Senior Process Engineer, Cell Therapy Process Development
Support cell therapy process characterization and commercialization activities, focusing on cell therapy unit operations like T-cell enrichment, activation, transduction, washes and harvest.
- Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
- Full-time
- $96K–$144K per year
- Posted Nov 12, 2026
INDUSTRYLife Sciences & ResearchBiotechnologyPharmaceutical R&D
Responsibilities
- Design, execute, and support autologous or allogenic cell therapy process optimization and robustness studies.
- Drive implementation of closed-system operations and automation strategies to support scalability and compliance.
- Plan and execute process characterization studies (DOE, multivariate studies, scale‑down models, and scale‑up assessments) in alignment with QbD and ICH guidelines.
- Perform risk assessment, data analysis, write technical reports, and present outcome of the studies to cross‑functional teams and governance forums.
- Support development and refinement of control strategies for cell therapy processes, including raw materials, and cell therapy process parameters.
- Conduct batch record review, deviation assessment, and data trending to ensure robustness of cell therapy manufacturing processes.
- Apply AI‑enabled tools and digital analytics to accelerate data review, trend analysis, batch record evaluation, and process understanding.
- Contribute to PPQ planning, readiness, execution, and documentation for cell therapy processes.
- Support technology transfer of cell therapy processes to internal manufacturing sites including make-a-batch assessments and drafting manufacturing batch record.
- Provide on‑the‑floor technical support during scale‑up, engineering runs, PPQ batches, and commercial manufacturing campaigns (including off‑shift support when required).
- Support raw material risk assessments, comparability studies, and process risk evaluations across facilities and platforms.
- Contribute to authoring and reviewing CMC documentation, including cell therapy process descriptions, characterization summaries, PPQ protocols and reports, and control strategy elements.
- Support preparation of BLA/MAA submissions and responses to regulatory questions related to cell therapy manufacturing.
- Work closely with analytical sciences, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing teams to ensure end‑to‑end process alignment.
- Represent cell therapy characterization activities in technical meetings, reviews, and governance discussions.
- Support lifecycle management, post‑approval changes, and continuous improvement initiatives for cell therapy processes.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or related field
- M.S.
- B.S.
- Experience in a Cell Therapy
- Experience in a Late-stage development
- Experience in a Commercial readiness
Nice to have: Viral vector handling (Lentivirus, AAV), Automation platforms (CliniMACS Prodigy, Lovo, G-Rex, Wave bioreactors), Closed, automated, or high‑throughput systems implementation, DOE and multivariate data analysis, JMP or similar statistical analysis tools, BLA/MAA submission contribution, Control strategy development and risk assessment (FMEA), Digitalization, automation, or AI‑enabled tools application
Skills
Cell therapy unit operationsGMP operationsProcess characterizationPPQ principlesTechnical writingData analysisCliniMACS ProdigyLovoG-RexWave bioreactorsJMP
Benefits
- qualified retirement programs
- paid time off (vacation, holiday, and leaves)
- health, dental, and vision coverage
More jobs nearby
Full description
Company details are for members
Sign up for a free job alert to see AstraZeneca's profile, website and LinkedIn, and the same for every employer on Referso Jobs.