsibilities

Partner with functional area project teams and subject matter experts to establish and implement the scientific strategy for upstream and downstream process development, optimization, and technical innovation

Provide scientific oversight for the microbial process team, leading the planning, implementation, and documentation of experiments for the adoption and development of innovative technologies

Lead the design and execution of bench scale process development experiments to meet various project requirements, with the ultimate aim of delivering robust processes for scale-up and manufacturing

Work collaboratively to proactively identify risks and associated solutions to ensure on time delivery of project deliverables

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support technology transfer, scale-up activities, and process robustness

Mentor junior scientists to become our company's next generation of scientific leaders

Champion laboratory safety, compliance, and best practices, fostering a culture of scientific and technical excellence

Represent our company's externally through conference presentations, publications, and other relevant venues

Qualification

Fermentation process developmentScale-upTechnology transferMicrobial strain developmentBiochemical engineeringDownstream process developmentCollaboration skillsCommunication skillsMentorshipProblem-solving skillsOrganizational skills

Required

PhD with 15+ years of relevant industry experience

Master's degree with 18+ years of relevant industry experience, or

Bachelor's degree with 20+ years of relevant industry experience in chemical engineering, bioengineering, biological sciences, or related fields

Demonstrated success in fermentation process development and optimization, ideally in the area of industrial enzymes

Excellent problem solving skills to overcome both technical and non-technical challenges

Demonstrated success leading scale-down model development along with scale-up and technology transfer from R&D to pilot and commercial manufacturing scales

Demonstrated success in leading projects or programs and being leveraged as a technical resource across multiple areas

Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor fellow researchers

Excellent organizational, documentation, and problem-solving skills, with a strong commitment to maintaining rigorous safety and quality standards

Strong track record of peer-reviewed publications and research presentations

Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Preferred

Knowledge in bioreactor and process in-silico design / modeling

Familiarity with drug development cycle, especially the CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control) aspect, with skills to help advance our digital effort in this area

Familiarity with biocatalysis, protein engineering, biotherapeutics, and / or vaccines is advantageous

Knowledge and experience in downstream process development, such as flocculation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, lyophilization, and spray drying

Understanding of microbial strain development and genetic engineering techniques to support process optimization