Sr. Scientist, Conjugation Development

Company: Initial Therapeutics, Inc.
Location: San Carlos
Posted on: March 24, 2025

Job Description:

Join our Mission to Protect Humankind!Vaxcyte is a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases, which have serious and costly health consequences when left unchecked. Working to eradicate or treat bacterial infections such as invasive pneumococcal disease, Group A Strep, periodontitis and Shigella is just the beginning. Our path to success is clear and well-defined, and Vaxcyte is set up to go the distance.WHAT we do is every bit as important as HOW we do it! Our work together is guided by four enduring core values:

• RETHINK CONVENTION: We bring creative and intellectual diversity to every facet of the work we do in order to innovate and re-innovate the way vaccines are delivered.
• AIM HIGH: We embody our collectively audacious goal to courageously make the most complex biologics ever attempted to protect humankind.
• LEAD WITH HEART: Everyone leads at Vaxcyte with a kindness-first, inclusive approach to collaboration and vigorous debate that advances our business objectives.
• MODEL EXCELLENCE: The magnitude of our challenge requires our shared commitment to demonstrating integrity, accountability, equality and clarity across communications and decision making.Summary:Vaxcyte is looking for a Sr. Scientist, Conjugation Development. The title and compensation of the candidate will be adapted according to their credentials. For the next 1-2 years, the candidate's primary responsibility will be to contribute to process characterization efforts for the company's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine program. After that, the candidate will work on conjugation process development for Vaxcyte's pipeline programs. Specifically, this will include preparation, purification, and analytical characterization of chemically modified polysaccharides and polysaccharide-protein conjugates. The ideal candidate will have significant laboratory experience and an excellent understanding of analytical chemistry principles. The successful candidate will be expected to design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments with minimal guidance. The candidate will also contribute when needed to a range of related areas such as analytical development and stability studies. Responsibilities will additionally include record management, data presentation at group meetings, authorship of laboratory protocols and development reports, communication with external organizations during tech transfer, and assumption of a leadership role in collaborative studies with other members of the conjugation group.Essential Functions:

• Optimize and troubleshoot multi-step syntheses of protein-polysaccharide conjugates.
• Purify polysaccharides and conjugates using a variety of methods including dialysis, size-exclusion chromatography, and tangential flow filtration (TFF).
• Analyze polysaccharides and conjugates with a variety of analytical methods. Develop new laboratory workflows and analyses beyond established procedures when appropriate.
• Advise team members on experimental design, interpretation of results, and troubleshooting.
• Model and train team members on best practices for adherence to protocols and data management.
• Serve as a subject matter expert during tech transfer of conjugation processes to contract manufacturing organizations.
• Maintain highly organized records to enable optimization and assessment of reproducibility.
• Attend team meetings ready to provide updates on conjugation development progress.Requirements:
  • PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related field with 5+ years of industry experience, MS with 8+ years, or BS with 10+ years of experience.
  • Strong biochemistry and organic chemistry knowledge base underpinning several years' experience preparing bioconjugates.
  • Proficiency with small- and large-scale techniques for purification of bioconjugates, including tangential flow filtration.
  • Proficiency in a variety of techniques for bioconjugate analysis such as colorimetric assays, HPLC, and SEC-MALS.
  • Sufficient knowledge of analytical principles to develop fit-for-purpose analytical methods as needed and provide cross-functional feedback on draft analytical methods.
  • Experience with Design of Experiments is desirable.
  • Experience with chemical modification of polysaccharides is desirable.
  • Experience implementing and/or using electronic notebooks is desirable.
  • Attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
  • Strong interpersonal skills; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in written formats.
  • Self-starter; ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment and collaborate effectively with other team members.
  • Enthusiasm to learn the new skills and techniques necessary to tackle problems outside of current area of expertise.Reports to: Group Leader, Conjugation DevelopmentLocation: San Carlos, CACompensation:The compensation package will be competitive and includes comprehensive benefits and an equity component.Salary Range: $152,000 - $170,000Vaxcyte, Inc.825 Industrial Road, Suite 300San Carlos, CA 94070We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.
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Keywords: Initial Therapeutics, Inc., San Francisco , Sr. Scientist, Conjugation Development, Other , San Carlos, California