Skip to main content

This job has expired

Sr. Scientist, Cell Biology

Employer
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc
Location
Exton, Pennsylvania, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Jun 14, 2021

View more

Sector
Academic / Research, Consultancy/Private Sector
Field
Conservation science
Discipline
Biology
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
Working at West means having an opportunity to work by the side of our patients and customers, our global team members and the communities in which we operate - which all help contribute to a Healthier World.

At West, we are by the side of patients. The work we do impacts patients' lives each and every day - our products are a critical part of healthcare delivery and we are proud of the role we play to improve patient health. We work by the side of our team members. We come together as one global team to deliver for our customers and help them address their challenges. We are a diverse, close-knit community of professionals, where everyone has a voice and opportunity to learn and grow through mutual trust and respect. With a 95 year plus history, we have a track record for success, which includes reported sales of $2.14B in 2020. We serve by the side of our community. Giving back is in our DNA-our team members across more than 50 sites globally are involved with hundreds of charities that have special meaning to them through our West Without Borders team member-led giving program.

The Applied Research Team within West is responsible for driving the future of the company by developing innovative products designed to improve patient lives. This role is tasked with working on big ‘R' research on behalf of the rest of the R&D organization and will keenly focus on technology fields that are adjacent and transformational to West's core products.

Senior West leadership have identified Advanced Therapeutics, such as cell and gene therapies, as a critical field of interest for the company. This specialist role is for a highly collaborative candidate who is vastly knowledgeable about the cryogenics of biological material, and the cold chain, storage, and distribution networks utilized by advanced therapies manufacturers. The role will be expected to interface with both externally with clinicians, researchers, regulators and biotech companies as well as internally with Sales, Marketing and Scientific teams to identify the unmet packaging and delivery needs for these new pharmaceuticals.

In collaborating across this wide array of stakeholders, the candidate would use the insights gained to design and execute experimental studies. These will include establishing best practice using current products as well as establishing future advanced therapy packaging requirements. These will inform West's development decisions for next-generation containment and delivery systems to be developed in the coming years.

Suitable candidates are expected to bring a depth of expertise, knowledge of current developments in both research and industry, and will make a significant contribution to the R&D Team and the future of West.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Design experimental plans and project proposals to evaluate different technologies and ideas and test hypotheses across cell and gene therapy freezing, storing, thawing and delivery.
  • Manage and contribute to complex research projects across several technologies and a variety of project formats, from short-term student internships, through to feasibility projects and long-term collaborations.
  • Analyze and evaluate experimental results to make well-reasoned strategic recommendations that are to be disseminated internally to inform future product development decisions at West.
  • Actively seek out new and emerging technologies and therapies, track publications, identify and highlight active academics and keep organization informed of research and industry developments.
  • Solve complex technical challenges that arise on both internal and external projects. Provide new perspectives and arrive at solutions based on pooling multiple sources of information.
  • Provide subject matter expertise across the organization in the field(s) of cryobiology.
  • Collaborate and gain commitment with stakeholders internally within West as well as externally with research partners (postdocs, professors and clinicians) as needed to achieve project objectives.
  • Capture project outputs in appropriate format including: technical reports, presentation slides, research posters, invention disclosures or as project permits.
  • Travel to select targeted scientific and research conferences to learn and present out research findings with intention of increasing West scientific reputation in novel fields.
  • Solve problems using own judgement and persevere when setbacks threaten project goals.
  • Participate as team member on various projects within group and performs other duties as assigned based on business needs.

Basic Qualifications:
  • Education: Masters in biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering or equivalent scientific discipline.
  • Experience: 5-8 years of experience, can include time spent either in industry or graduate school.
  • In depth life sciences knowledge including experience, through either research or industry background, of one or more cell or gene therapies named in job summary, i.e. understands production methods, cryogenic storage, underlying modes of action, scientific principles, etc.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex research projects, can either be shown in relevant industry projects or via strong collaborative postgraduate research.
  • Proficient with conventional lab equipment used for cryopreservation of biological material as well as common analytical techniques used in assessing cryogenic and biological performance.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to generate, maintain and grow research relationships and gain commitment from all internal and external stakeholders across research projects.
  • Willingness to learn and to independently explore new fields of research, understand nascent technologies and be able to generate research project/grant proposals with minimal guidance.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication and ability to articulately disseminate scientific research to a variety of different audiences, from expert through to non-technical.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Education: PhD in biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering or equivalent scientific discipline.
  • Scientific publication track record and/or conference proceedings in a chosen field of expertise.
  • Existing established North American network of academic and/or industry collaborators.
  • Understanding of regulated manufacturing environments, i.e. aseptic and GMP production.
  • Able to be aware of all relevant SOPs as per company policy as they are related to the position covered by this job description.
  • Must maintain the ability to work well with others in a variety of situations.
  • Must be able to multi-task, work under time constraints, problem solve, and prioritize.

Travel Requirements:
  • Must be able to travel domestically or internationally up to 15% of the time

West is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you have a special need that requires accommodation in order to apply to West, please send an email to kimberley.eby@westpharma.com . Where permitted by law, an offer of employment with West Pharmaceutical Services, or any of its subsidiary or affiliate companies, is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of background screening and/or a pre-employment drug screening.

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert