{"id":1723583,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development","title":"Staff Scientist, Immunoassay Development","company":{"id":685268,"name":"Vaxcyte","domain":"vaxcyte.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vaxcyte","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":92,"open_postings":35,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.114,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":83,"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Science & Research","role_family":"Science & Research","seniority":"staff","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Carlos, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":209000,"max":244000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":244000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":16,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-02T16:24:45Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-02","last_verified_at":"2026-10-21T01:07:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":18,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":17},"description":"Join our Mission to Protect Humankind!\nVaxcyte 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. \nWHAT we do is every bit as important as HOW we do it! Our work together is guided by four enduring core values:\n*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.\n*AIM HIGH: We embody our collectively audacious goal to courageously make the most complex biologics ever attempted to protect humankind.\n*LEAD WITH HEART: Everyone leads at Vaxcyte with a kindness-first, inclusive approach to collaboration and vigorous debate that advances our business objectives.\n*MODEL EXCELLENCE: The magnitude of our challenge requires our shared commitment to demonstrating integrity, accountability, equality and clarity across communications and decision making.\nSummary:\nVaxcyte is seeking an accomplished Staff Scientist, Immunoassay Developmentto join the CMC Immunoassay group. This role will provide scientific and strategic leadership for the development, qualification, characterization, governance, and lifecycle management of critical reagents and reference materials that support immunoassays across Vaxcyte's vaccine pipeline.\nThe Staff Scientist will serve as a hands-on technical expert responsible for strengthening Vaxcyte’s immunoassay capability across the vaccine pipeline. This includes developing new fit-for-purpose immunoassays, evaluating innovative immunoassay platforms, advancing assay robustness, supporting method transfer and validation readiness, contributing to immunoassay control strategy, and providing senior-level scientific guidance to cross-functional teams.\nThis is not a primary people-management role. The Staff Scientist may mentor junior scientists and influence technical direction across programs, but the primary accountability is scientific depth, independent technical contribution, experimental strategy, complex data interpretation, and advancement of immunoassay capability.\nEssential Functions:\nServe as a senior technical expert and individual contributor for immunoassay development across Vaxcyte’s vaccine pipeline.\nLead and directly execute complex laboratory studies supporting immunoassay development, optimization, platform evaluation, qualification readiness, validation readiness, method transfer support, lifecycle management, and routine analytical testing.\nDevelop new fit-for-purpose immunoassays supporting potency, antigenicity, identity, impurity, characterization, comparability, release, stability, and lifecycle needs.\nProvide scientific leadership for assay design, including assay format selection, sample preparation strategy, reagent strategy, plate or bead format selection, signal detection approach, system suitability, data analysis model, robustness assessment, and control strategy considerations.\nEvaluate innovative and alternative immunoassay platforms and formats, including ELISA, MSD, multiplex assays, bead-based assays, automation-enabled workflows, and other ligand-binding technologies.\nDesign and execute studies to compare assay platforms and translate experimental findings into scientific recommendations for method selection, optimization, and long-term control strategy.\nIndependently troubleshoot immunoassay performance trends using structured, data-driven experimental approaches and clear documentation of observations, conclusions, and recommendations.\nInterpret complex immunoassay data, including standard curves, sample interpolation, dilution response, parallelism, recovery, precision, specificity, assay controls, system suitability, robustness, comparability, and long-term method performance.\nContribute to immunoassay analytical control strategies, including critical reagent strategy, reference material strategy, sample preparation, assay controls, system suitability, bridging approaches, trending, robustness evaluation, and lifecycle monitoring.\nSupport routine testing within the CMC Immunoassay, including development-stage testing, characterization testing, platform evaluation studies, comparability support, reagent qualification, reference material qualification, and non-GMP or GMP-supporting analytical activities.\nProvide senior-level technical guidance to scientists and research associates on experimental design, assay execution, data interpretation, troubleshooting, documentation, and good laboratory practices.\nSupport outsourced immunoassay activities with CROs, CDMOs, contract testing laboratories, reagent vendors, and technology partners by providing technical input, protocol review, data review, issue resolution, and deliverable assessment.