Associate Scientist II (Contract), Research

Vaxcyte • San Carlos, CA

5d • $51 - $56 • Hybrid

About The Position

Vaxcyte is a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company focused on engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases. The Research team utilizes a wide range of chromatographic tools for the purification of diverse vaccine antigens. This role requires practical, hands-on experience with multiple chromatographic modalities beyond standard monoclonal antibody/Protein A workflows, including selection, screening, development, scale-up, and characterization of various chromatography techniques.

Requirements

• BS in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or a relevant science, with a minimum of 2 years of relevant industry experience, OR MS with a minimum of 1 year of relevant industry experience.
• Experience with diverse protein targets, including bacterial and eukaryotic recombinant proteins, small/large subunit vaccine antigens, fusion proteins, multimeric complexes, glycoproteins, and VLPs.
• Demonstrated success with alternative capture/polishing methods and orthogonal cleaning strategies appropriate for potential vaccine antigens.
• Experience in process development.
• Strong interpersonal skills for effective team collaboration.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated Design of Experiments (DoE) experience for multimodal optimization.
• Preferred experience with Cell-free protein synthesis systems.
• Familiarity with automation or high-throughput workflows (e.g., 96-well plates) and DoE integrations within UNICORN/AKTA software.

Responsibilities

• Execute AKTA FPLC chromatography techniques including Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC), Ion-Exchange Chromatography (IEX), Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC), Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), and Hydroxyapatite (CHT / HA).
• Design chromatography trains to reduce host cell protein, endotoxin, and aggregates using complementary modalities.
• Utilize membrane chromatography for high-throughput contaminant removal or virus/VLP processing, and as a scale-friendly polishing/scavenging step.
• Maintain accurate and current records of development experiments and project-related activities in an electronic laboratory notebook.
• Present experimental data to the team and contribute to technical discussions.
• Work collaboratively within a team environment and provide support to advance team initiatives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree