Senior Scientist I - CMC BioProcess Purification Development

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

The Biologics CMC Development team at AbbVie in the Bay Area has a long and rich history of biologics development. Now located in a new state of the art facility in South San Francisco, the team leverages its comprehensive end-to-end CMC capabilities to work collaboratively through all phases of CMC development with a primary focus on advancing complex biologic therapies, such as bi-specifics and novel modalities, to human clinical studies and eventual licensure. This role is within a team of highly experienced scientists and managers who have directly enabled the development/IND submissions of 20+ novel biologics and successfully filed two BLAs.

As one of CMC purification development group members, you will apply your strong expertise in CMC purification to develop robust, phase-appropriate processes for drug substance GMP production to enable human clinical studies and eventual licensure. You will be responsible for all aspects of CMC purification program deliverables and help drive drugs substance purification development strategy though program lead assignments in cross-functional CMC teams.  

This position is an onsite role in a lab-based function. To be successful candidates must enjoy and thrive in an onsite, highly collaborative lab environment with daily face-to-face cross-functional interactions between scientists.

Responsibilities include: 

• Development, optimize, and scale-up purification processes for biologics candidates to support early and late stage development 
• Transfer processes to GMP manufacturing for clinical material production 
• Work with contract labs and carry out viral clearance studies 
• Conceive and evaluate novel, advanced bioprocess technologies that are in line with the group’s strategy 
• Proactively seek out new information in the literature and incorporate this into individual project(s) as well as the overall program 

• Seize opportunities to pursue project relevant leads that are in line with the group’s strategy 
• Maintain a high level of productivity in the lab 
• Write technical publications, reports, presentations, and regulatory filings including publishing research in peer-reviewed journals and presenting work at scientific conferences 

• Work efficiently, collaboratively, and cross-functionally toward project timelines and goals  
• Understand and adhere to corporate standards regarding code of conduct, safety, appropriate handling of materials, and GxP compliance, where applicable
• Participate on cross-functional project teams 
• Mentor and train junior scientists 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Chemistry or other sciences
• Bachelor’s degree + 10 or more years of experience OR Masters + 8 or more years of experience, OR a PhD 
• Must have CMC protein purification experience with standard bioprocess unit operations such as chromatography separations and filtration

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Proficient in writing methods and operating AKTA chromatographic instruments (such as AKTA Avant, AKTA Purifier, AKTA Pure, AKTA Ready or similar) 
• Has a strong understanding of analytical techniques, such as HPLC and ELISA 
• Has hands on experience with monoclonal antibody or antibody-like molecule purification process development at laboratory, pilot and/or GMP scale
• Proven experience in mechanistic modeling of downstream purification unit operations including chromatography separations and/or membrane separations

Other Required Skills:

• Able to independently design, execute, use and reference literature publications, and interpret laboratory experiments to answer scientific questions 
• Able to manage and organize large data sets to help interpret results using data visualization tools
• Must be forward-thinking and be able to lead and contribute to scientific/technical discussions and innovation

• Able to independently learn, understand and execute novel, advanced scientific techniques 
• Must have excellent attention to detail and ability to keep detailed written records  
• Proven record of authoring publications, technical reports, regulatory documents, and/or presentations 
• Has strong communication skills including verbal, written, and scientific data presentation 
• Has excellent understanding of biochemistry and bioprocess engineering concepts 

• Able to work collaboratively within and outside of the group 
• Has proficiency with Microsoft Office software, ability to learn new software applications 
• Has a strong understanding of statistical analysis  
• Demonstrated scientific aptitude through authorship of peer-reviewed publications 

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​​

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• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.​​

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.​​

• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. ​​

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Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. 

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. 

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