Bioprocess Development Associate

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a late-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks. With our purified, high-precision investigational cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.

Summary:

The Bioprocess Development Associate will develop and optimize protein and protein-conjugate manufacturing processes. You will be responsible for recombinant protein and mammalian cell culture expression and purification. You will contribute to process design, process optimization, scale-up/scale-out, and technology transfer into GMP manufacturing to advance Orca’s clinical pipeline from first-in-human through commercialization. You will collaborate closely with multiple teams across Process Development, Analytical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Quality and Manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Design, optimize and implement process improvements related to protein production and bioconjugation of protein-protein complexes
• Design and execute studies to develop and optimize cell culture and purification steps; perform analytical testing; preform troubleshooting and investigations; perform stability and formulation studies
• Collaborate with external vendors and internal teams to design and implement novel technologies for optimizing protein-conjugate development
• Support continuous improvements of records and follow operating procedures with strong attention to detail
• Maintain detailed records of experiments, have good data management and documentation skills
• Instrument set-up and preparation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and operation

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Biochemistry or related field
• 2-5 years of experience in process sciences or manufacturing
• Competence in aseptic technique, mammalian seed train maintenance, media, buffer preparation, and using lab equipment including laminar flow hoods, incubators, autoclaves
• Hands on experience with analytical techniques for antibody characterization, processing and analyzing samples
• Experience executing cell culture experiments, antibody expression and purification
• Willingness to learn flow cytometry for analysis of cell populations
• Willingness to work in a BSL-2 environment

Preferred Traits

• Experience with bioconjugation and DoE methodology
• Familiarity with immunology concepts
• Flow Cytometry experience
• Demonstrated organizational, record-keeping, and problem-solving skills, with an attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication
• Demonstrated success working independently as well as in a team environment
• Ability to act with agility and juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Intense curiosity and dedication

The anticipated annual salary range for this job is $70,000 - $90,000, based on prior experience in the role/industry, education, location, internal equity, and other job-related factors as permitted by law. You will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity, in addition to medical, dental, and vision benefits, flexible PTO, 401(k) plan, life and accidental death and disability coverage, and parental leave benefits. Other perks include free daily lunches and snacks at our on-site locations.

Who we are

We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to ensure our treatments are one day accessible to all who need them.

We live by our core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Excellence in our work means the chance to unlock a better quality of life for our patients, and with that comes tremendous responsibility.

We innovate on a path that hasn’t been paved. We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and take calculated risks to achieve our mission. We aren’t afraid to ask “why not” and challenge the status quo.

We maintain a start-up culture of camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of title.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that celebrating our differences creates stronger, lasting solutions that better serve our team, our patients and their healthcare providers.

To learn more: https://orcabio.com/join-our-team/

**all official communication will be from @orcabio.com; please beware of scams**

Notice to staffing firms

Orca Bio does not accept resumes from staffing agencies with which we do not have a written agreement and specific engagement for a particular opening. Our employment activities, inquiries and offers are managed through our HR/Talent team, and all candidates are presented through this channel only. We do not accept unsolicited resumes, and we rarely outsource recruitment.