Associate Director, Bioconjugation

AL Solutions; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

AL Solutions in Philadelphia, PA, seeks an Associate Director of Bioconjugation Development to lead discovery and development, spanning conjugation, purification, analytical characterization, and transfer to manufacturing. You will mentor scientists and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver complex biologics programs.

The role emphasizes senior leadership, hands-on development, and collaboration with Manufacturing, QA, QC, and Commercial functions to drive programs from early

Qualifications

• PhD with 3+ years of industry bioconjugation experience or BS/MS with 6+ years in biotherapeutic development.
• Strong knowledge of bioconjugation reactions and development strategies.
• Hands-on experience with preparative purification of biological molecules and chromatographic processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead bioconjugation development programs from project assignment through completion.
• Oversee conjugation process development, downstream purification, scale-up, and resource planning.
• Perform and guide chromatographic purification using affinity, hydrophobic interaction, and ion-exchange chromatography.
• Develop and optimize filtration processes, including normal flow filtration and TFF/UF-DF.
• Lead bioanalytical characterization using HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS, MALDI, MALS, and colorimetric assays.
• Act as the bioconjugation SME for internal teams and clients.

Skills

Bioconjugation development

Leadership

Client communication

Mentoring

Chromatography

HPLC/UPLC

LC-MS/MALDI

GxP knowledge

Education

PhD in biotherapeutics/bioconjugation

BS/MS in related field

Tools

ÄKTA Pilot/Ready/Explorer

Chromatography systems

Job description

George Higginson is currently partnered with a leading biologics CDMO that is expanding its Bioconjugation Development team in Philadelphia, PA.

As part of this growth, they are looking to hire an Associate Director of Bioconjugation Development. This is an excellent opportunity to take a senior leadership role within a growing organization supporting the development and manufacture of innovative biotherapeutics.

This position will lead bioconjugation discovery and development activities, including conjugation process development, downstream purification, analytical characterization, scale-up, and technical transfer into manufacturing.

You will serve as a technical subject-matter expert for internal teams and clients while managing and mentoring scientists within the Bioconjugation Development group.

Responsibilities

• Lead bioconjugation development programs from project assignment through completion
• Oversee conjugation process development, downstream purification, scale-up, and resource planning
• Perform and guide hands-on chromatographic purification using affinity, hydrophobic interaction, and ion-exchange chromatography
• Develop and optimize filtration processes, including normal flow filtration and TFF/UF-DF
• Lead bioanalytical characterization using techniques including HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS, MALDI, MALS, and colorimetric assays
• Act as the bioconjugation technical lead and SME for internal teams and external clients
• Manage, train, and mentor direct reports while monitoring team performance and departmental KPIs
• Lead the technical transfer of bioconjugation processes into GMP manufacturing
• Support risk assessments, gap assessments, batch record development, and manufacturing troubleshooting
• Partner with commercial teams on client scoping calls, bid defences, project design, costing, and proposal development
• Author and review development reports, protocols, batch records, SOPs, laboratory documentation, and technical presentations
• Work cross-functionally with Manufacturing, QA, QC, and leadership to support toxicology and GLP batch activities

Requirements

• PhD with 3+ years of relevant industry experience, or a BS/MS with 6+ years of experience in biotherapeutic development or bioconjugation
• Strong knowledge of bioconjugation reactions, techniques, and development strategies
• Hands-on experience with the preparative purification of biological molecules, including antibodies, carrier proteins, viruses, or viral vectors
• Expertise in normal flow filtration and tangential flow filtration, including TFF and UF-DF
• Experience with preparative chromatography systems such as ÄKTA Pilot, ÄKTA Ready, or ÄKTA Explorer
• Strong understanding of scalable process parameters for filtration and chromatographic separations
• Experience with protein characterization techniques such as HPLC, LC-MS, CE-SDS, and UV spectrophotometry
• Knowledge of cGMP manufacturing operations, GxP principles, and relevant ICH and FDA guidelines
• Demonstrated experience leading technical projects and communicating directly with clients
• Previous people-management, mentoring, or team-leadership experience

Preferred Experience

• Design of Experiments and bioprocess optimization
• Technical transfer of bioconjugation processes into GMP manufacturing
• Large-scale and single-use bioprocess equipment
• Client scoping, proposal development, and bid-defence activities
• CDMO or client-facing development environment

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to lead a growing Bioconjugation Development function within a leading biologics CDMO, combining scientific leadership with hands-on technical development. You will take ownership of complex programs from early development through manufacturing transfer, work directly with clients developing innovative biotherapeutic products, mentor and develop a talented scientific team, and collaborate across Development, Manufacturing, Quality, and Commercial functions.