Senior Scientist – Process Development

Avantor • Bridgewater Township, NJ

12h

About The Position

Avantor is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Scientist to lead and support process development initiatives and manufacturing operations for excipients and reagents.

This role requires deep expertise in chemical engineering principles, mammalian cell culture, and bioreactor-based process development. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in designing scalable processes, supporting tech transfer, and resolving on-the-floor manufacturing challenges. A Ph.D. in Chemical, Biochemical, or Biomedical Engineering or related field is required.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field (required).
• Minimum of 5+ years of industry experience in mammalian cell culture-based bioprocess development and GMP manufacturing support. Doctoral or relevant academic experience can be counted as equivalent experience to industry experience.
• Strong knowledge of bioreactor operations, including design, scale-up, control strategies, and troubleshooting.
• Proficiency in chemical process principles such as mixing, heat transfer, and reaction engineering as applied to biologics production.
• Familiarity with single-use or multi-use bioreactor systems, aseptic operations, and automation platforms.
• Excellent problem-solving, technical writing, and cross-functional communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with continuous bioprocessing, process modeling, or chemical processing
• Exposure to downstream processing (filtration, chromatography) and integration with upstream.
• Familiarity with ICH, FDA, and EMA guidelines for biologics manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience with QbD, DoE, and statistical tools (e.g., JMP, Minitab).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize mammalian cell culture processes in bench-scale and pilot-scale bioreactors, including fed-batch and perfusion modes.
• Apply chemical engineering fundamentals (mass transfer, kinetics, thermodynamics) to scale up unit operations effectively and predictably.
• Support media/feed strategy development, metabolic analysis, and process parameter optimization for improved productivity and product quality.
• Collaborate with analytical teams to interpret process data, perform root cause analysis, and drive data-based decisions.
• Author technical development reports, risk assessments, and regulatory documentation
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert (SME) during GMP manufacturing campaigns, providing on-the-floor support and troubleshooting.
• Participate in deviation investigations, CAPAs, and change controls related to cell culture and bioprocess equipment.
• Drive technology transfer of processes from development labs to GMP facilities, ensuring proper documentation, training, and scale-up readiness.
• Support validation activities, including process performance qualification (PPQ) and equipment qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ).

Benefits

• Avantor offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness programs, health savings and flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with company match, and an employee stock purchase program.
• Employees also receive 11 paid holidays, accrue 18 PTO days annually, are eligible for volunteer time off and 6 weeks of 100% paid parental leave (except in states that offer paid family leave).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree