Scientific Engagement Partner

Renovo Solutions • Philadelphia, PA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Scientific Engagement Partner is assigned to specific scientific groups at a Johnson & Johnson site under the Enterprise Laboratory Instrument Services (ELIS) program. This role is organized around the science, with the Partner assigned to laboratory groups to learn their work and become their single point of contact for instrument-related matters. This high-touch, broad role combines relationship ownership, instrument readiness, asset onboarding and data accuracy, lifecycle and spend advisory, vendor and contract interface, and escort services. The Partner ensures that scientists with problems can contact them and have the issue handled, whether it's a fault, scheduling issue, training gap, or contract question. The role reports to the Site Operations Manager and collaborates with Lab Liaison Coordinators and Life Science Engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific or technical discipline preferred. Equivalent hands-on laboratory experience considered.
• 3+ years of experience in a laboratory environment, either operating scientific instrumentation or supporting those who do.
• Hands-on experience operating analytical or laboratory instrumentation as a user, not only servicing it, strongly preferred.
• Background as a laboratory technician, research associate, field applications specialist or instrument specialist is an excellent fit.
• Working knowledge of common laboratory platforms, which may include chromatography, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, plate-based detection, cell culture or laboratory automation.
• Ability to hold a technical conversation with a scientist and a service conversation with an engineer, and translate between them.
• Demonstrated ownership of an asset or data record set, with accountability for its accuracy.
• Working knowledge of GxP requirements, data integrity expectations and laboratory documentation practice.
• Experience with a CMMS or service platform preferred.
• Experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology or research environment strongly preferred.
• OEM applications or operator training on relevant platforms preferred, and supported after hire.
• Training in laboratory safety, GxP and data integrity provided or required.
• CMMS and platform training provided after hire.
• Scientific Curiosity - takes a real interest in what the assigned groups are working on, and uses that understanding to support them better.
• Relationship Ownership - is known and trusted by name in the assigned laboratories, and does not hide behind a ticket queue.
• Applications Judgment - can tell operator error from instrument fault, and does not raise a service call to avoid a conversation.
• Breadth - moves between technical, applications, commercial and coordination work in the same day without dropping any of it.
• Scope Discipline - knows where the boundary with other on-site providers sits and routes rather than absorbs.
• Proactivity - spots the problem forming and acts before it becomes downtime.
• Data Discipline - treats the assigned area’s record as part of the job, not paperwork after it.
• Communication - explains technical matters to scientists and scientific context to engineers.
• Integrity - can admit mistakes, is direct and truthful, and acts in the best interest of clients, employees and Renovo.
• Abide by and follow Renovo safety policies, procedures, and injury and illness prevention expectations.
• Maintain a safe working environment for self and others when visiting customer sites, laboratories, offices, or operational environments.
• Follow applicable customer site safety requirements, OSHA guidelines, and laboratory or facility-specific procedures as required.
• Complete required safety training assignments on time.
• Regular presence in active laboratory environments, including areas with biological, chemical, electrical and cryogenic hazards.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to move about a multi-building site throughout the day.
• Occasional lifting up to 15 kilograms with appropriate assistance or equipment.

