Biologics Process Development Scientific Lead

Merck & Co USA - New Jersey - Rahway Updated 24 August 2026
PharmaBiotech

Job description

Job Description The Biologics Process Development Scientific Lead (equivalent to the Executive Director level) provides technical leadership across biologics process development programs, with responsibility for driving functional alignment, leveraging established technology platforms, and ensuring knowledge is effectively shared and applied across projects. This role is expected to help teams build on prior learnings, apply standardized and science-based approaches, and avoid duplicative work or reinvention of established solutions. It is important for this role to drive mechanistic understanding, innovate as needed to support a broad pipeline, evolve the platform to meet evolving needs. The Scientific Lead partners closely with upstream and downstream process development to support integrated development strategies. The role provides subject matter expertise, influences technical decision-making across the portfolio, and helps ensure processes are robust, scalable, and suitable for clinical and commercial manufacturing. Key Responsibilities: Provide scientific and technical leadership across biologics process development activities, spanning upstream and/or downstream unit operations as applicable. Champion platform-based development strategies to promote consistency, efficiency, and application of prior knowledge across programs. Drive knowledge sharing and functional alignment across projects to ensure teams are leveraging technology platforms, standardized methodologies, and prior knowledge in order to promote speed, consistency, and efficiency in process development. Facilitate knowledge capture, sharing, and transfer across development programs, ensuring lessons learned are incorporated into future work. Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to define and align technical strategy, development plans, and portfolio priorities. Design, execute, and/or oversee process development studies to improve productivity, product quality, robustness, and scalability. Support process optimization, characterization, scale-up, scale-down model development. Troubleshoot process challenges, evaluate root causes, and recommend data-driven solutions to improve performance. Interpret process, analytical, and manufacturing data to support decisions and communicate recommendations to project teams and leadership. Review and approve technical reports, protocols, development summaries, and documentation supporting regulatory filings and manufacturing readiness. Support a culture of scientific rigor, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the biologics development organization. Education: PhD, MS, or BS in Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biotechnology, or a related discipline. 15+ years of relevant experience for PhD candidates, or 20+ years for MS/BS candidates, depending on scope and organizational needs. Required Experience and Skills: Strong experience in biologics process development, with expertise in upstream cell culture/fermentation and/or downstream purification, depending on role focus. Demonstrated success in process development and process optimization, scale-up, technology transfer, and platform process development. Proven ability to lead across functions, influence without direct authority, and drive alignment across multiple projects. Excellent communication, collaboration, and project coordination skills. Preferred Experience and Skills: Experience leading platform process strategies across multiple biologics programs. Familiarity with DoE, statistical analysis, process characterization, and scale-up/scale-down modeling. Experience supporting regulatory submissions and cGMP manufacturing. Exposure to integrated drug substance development and process lifecycle management. Required Skills: Biologics, Cell Cultures, Cross-Functional Leadership, Downstream Processing, Influence, Process Development (PD), Purification Methods, Scientific Thinking, Scientific Work, Technical Leadership, Technology Transfer, Upstream Processing Preferred Skills: Design of Experiments (DOE), Innovation, Platform Scales, Process Flow, Product Lifecycle Current Employees apply HERE Current Contingent Workers apply HERE US and Puerto Rico Residents Only: Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process. As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement​ We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts The salary range for this role is $210,400.00 - $331,100.00 This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible

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