Associate Scientist II (Chromatography)

R&D Partners; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401k plan

Employee Assistance Program

Long‑term disability

Weekly payroll

Online timecard approval

Job summary

R&D Partners seeks an Associate Scientist II to advance polysaccharide modification and conjugation projects in San Carlos, CA. The role focuses on preparation, synthesis, purification, and analytical characterization of modified polysaccharides and conjugates, with independent execution and DoE‑driven optimization.

The candidate will contribute to analytical development, stability studies, and process optimization while helping with literature reviews and data reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• 3-5 years of relevant laboratory experience (academic, internship, or industry).
• Hands‑on experience with biochemical assays, ELISA, cell culture, chromatography, spectroscopy, or other role‑specific methods is preferred.
• Experience working in a regulated laboratory environment (GLP, GMP, or CLIA) preferred.
• Strong understanding of conjugation, purification process development, and analytical assays.
• Substantial hands‑on experience with purification methods, including diafiltration, depth filtration, and TFF, is required.
• Hands‑on experience in conjugation process development is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in analytical techniques used to characterize proteins, polysaccharides, and their conjugates, including SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA, HPLC, and SEC‑MALS, is required.
• Demonstrated experience developing or optimizing scalable processes in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience with vaccines, carbohydrates, or proteins is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Set up, execute, optimize, and troubleshoot multistep polysaccharide modification and polysaccharide‑protein conjugation reactions using click chemistry and other relevant chemistries.
• Purify modified polysaccharides and conjugates using methods such as dialysis, FPLC chromatography, and tangential flow filtration (TFF).
• Characterize proteins, polysaccharides, and their conjugates using SDS‑PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA, HPLC, SEC‑MALS, and colorimetric based plate assays.
• Apply Design of Experiments (DoE) principles and software to design, execute, and interpret experiments that support process optimization.
• Contribute scientific ideas, experimental strategies, and improvements to conjugation and purification processes.
• Independently review and summarize relevant scientific literature to inform experimental design and troubleshooting.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and organized laboratory records in Benchling to support data traceability, process optimization, and reproducibility.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data, identify trends and anomalies, and recommend next steps.
• Present findings at group meetings and contribute to laboratory protocols, technical summaries, and development reports.
• Execute established protocols with limited oversight, demonstrating technical proficiency and sound scientific judgment.
• Support routine laboratory operations, including equipment maintenance and laboratory organization.

Skills

Polysaccharide modification

Conjugation process development

Analytical principles

DoE design and interpretation

Benchling data management

SDS-PAGE

Western blotting

ELISA

HPLC

SEC-MALS

Literature review and troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Tools

FPLC chromatography

Diafiltration

Tangential flow filtration (TFF)

SDS-PAGE equipment

Benchling software

Job description

The Associate Scientist II will focus on the preparation, synthesis, purification, and analytical characterization of chemically modified polysaccharides and polysaccharide-protein conjugates. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of conjugation process development and analytical principles, supported by substantial hands‑on laboratory experience. The successful candidate will independently execute established procedures and optimize and troubleshoot polysaccharide modification, conjugation, and purification processes with limited guidance. This individual will also contribute to analytical development, stability studies, and process optimization.

This is a 12-month contract based in San Carlos, California.

Responsibilities

• Set up, execute, optimize, and troubleshoot multistep polysaccharide modification and polysaccharide-protein conjugation reactions using click chemistry and other relevant chemistries.
• Purify modified polysaccharides and conjugates using methods such as dialysis, FPLC chromatography, and tangential flow filtration (TFF).
• Characterize proteins, polysaccharides, and their conjugates using SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA, HPLC, SEC-MALS, and colorimetric based plate assays.
• Apply Design of Experiments (DoE) principles and software to design, execute, and interpret experiments that support process optimization.
• Contribute scientific ideas, experimental strategies, and improvements to conjugation and purification processes.
• Independently review and summarize relevant scientific literature to inform experimental design and troubleshooting.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and organized laboratory records in Benchling to support data traceability, process optimization, and reproducibility.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data, identify trends and anomalies, and recommend next steps.
• Present findings at group meetings and contribute to laboratory protocols, technical summaries, and development reports.
• Execute established protocols with limited oversight, demonstrating technical proficiency and sound scientific judgment.
• Support routine laboratory operations, including equipment maintenance and laboratory organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• 3-5 years of relevant laboratory experience (academic, internship, or industry).
• Hands‑on experience with techniques such as biochemical assays, ELISA, cell culture, chromatography, spectroscopy, or other role‑specific methods is preferred.
• Experience working in a regulated laboratory environment (GLP, GMP, or CLIA) preferred.
• Strong understanding of the scientific concepts underlying conjugation, purification process development, and analytical assays.
• Substantial hands‑on experience with purification methods, including diafiltration, depth filtration, and TFF, is required.
• Hands‑on experience in conjugation process development is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in analytical techniques used to characterize proteins, polysaccharides, and their conjugates, including SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA, HPLC, and SEC-MALS, is required.
• Demonstrated experience developing or optimizing scalable processes in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience with vaccines, carbohydrates, or proteins is a plus.
• Ability to independently execute established procedures, troubleshoot experimental challenges, and propose next steps with limited guidance.
• Ability to support laboratory management, including coordination with vendors and service providers for equipment maintenance and service contracts.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across functions and contribute to shared project goals.

Pay

• $38.85-$42.18/hr

Why Choose R&D Partners?

As an employee, you have access to a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical insurance – PPO, HMO & HSA
• 401k plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Long‑term disability
• Weekly payroll
• Online timecard approval

R&D Partners is a global functional service provider and strategic staffing resource specializing in scientific, clinical research & engineering. We provide job opportunities within major pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.