Senior Associate Scientist, Upstream Process Development — Bioprocess Automation & Digitization

What You Will Achieve

A Senior Associate Scientist position is available in the Upstream Process Development group within the Bioprocess R&D organization in Andover, MA.

This is a mixed scientist-developer role: roughly half your time will be spent in the lab running mammalian cell culture processes, and half building the software that automates and controls them.

You will join a team of scientists and engineers developing manufacturing processes for recombinant proteins and other modalities for early- and late-phase human clinical trials. You will also be a core contributor to our in-house bioprocess automation and digitization platform - an OPC UA-based system that connects bioreactors, analyzers, and PAT instruments to real-time control logic and data infrastructure across multiple Pfizer development and manufacturing sites. Your focus is the application layer: high-level control strategies, instrument drivers, and integration into live lab operations.

You will work alongside dedicated automation and controls engineers who own the underlying infrastructure, vendors that own the equipment you’ll control, and scientists who consume your products. We need someone fluent on all sides of that equation - who understands the cell culture process well enough to say what a control scheme should do, knows the equipment well enough to know whether it can, develops the software that does it, and can hold a productive technical conversation with the engineers who own the infrastructure.

How You Will Achieve It

• Translate process understanding into control requirements; develop, test, and deploy control schemes, alarms, and UI elements on the platform

• Design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments in appropriate scale-down models such as shake flasks and bench-top or high-throughput bioreactors

• Serve as technical owner and subject matter expert for one or more instrument platforms - bioreactor control systems, automated cell counters, Raman and capacitance probes, and high-throughput systems - including the integration work that brings them onto the platform

• Support what you build end to end - version control, code review, testing, deployment, monitoring, and support - and work with fellow scientists as a digital SME to troubleshoot and continuously improve the platform

• Contribute to a safe, efficient, and harmonious lab environment; strong lab citizen and collaborative team player

Qualifications

Must Have

• Bachelor’s degree with 2-4 years’ industrial experience, or Master’s degree with 0-2 years’ industrial experience in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a relevant field

• Working knowledge of at least one programming language, plus something substantial you have built and delivered. Not coursework, not a tutorial - published source code is very welcome

• Hands-on laboratory experience. This could include cell culture or protein purification experience in an academic or industrial lab.

• Self-motivated and organized, with excellent attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication including the ability to explain technical decisions to colleagues who do not write code, and the ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities

Nice to Have

Our strongest candidates are experienced in two of these and conversant in the rest. These are examples of what competence looks like, not requirements - nobody is expected to have all of it.

Software engineering

• Application and backend development - Any programming language, Git, Streamlit, REST APIs, async programming

• Databases and data engineering - PostgreSQL, Snowflake, Elasticsearch, time-series stores, message brokers, streaming or ETL pipelines

• Infrastructure and operations - can read a Dockerfile, can debug a deployed service, comfortable in Linux, can build in Github Actions

Hardware-Software integration

• OPC UA, Modbus, serial/TCP interfaces, or similar industrial communication protocols

• Embedded and hardware integration- microcontrollers, firmware, device drivers, sensor interfacing

• Exposure to PLC or DCS environments such as DeltaV, Rockwell, or Siemens, and/or middleware such as Kepware

Bioprocess and cell culture

• Setup, operation, and troubleshooting of fed-batch and/or perfusion bench-top or high-throughput bioreactor platforms, including bench-scale and AMBR systems

• Experience developing and implementing process control strategies, including real-time monitoring, integration of PAT and analytical instruments, and data-driven process optimization

Lab Instrumentation

• Practical experience operating and supporting laboratory instrumentation, including analytical, bioreactor, automation, or process control systems.
• Proven ability to partner with vendors to troubleshoot issues, evaluate technologies, and influence product enhancements based on user requirements.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS

• Lifting, sitting, standing, walking, bending, ability to perform mathematical calculations and ability to perform complex data analysis

NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

• May require occasional work on the weekend for essential tasks

• May need to travel occasionally to attend internal meetings or external conferences

Work Location Assignment: On Premise

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $68,600.00 to $114,300.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 7.5% of the base salary. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site - U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.

U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.

Sunshine Act

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EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

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Research and Development