Senior Associate Scientist, Viral Vaccines

Pfizer • Pearl River, NY

4d • Onsite

About The Position

At Pfizer, our purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. As a Senior Associate Scientist Biology, you will be at the forefront of our mission, contributing to the development of innovative therapies and vaccines that have the potential to transform patient care. Reporting to the Research & Development division, you will leverage advanced science and cutting-edge technologies to make a tangible impact on global health. Your work will be instrumental in ensuring drug safety and efficacy, supporting clinical trials, and accelerating the delivery of top-tier medicines to patients worldwide. As a Senior Associate Scientist, you will join Pfizer's Viral Vaccines organization, a team dedicated to advancing innovative vaccines that help protect people from serious infectious diseases around the world. In this role, you will become part of a highly collaborative virology team responsible for generating and supplying viral reagents to support pre-clinical vaccine research. Viruses of particular interest will include Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), pathogens that contribute to significant disease burden across vulnerable populations worldwide. Responsibilities will include producing and optimizing high-titer virus stocks, maintaining mammalian cell cultures, performing viral characterization assays, managing reagent inventories, and coordinating the distribution of critical viral reagents across vaccine research programs. Beyond laboratory operations, you will contribute to scientific collaboration and innovation by ensuring data and information transfer between groups, developing and integrating immunoassays, and supporting high-throughput testing activities for non-clinical research programs. Your efforts will help generate the robust scientific data required to assess vaccine performance and guide development strategies. Your work will be essential to ensuring that research teams have access to the high-quality viral materials needed to evaluate vaccine candidates and accelerate scientific decision-making. The viral reagents, data, and scientific insights you help generate will directly contribute to programs aimed at preventing infectious diseases, improving public health, and bringing promising vaccine candidates closer to the people who need them most. Through your technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to quality, you will play an important role in helping Pfizer deliver breakthroughs that change patients' lives.

Requirements

• BA/BS with at least 3 years of experience or MBA/MS with any years of experience
• Hands-on experience in cell culture and cell-based assays
• Proficiency in using relevant software for data analysis
• Fundamental laboratory skills, including quantitative-PCR, molecular biology, western blotting, biochemical assays, and tissue processing
• Strong background in experimental design and result interpretation
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Proficiency in using personal computers for word processing, Excel, PowerPoint, and scientific software
• Ability to meet the standard requirements for a lab-based role and perform all typical lab related activities (lifting <20 pounds, frequent pipetting, long stretches on feet, etc)
• Permanent work authorization in the United States

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and flow cytometry
• Practical knowledge in cell culture techniques and flow cytometry analysis
• Experience in drug discovery processes
• Expertise in maintaining and manipulating cell lines for experimental purposes
• Proficiency in analyzing cell populations and their characteristics
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Experience using common AI tools, including generative technologies such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, to support problem solving and enhance

Responsibilities

• Producing and optimizing high-titer virus stocks
• Maintaining mammalian cell cultures
• Performing viral characterization assays
• Managing reagent inventories
• Coordinating the distribution of critical viral reagents across vaccine research programs
• Ensuring data and information transfer between groups
• Developing and integrating immunoassays
• Supporting high-throughput testing activities for non-clinical research programs
• Conduct various assays to monitor immune responses elicited by vaccine candidates
• Document laboratory work involving bio-functional assays thoroughly
• Maintain cell lines, process red blood cells weekly, and prepare samples for testing
• Assisting with molecular and virology work
• Generate plasmid constructs for RNA and reverse genetic virus stocks
• Optimizing RNA vaccines
• Ensure compliance with SOP guidelines, cGLP, and/or cGMP guidelines
• Execute qualifications and validations of new instruments and custom methods
• Contribute to work group goals
• Collaborate with team members
• Participate as a team member
• Prioritize work to meet project deadlines
• Apply technical skills to assignments
• Organize work according to departmental priorities
• Choose between alternatives to solve moderately complex problems
• Follow procedures with general instructions
• Work under moderate supervision with regular review
• Collaborate with the Primary Pharmacology Group to ensure alignment around assay technology selection, assay quality criteria, and validation requirements
• Interact with external vendors to obtain quotes and purchase reagents for clinical testing
• Manage manual and robotic sample preparation
• Identify and report experimental problems
• Troubleshoot causative factors
• Implement necessary corrections after discussing with the supervisor
• Train other analysts on established technologies
• Manage direct reports

Benefits

• 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
• health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage
• Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility

What This Job Offers

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