Cell Culture Pilot Scientist — Scale-Up

Msd; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 72,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in North Wales, PA seeks an Associate Scientist to drive pilot-scale cell culture operations, support scale-up and commercialization, and enable drug substance transfer from development to manufacturing.

You will operate pilot bioreactors, collect data, and contribute to technology transfer while ensuring compliance and data integrity. You will collaborate with process development, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory teams to execute scale-up, perform PPQ studies, and assist

Qualifications

• Minimum High School Diploma/GED with 5 years of relevant experience or Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biological Engineering, or a related field with 0–2 years of relevant experience.
• Hands-on or academic experience in mammalian cell culture including aseptic technique and bioreactor operations.

Responsibilities

• Pilot-scale mammalian cell culture runs: bioreactor setup, operation, monitoring, sampling, troubleshooting.
• Scale-up of cell culture processes from lab to pilot/manufacturing scale for robust commercialization.
• Assist with process characterization studies, process validation (PPQ), and regulatory filing support.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with PD, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory teams for technology transfer.
• Troubleshoot pilot equipment, bioreactor performance, and process deviations.
• Maintain clear documentation and communicate results to stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement to pilot efficiency and process robustness.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

Aseptic technique

Bioreactor operations

Process development

Data integrity

Regulatory filings

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related field

High School Diploma/GED with 5 years relevant experience

Tools

Bioreactors

Lab instrumentation

Job description

Merck & Co., Inc. in North Wales, PA seeks an Associate Scientist to drive pilot-scale cell culture operations, support scale-up and commercialization, and enable drug substance transfer from development to manufacturing.

You will operate pilot bioreactors, collect data, and contribute to technology transfer while ensuring compliance and data integrity. You will collaborate with process development, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory teams to execute scale-up, perform PPQ studies, and assist