\nAuthor and review study protocols, technical reports, method development reports, platform evaluation summaries, validation-support documents, comparability packages, and regulatory-supporting documentation.\nRepresent Immunoassay Development as a technical subject matter expert in project teams, cross-functional technical discussions, vendor meetings, and internal scientific reviews.\nPartner with Analytical Development, ASAT, QC, Process Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Clinical Serology, Regulatory, Program Management, and external partners to support CMC deliverables and program timelines.\nStay current with emerging immunoassay technologies, platform innovations, automation opportunities, and best practices that may strengthen Vaxcyte’s immunoassay capability.\nPerform all work with strong commitment to scientific rigor, data integrity, documentation quality, laboratory safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.\nRequirements: \nPhD. in Biochemistry, Immunology, Analytical Chemistry, Biological Sciences, or a related discipline is preferred with a minimum of 8 years of relevant biopharmaceutical industry experience; or M.S. in a related discipline with a minimum of 13 years of relevant biopharmaceutical industry experience; or B.S. in a related discipline with a minimum of 16 years of relevant biopharmaceutical industry experience.\nSignificant hands-on, lab-based experience developing, optimizing, troubleshooting, transferring, lifecycle-supporting, and executing immunoassays in vaccine CMC, biologics analytical development, QC, ASAT, or other regulated analytical environments.\nDemonstrated scientific depth in immunoassay method development, including assay format selection, reagent strategy, sample preparation, assay optimization, robustness assessment, qualification support, validation readiness, method transfer support, and lifecycle management.\nStrong technical experience with ligand-binding immunoassay platforms such as ELISA, MSD, electrochemiluminescence-based assays, bead-based assays, multiplex assays, or other relevant immunoassay technologies.\nDemonstrated ability to independently design experiments, interpret complex data, troubleshoot assay performance trends, and make sound scientific recommendations.\nExperience evaluating innovative immunoassay platforms and translating platform learnings into fit-for-purpose analytical strategies.\nExperience supporting potency, antigenicity, identity, impurity, characterization, comparability, release, stability, process development, method transfer, validation-support, routine testing, or regulatory-supporting assays.\nExperience contributing to immunoassay control strategies, including critical reagents, reference materials, assay controls, system suitability, bridging, trending, and lifecycle monitoring.\nExperience supporting outsourced immunoassay activities with CROs, CDMOs, contract testing laboratories, reagent vendors, or technology partners is desired.\nExperience working in or supporting GMP-regulated analytical environments is desired.\nHands-on experience with MSD platforms is highly desirable.\nHands-on experience with multiplex or other multiplex immunoassay platforms is a plus.\nDemonstrated ability to mentor junior scientists and influence technical direction without relying on formal people-management authority.\nStrong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific concepts, data interpretation, technical risks, and recommendations.\nDirect experience with conjugated vaccines, polysaccharide-protein conjugates, multivalent vaccines, or other complex biologics is strongly preferred.\nPreferred Qualifications:\nExperience supporting late-stage development, PPQ readiness, BLA preparation, commercial readiness, or lifecycle management of vaccine or biologics programs.\nExperience contributing to regulatory submissions, health authority responses, technical reports, method development reports, or validation-support documentation.\nExperience with automation, high-throughput immunoassay workflows, multiplex assay design, LIMS, ELN, and digital data analysis tools.\nExperience helping build or scale analytical capabilities or technical platforms within a growing organization.\nReports to: Senior Director, Global Analytical Lead - Commercial Readiness and Analytical Strategy\nLocation: San Carlos, CA\nWork Arrangement (may be adjusted based on business needs, job responsibilities, or changes to company policy): \nOnsite (minimum of 4 days per week onsite) \nCompensation:\nThe compensation package will be competitive and includes comprehensive benefits and an equity component.\nSalary Range: $209,000 - $244,000 (SF Bay Area).\nEqual Opportunity\nWe 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.\nRecruitment Fraud Notice\nPlease 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":10683,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":16,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Diagnostic Tests & IVD","Drug Discovery","Vaccines"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-02T21:32:26Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 9 · green card filings: 2","filings_12m":9,"filings_prev_12m":11,"green_card_filings_12m":2,"median_offered_wage_usd":172955,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":17,"expected_fill_days":83,"reasons":["conf:1","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":244000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-21T02:09:10Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":3260,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":685268},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=685268"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvaxcyte-staff-scientist-immunoassay-development"}]}