Nice To Haves

• Equivalent hands-on laboratory experience considered.
• Hands-on experience operating analytical or laboratory instrumentation as a user, not only servicing it, strongly preferred.
• Experience with a CMMS or service platform preferred.
• Experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology or research environment strongly preferred.
• OEM applications or operator training on relevant platforms preferred, and supported after hire.
• Training in laboratory safety, GxP and data integrity provided or required.
• CMMS and platform training provided after hire.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the named point of contact for assigned scientific groups, laboratories or departments.
• Learn what the assigned groups are working on and how their instrumentation supports it, well enough to anticipate impact rather than react to it.
• Maintain a visible daily presence in assigned laboratories rather than working from a service queue.
• Build working relationships with scientists, laboratory managers and group leadership, and hold those relationships through staff and project change.
• Represent the assigned groups’ priorities back into site operations when scheduling and coverage decisions are made.
• Attend the assigned groups’ team meetings and act as the fast-action point of contact arising from them.
• Know the assigned area’s instrument fleet in detail, including configuration, criticality to the science, condition and usage pattern.
• Monitor instrument performance and raise emerging problems before they become downtime.
• Own the assigned area’s scheduled maintenance (SM) planning around laboratory activity so maintenance does not collide with critical scientific work.
• Coordinate service level loading across the assigned area so instrument availability matches how hard the group runs.
• Review and close out work orders for the assigned area, and confirm the instrument is genuinely usable rather than only signed off.
• Distinguish operator error, consumable and sample issues, method problems and genuine instrument faults before a service call is raised.
• Support asset onboarding for the assigned area, including intake verification, tagging and correct record creation.
• Own accuracy of the asset record for the assigned area, including location, status, configuration, ownership and criticality.
• Run inventory checks across the assigned laboratories and raise or correct discrepancies found.
• Act as the requestor for asset inventory updates, changes and retirements arising from the assigned area.
• Support computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) data entry and reconciliation for the assigned area, and electronic laboratory notebook or laboratory information system record alignment where the client requires it.
• Provide accurate area data for audits, entitlement reviews and reporting cycles.
• Analyze usage, failure and downtime patterns for the assigned area and recommend action.
• Advise the assigned groups on instrument selection, consolidation, replacement timing and lifecycle position.
• Know what coverage each instrument in the assigned area carries, and flag coverage that does not match how the instrument is actually used, in either direction.
• Identify assets where self-perform service is viable and feed the technical and usage case to the Life Science Engineer, Supervisor or Lead.
• Support budget cycles for the assigned area with usage and spend evidence.
• Surface additional service needs, new equipment coming into the area and scope growth to the Site Operations Manager.
• Support instrument operation, including setup, routine use and basic method and application questions.
• Provide practical operating guidance, technique and workarounds that improve throughput and data quality.
• Deliver informal training and refreshers to scientific staff on instrument use and good practice.
• Escalate applications questions beyond scope to the OEM applications team or the Technical Center of Excellence.
• Route requests for volumetric verification, consumables, reagents and glassware to the responsible provider rather than performing them.
• Coordinate vendor visits around laboratory availability and scientific priority for the assigned area.
• Witness and review vendor work in the assigned laboratories and confirm it is complete before the engineer leaves.
• Support quotes, service requests and purchase requests for the assigned area through the coordination and Sourcing and Payments teams.
• Route work according to the coverage each instrument carries rather than defaulting to the OEM.
• Document work and interactions in the platform so the assigned area’s history is complete and not held personally.
• Meet GxP and client quality system documentation requirements for the assigned area.
• Support quality walkthroughs, audits and quality reviews covering assigned laboratories.
• Support planned shutdown activity affecting the assigned area.
• Follow laboratory safety requirements including biological, chemical, electrical and cryogenic hazards, and challenge unsafe practice.
• Escort and host OEM and third-party personnel in client laboratories and equipment areas, on request and regardless of whose scope the instrument sits in.
• Confirm third-party personnel are inducted, badged, trained, and compliant with client site access and safety requirements before they enter a laboratory.
• Remain with third-party personnel while they work where the area, the hazard, or the client requires continuous accompaniment.
• Confirm the work performed matches what was authorized, and that the area is left clean, safe, and operational.
• Verify the service report or work record is complete before the third-party leaves site, and route it for invoice verification.
• Escalate immediately where a third party arrives unannounced, without correct documentation, or attempts work outside the authorised scope.

Benefits

• Opportunities for employees to grow within the company.
• Investing in employees’ development, offering various phases and advancement paths.
• Ongoing training, mentorship programs, and a supportive work environment.
• Promote from within.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level