Principal/Senior Scientist, mRNA Process Sciences

Quiet Capital; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k with company match

Paid parental leave

PTO 20 days

On-site meals

Job summary

NewLimit is seeking a Principal/Senior Scientist to drive our mRNA process development and engineering efforts. As the mRNA Drug Substance Lead, you'll own process development from research-scale production through external GMP manufacturing.

This is a hands-on, lab-focused role requiring deep expertise in optimizing IVT and purification workflows. You will report to the Sr Director of Tech Ops and help build the mRNA Process Sciences team as our pipeline grows.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industry experience (5+ years) in relevant field.
• Hands-on experience optimizing IVT reactions and scaling mRNA production (>10 mL).
• Experience with column chromatography purification (AKTA) and oligo-dT steps.
• Proficiency in UFDF/TFF processes and external CDMO management.
• Ability to design and interpret basic mRNA analytical assays (Fragment Analyzer, TapeStation, RP-HPLC).
• Strong data analysis and written communication for reports and protocols.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead mRNA process development capabilities, optimizing IVT yield and purification recovery for preclinical programs.
• Manage tech transfer and scale-up activities at external CDMOs for GLP/GMP mRNA production.
• Partner with analytical team to formalize internal drug substance analytical methods.
• Lead the mRNA platform production team and establish workflow for research-grade mRNA supply.
• Stay current on emerging mRNA design/ manufacturing techniques and bring new approaches.
• Build the mRNA Process Sciences team within Technical Operations.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Team leadership

Technical writing

Experiment design

Education

PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, or related field

Equivalent industry experience (5+ years)

Tools

AKTA systems

Fragment Analyzer

TapeStation

UFDF/TFF systems

Job description

About NewLimit

NewLimit is a biotechnology company working to radically extend human healthspan. We’re developing medicines to treat age-related diseases by reprogramming the epigenome, a new therapeutic mechanism to restore regenerative potential in aged and diseased cells. We leverage functional genomics, pooled perturbation screening, and machine learning models to unravel the biology of epigenetic aging and disease using experiments of unprecedented scale.

Position

NewLimit is seeking a Principal/Senior Scientist to drive our mRNA process development and engineering efforts. As our mRNA Drug Substance Lead, you'll own mRNA process development from research-scale production through external GMP manufacturing. This is a hands-on, partially lab-based role requiring deep expertise in optimizing IVT and purification workflows. You'll be reporting directly to our Sr Director of Tech Ops and building out the mRNA Process Sciences team as our pipeline grows.

What you'll do

As a member of our team, you will:

• Establish and lead the mRNA process development capabilities at NewLimit, focused on optimizing IVT yield and downstream purification recovery for our preclinical programs.
• Manage the tech transfer and scale up activities at external CDMOs for GLP and GMP mRNA production.
• Partner with our analytical team to formalize internal drug substance analytical methods.
• Lead the mRNA platform production team, establishing a workflow for supplying research-grade mRNA for in vivo and in vitro studies.
• Stay current on emerging mRNA design and manufacturing techniques, proactively bringing new approaches to NewLimit.
• Build the mRNA Process Sciences team within Technical Operations.

Requirements

• PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience (5+ years).
• Hands-on experience optimizing IVT reactions and familiarity with the specific challenges of scaling mRNA production (>10 mL scale).
• Hands-on experience optimizing column chromatography purification steps (i.e., oligo-dT) on AKTA systems.
• Proficient in designing and executing UFDF/TFF steps.
• Experience managing external CDMOs, through process development and GMP manufacturing.
• Ability to perform and interpret basic mRNA analytical assays (Fragment Analyzer/TapeStation, restriction-digest + AGE, IP-RP-HPLC).
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated ability to structure and interpret quantitative process data to guide decisions.
• Strong written communication skills and experience writing detailed technical reports and standardized protocols.

Nice to have

• SME-level understanding of mRNA sequence design and manufacturability assessments.
• Experience with complex plasmid design, bacterial fermentation scale-up, and downstream purification for DNA template generation.
• Experience authoring regulatory submissions (IMPD-Q).
• Experience managing or mentoring RAs/scientists, with interest in growing into a people-management role over time.

Benefits

NewLimit offers generous benefits to ensure our team can focus on our mission:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid parental leave
• Industry-leading paid time off (PTO) — 20 days/year for all employees + holidays
• Meals and snacks on-site

Salary Range: $170,000 to $200,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. NewLimit offers a competitive benefits package, which includes a 401k, healthcare coverage, and 20 days of PTO. Learn more at: https://www.newlimit.com/careers *This compensation and benefits information is based on Company's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.