Head of Pilot Plant - Cell Therapy Process Scale-Up

Allogene Therapeutics; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Equity

Health insurance

Generous time off

Holiday shutdowns

Job summary

Allogene Therapeutics in South San Francisco is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead the Pilot Plant within Process & Product Development. You will translate development strategies into robust, at-scale cell therapy manufacturing operations and guide cross-functional teams including Drug Product, MSAT, and Manufacturing.

The role requires strong scientific leadership, experience with scale-up, DOE, and data-driven decision making, and the ability to drive technology transfer to GMP.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology, Immunology, or related field with 7+ years of industry experience.
• Extensive experience in process development and scale-up for biologics or cell therapy manufacturing.
• Experience with DOE and data-driven decision making.
• Experience using Python or R for data analysis and automation development.
• Experience supporting regulatory filings (IND/BLA) and PPQ/process validation.
• Proven track record leading complex programs and cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong leadership, mentorship and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Authorized to work in the U.S.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Pilot Plant team and oversee large-scale and engineering runs.
• Translate development strategies into scalable at-scale cell therapy operations.
• Ensure alignment across development, pilot, and manufacturing for GMP transfer.
• Design and execute high-impact process development studies using QbD.
• Identify and mitigate scale-dependent risks in manufacturing platforms.
• Apply fluid dynamics, gas and mass transfer concepts to scale-up.
• Develop closed, aseptic automation strategies and optimize platform-specific systems.
• Drive end-to-end process integration for thaw, activation, expansion, fill/finish.
• Serve as primary Process Sciences interface with Drug Product, Manufacturing, MSAT.
• Document results in ELNs and technical reports; contribute to regulatory filings.
• Mentor scientists in study design, data interpretation, and decision-making.
• Stay current with cell therapy, immunology, and bioprocessing literature.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Team mentoring

Data analysis

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering / Bioengineering / Biochemistry / Molecular & Cell Biology / Immunology or related field

Tools

Python

R

Job description

Allogene Therapeutics in South San Francisco is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead the Pilot Plant within Process & Product Development. You will translate development strategies into robust, at-scale cell therapy manufacturing operations and guide cross-functional teams including Drug Product, MSAT, and Manufacturing.

The role requires strong scientific leadership, experience with scale-up, DOE, and data-driven decision making, and the ability to drive technology transfer to GMP.