Lead Upstream Process Scientist II

Forge Biologics; North Carolina; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Parental leave

Annual bonus opportunities

401(k) with company match

Onsite fitness facility

Mental health counseling

Disability coverage

Fully stocked kitchen

Professional development

Job summary

Forge Biologics in Columbus, OH, seeks a Scientist II to lead upstream process development for AAV manufacturing. You will guide complex experiments, mentor junior scientists, and drive tech transfer and scale-up activities to advance gene therapies toward patients.

Join a purpose-driven team at The Hearth, contributing to cutting-edge therapies with strong collaboration across PD, Manufacturing, and Quality, while continuing your own professional growth through mentorship and hands-on learning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology, or related discipline (or equivalent experience)
• Working knowledge of cell culture techniques utilizing mammalian cells
• Proven ability to operate and troubleshoot bioreactors
• Experience planning, conducting and reviewing experimental data with minimal oversight
• Experience training and development of other team members
• Experience analyzing data sets and utilizing the corresponding data to influence decision making
• Experience working with external collaborators (clients, external technology transfers, etc.)
• Project management experience

Responsibilities

• Senior-level technical contributor and subject matter expert for upstream systems and process strategy
• Independently manages multiple projects or client programs simultaneously, maintaining a high degree of quality, scientific rigor, and compliance
• Leads process development activities for early- to late-stage programs, including scale-up, technology transfer, and validation support
• Designs and executes complex DoE studies, authors technical reports, and contributes to regulatory documentation
• Anticipates challenges in upstream scale-up and proactively develops solutions to ensure technical success
• Acts as a key liaison between Process Development, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to align on strategy and ensure smooth GMP execution
• Contributes scientific rationale for tech transfer packages and GMP documentation without owning official SOPs or batch records
• Mentors junior scientists and associates through day-to-day technical guidance, fostering development in experimental design, documentation standards, and scientific reasoning

Skills

Cell culture techniques

Bioreactor operation

Project management

Data analysis

External collaboration

Viral vectors

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology, or related discipline

Master’s degree or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology, or related discipline

Job description

Forge Biologics in Columbus, OH, seeks a Scientist II to lead upstream process development for AAV manufacturing. You will guide complex experiments, mentor junior scientists, and drive tech transfer and scale-up activities to advance gene therapies toward patients.

Join a purpose-driven team at The Hearth, contributing to cutting-edge therapies with strong collaboration across PD, Manufacturing, and Quality, while continuing your own professional growth through mentorship and hands-on learning.