Senior Scientist, Analytical Sciences

Varda Space Industries • El Segundo, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Our pharmaceutical R&D team is looking for highly motivated and creative candidates who will lead efforts in improving therapeutics with microgravity. This is an opportunity in an exciting area of growth for Varda, the role will shape Varda’s product culture and will play a significant role in establishing the low earth orbit economy.

Requirements

• M.S., or Ph. D. degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or related fields
• 3+ years of experience with Ph.D., 6+ years of experience with M.S.
• Track record of developing methods for use in regulated filings and workflows

Nice To Haves

• Ph. D in Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, or Biotechnology degree, with 4+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience developing characterization methods for biologics and small molecule APIs.
• Extensive experience in developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting intact, subunit, and peptide map LC-MS analysis of complex biologics
• Experience with UV, DLS, DSF, NMR, CD, FTIR, Raman, and particle sizing technologies
• Experience with chromatographic and affinity-based methods (HPLC/UPLC, LC-MS/MS, SEC-MALS, GC-MS, CE-SDS, icIEF, SDS-PAGE)
• Track record of method development as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals, IND/BLA/NDA filings, and presentations at scientific conferences
• Experience as the responsible engineer or technical owner of projects across project lifecycle

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize and validate analytical methods for characterizing biologic and small molecule drug substances and drug products using LC-MS and other biophysical analytical techniques
• Participate in project planning, resource mapping, and timeline scheduling to ensure product development and flight schedules are maintained.
• Carry out hands-on experiments and work with external testing sites to fully characterize drug substances and drug products
• Train junior scientists on techniques and ensure high quality analytical data is produced by Varda
• Collaborate closely with product development, formulation sciences, and broader engineering groups to drive drug development activities
• Author relevant documents such as methods, protocols, validation reports, and regulatory filings as needed

Benefits

• Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
• 401(k) matching (interns excluded)
• Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
• Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
• Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
• Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)

What This Job Offers

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