SENIOR SCIENTIST - CELL BASED POTENCY VACCINES (ONSITE) - Merck : Job Details

**Job Description**

**Position Description:**

**Senior Scientist Cell Based Potency Vaccines**

The Analytical Research and Development team in West Point, PA is seeking an exceptional scientist who is passionate about innovative science and analytical solutions that enable and accelerate process and product development. The Senior Scientist within the department of Cell Based Sciences will join our vaccines team in West Point, PA.

The successful candidate will be responsible for development, of cell-based potency assays to support our Vaccine pipeline with responsibilities including development of new assay platforms and benchmarking current approaches/techniques to the industry standards.

The primary role of the candidate will be method development, optimization, and transfer of cell-based assays for drug substance and drug product release, stability, and characterization that reflect the mechanisms of action (MoAs) for our Vaccines pipeline.

The candidate will be expected to work independently, communicate results effectively in presentations to stakeholders in partner organizations or at external scientific meetings, to write technical reports, and to participate in cross-functional teams. The individual will enable and accelerate vaccine process development by applying cellular biology and immunology expertise.

The ideal candidate should bring expertise in a wide variety of methods and technology for assessment of vaccine mechanism of action and potency with an emphasis on subject matter expertise related to cell based analysis of innate immunity, adaptive immunity, intracellular and secreted cytokines/chemokines/effectors, activation, proliferation, and differentiation of myeloid and lymphoid cells.

**Position Qualifications:**

**Education Minimum Requirements:**

+ B.S degree with 6+ years of experience,

+ M.S. degree with 4+ years of experience or

+ Ph.D. degree in immunology, virology, microbiology, biochemistry, cell biology, bioengineering, biological sciences, or related field with experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.

**Required Experience and Skills:**

+ Experience working on vaccine research and/or development.

+ Experience working with mammalian cell lines and BSL2 level biological agents.

+ Scientific and technical expertise in cellular immunology and humoral / cell-mediated responses to vaccines.

+ Expertise in developing cell based potency assays to reflect mechanism of action of drug candidates.

+ Experience with immunological assays such as ELISA, Western blot, flow cytometry-based assays, etc.

+ A strong team player with excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to work independently.

+ Ability to deliver complex objectives in a fast paced environment.

**Preferred Experience and Skills:**

+ Prior experience in bringing and applying new technologies suitable for bioassay development such as cell line engineering, stable clone generation, cell banking and cell imaging.

+ Experience establishing the range, accuracy, intermediate precision, and repeatability of an assay.

+ Working knowledge in utilizing statistical approaches such as design of experiments (DoE) in developing potency assays to identify sources of assay variability, developing operating ranges within an assay procedure that keep assay variability at a minimum.

+ Working experience in a regulated environment, following standard operating procedures (SOPs), real-time documentation of experimental work, and attention to detail.

+ Proficiency in utilizing statistical software such as JMP, curve-fitting software such as PLA, SoftMax Pro, or GraphPad Prism, and data trending software such as Spotfire.

+ Experience with automation of assays

+ Working knowledge of regulatory and industry guidelines for Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC).

#EligibleForERP

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**U.S. Hybrid Work Model**

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as remote.

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

**Employee Status:**

Regular

**Relocation:**

Domestic

**VISA Sponsorship:**

Yes

**Travel Requirements:**

10%

**Flexible Work Arrangements:**

Not Applicable

**Shift:**

Not Indicated

**Valid Driving License:**

No

**Hazardous Material(s):**

BSL-2, OEB

**Job Posting End Date:**

10/31/2024

***A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day** **BEFORE** **the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day** **BEFORE** **the job posting end date.**

**Requisition ID:** R316974