Scientist II, Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development

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Vaxcyte is a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases, which have serious and costly health consequences when left unchecked. Working to eradicate or treat bacterial infections such as invasive pneumococcal disease, Group A Strep, and Shigella is just the beginning. Our path to success is clear and well-defined, and Vaxcyte is set up to go the distance. 

WHAT  we do is every bit as important as HOW  we do it! Our work together is guided by four enduring core values:

*RETHINK CONVENTION: We bring creative and intellectual diversity to every facet of the work we do in order to innovate and re-innovate the way vaccines are delivered.

*AIM HIGH: We embody our collectively audacious goal to courageously make the most complex biologics ever attempted to protect humankind.

*LEAD WITH HEART: Everyone leads at Vaxcyte with a kindness-first, inclusive approach to collaboration and vigorous debate that advances our business objectives.

*MODEL EXCELLENCE:  The magnitude of our challenge requires our shared commitment to demonstrating integrity, accountability, equality and clarity across communications and decision making.

Summary:

The Development organization is comprised of four Process teams: Protein, Polysaccharide, Conjugate Drug Substance (Conjugation), and Drug Product. These Process Development teams are supported by Analytical Development and Formulation Development teams. Vaxcyte is looking for a Scientist II with experience in microbial fermentation and upstream process development to join the Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development team. The candidate will be responsible for designing, executing, analyzing, and documenting experiments to develop, optimize, and characterize upstream processes for polysaccharide manufacturing using microorganisms. The successful candidate will have practical laboratory experience in microbial fermentation processes and the ability to apply scientific and engineering principles to experimental design, data interpretation, process troubleshooting, and technical decision-making. The role will require significant hands-on laboratory work, and this individual will be expected to document experimental procedures, results, conclusions, and recommendations in written and presentation formats. The successful candidate will lead assigned project activities, provide technical guidance to junior team members, collaborate with cross-functional teams, author technical documents, and communicate scientific results to internal stakeholders.

Essential Functions:

• Design, execute, analyze, and document upstream polysaccharide fermentation studies to support process development, optimization, characterization, scale-up, and vaccine production processes.
• Develop and troubleshoot fermentation processes and operating parameters to improve product yield, quality, consistency, and robustness using appropriate statistical tools (e.g., DoE).
• Perform microbiology, fermentation, and bioreactor operations, including equipment setup, operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and automation script development for systems such as Ambr®250.
• Coordinate and perform analytical testing, interpret experimental results, identify technical risks and process trends, and develop scientifically sound conclusions and recommendations.
• Investigate unexpected or anomalous results, including variability in growth, yield, or polysaccharide quality attributes, through structured root-cause experimentation.
• Support integration and interpretation of data across upstream, downstream, and analytical functions, in collaboration with Senior Scientist or function leads, to connect fermentation conditions to downstream performance and final product quality.
• Identify and propose new experimental approaches, at-line or online monitoring, and multivariate data-analysis tools that increase the resolution with which the team can observe and interpret the process, with implementation led by Senior Scientist or above.
• Support process characterization, raw material evaluations, technology transfer, manufacturing support, and technical investigations.
• Author and review protocols, technical reports, SOPs, batch records, and development summaries; author regulatory-supporting documentation under the review and guidance of Senior Scientist.
• Maintain accurate experimental records in laboratory notebooks and electronic laboratory notebook systems.
• Lead assigned project activities, provide technical guidance to junior team members, and ensure timely execution of project deliverables.
• Present scientific findings and collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders, cross-functional teams, and external partners to achieve project objectives.

Requirements: 

• D in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Microbiology, or a related discipline with 2-5 years of industry experience, or an MS with 7+ years, or a BS/BA with 10+ years of relevant pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered. Experience independently designing, executing, analyzing, and documenting microbial fermentation and upstream process development studies.
• Experience independently designing, executing, analyzing, and documenting microbial fermentation and upstream process development studies.
• Strong knowledge of microbial fermentation, process development, scale-up/scale-down, process optimization, and related analytical technologies.
• Hands-on experience with fermenters, microbial media, and process analytical technologies.
• Experience with bioreactor operations, automation systems (e.g., Ambr®250), and data analysis tools such as JMP.
• Experience with process characterization, technology transfer, manufacturing support, or raw material qualification is preferred.
• Working knowledge of statistical analysis and Design of Experiments (DoE).
• Experience with cell banking, colony selection, and microbial strain characterization is a plus.
• Working knowledge of GMP requirements and regulatory-supporting documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects, troubleshoot process challenges, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Experience working with BSL-2 organisms; experience with Streptococcus pneumoniae or Escherichia coli is a plus.
• Strong scientific writing, data presentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

Reports to: Senior Scientist, Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development 

Location: San Carlos, CA

Work Arrangement (may be adjusted based on business needs, job responsibilities, or changes to company policy): 

Onsite (minimum of 4 days per week onsite) 

Compensation:

The compensation package will be competitive and includes comprehensive benefits and an equity component.

Salary Range: $146,000 - $171,000

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Recruitment Fraud Notice

Please be aware of fraud or scams from individuals, organizations and/or internet sites claiming to represent Vaxcyte in recruitment activities. Vaxcyte has an established recruitment process for all positions prior to issuing an offer for employment and we will never extend unsolicited employment offers or ask candidates to provide financial or sensitive personal information as part of the application process. All legitimate communication from Vaxcyte will come from an official @vaxcyte.com email address. Qualified and interested candidates should apply to current openings at  vaxcyte.com/careers.