Lead Scientific Applications Specialist - CGT

PHC Corporation of North America; Wood Dale (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401k

Vacation and holiday pay

Annual discretionary bonus

Job summary

A leading biopharmaceutical company is seeking a Lead Scientific Applications Specialist in Wood Dale, IL. This role combines scientific expertise with customer engagement to support bioreactor-based cell culture manufacturing workflows in gene therapy. Responsibilities include being a subject matter expert, supporting the sales team, and providing technical guidance to clients. A PhD in a relevant field and at least 7 years of related experience are required. Competitive salary plus benefits offered, with opportunities for bonus and travel.

Qualifications

• PhD or Masters in relevant field required, preferably with a focus on cell and gene therapy.
• At least 7 years of experience in cell and gene therapy process development or manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of GMP/GxP expectations in CGT manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SME for new cGMP bioreactor systems supporting cell culture manufacturing processes.
• Assist sales team in finding new customer opportunities for PHCbi’s bioreactor platform.
• Provide technical expertise and support to customers for process development.

Skills

Cell Biology

Biochemical Engineering

Technical Selling

Upstream Bioprocess Parameters

Customer Engagement

Education

PhD in Cell Biology, Bioengineering, or related field

Masters with significant CGT bioprocessing experience

Tools

Bioreactor Systems

PAT Tools

Job description

Job Title: Lead Scientific Applications Specialist - CGT

About the Opportunity

The Lead Scientific Applications Specialist – CGT serves as the technical authority for PHCbi’s new bioreactor-based cell culture and manufacturing workflows. This role partners closely with customers, sales, marketing, R&D, and product management to support process development, scale-up, and clinical/commercial manufacturing in cell and gene therapy. The position combines deep scientific expertise with sales-focused customer engagement and strategic influence to drive product adoption and customer success. Additionally, this role involves providing technical expertise, supporting customer applications, and driving adoption of solutions through scientific engagement and collaboration.

Location

This role will ideally be located in Wood Dale, IL but is open to a remote position in the United States.

What you will be doing

• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for new cGMP bioreactor systems supporting cell culture manufacturing processes
• Assist the sales team in finding new customer opportunities and ideal targets for PHCbi’s new bioreactor platform
• Support customers across PD, clinical, and commercial manufacturing environments
• Partner with sales teams on pre-sales activities including technical presentations, demos, feasibility studies, and proposal support
• Act as technical escalation point for complex bioprocess challenges and troubleshooting
• Provide customer and market feedback to R&D, marketing and product management to influence product roadmap
• Develop application content such as protocols, application notes, case studies, and conference materials
• Mentor and support junior applications scientists and sales teams
• Provide application support to customers, including protocol optimization, troubleshooting, and training collaborating with R&D and commercial teams to develop and refine application protocols
• Lead scientific discussions with clients and present technical data at conferences, webinars, and customer meetings
• This is a travel position, and has a willingness to travel up to 30–50% as required

What you need for success

• PhD in Cell Biology, Bioengineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or related field preferred; Masters is required (MS with significant CGT bioprocessing experience considered)
• At least 7 years of experience in cell and/or gene therapy process development or manufacturing
• Strong hands-on experience with bioreactor systems (single-use closed platforms, stirred-tank, perfusion,etc)
• Experience supporting viral vector production and/or cell therapy workflows
• Prior customer-facing applications, field support, or technical leadership experience preferred
• Sales or commercial experience strongly preferred, including technical selling, account support, or deal-level engagement
• Experience integrating databases a plus
• Strong knowledge of GMP/GxP expectations in CGT manufacturing
• Expertise in upstream bioprocess parameters and scale-up principles
• Familiarity with PAT tools, in-line sensors, automation, and closed systems

The hiring range for this position is: $90,000 - 115,000 plus individuals may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. Actual compensation within the range will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications and location, and applicable employment laws. PHCNA offers a wide range of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, holiday pay, vacation and more.