Process Development Associate Scientist - Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies

Biopharma Careers; Thousand Oaks (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 122,000; Full time

Job summary

Amgen is seeking a Process Development Associate Scientist to advance early-stage biologics formulation and fill/finish processes. You will work in Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies, focusing on monoclonal antibodies and other biologics, and collaborate across teams to drive robust, scalable drug product solutions.

You will design experiments, develop liquid and lyophilized formulations, and apply DoE and automation to accelerate discovery while ensuring critical quality attributes meet

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field.
• Experience with biologics formulation development and fill/finish operations.
• Experience with high-throughput formulation development and automation tools.

Responsibilities

• Join Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies group for early-stage biologics development.
• Plan and execute formulation and stability studies for early-stage programs.
• Develop and characterize liquid and lyophilized biologics formulations.
• Investigate CQAs and inform design decisions.
• Design automated screening workflows and DoE studies.
• Implement laboratory automation and data capture improvements.
• Apply ML/AI to modeling and decision-making.
• Prepare regulatory documents and transfer protocols.

Skills

Formulation development

High-throughput

Laboratory automation

Data analysis

DoE

Robotic workflows

Written communication

Education

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree + 2 years experience

Associate’s degree + 4 years experience

High school diploma + 6 years experience

Tools

Hamilton

Tecan

Beckman Coulter

Opentrons

HPLC/UPLC

Job description

Job Description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission, to serve patients living with serious illnesses, drives all that we do.

Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas -Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease- we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity-related conditions. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you’ll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Process Development Associate Scientist

What you will do

• Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. In this vital role you will join Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies group, responsible for early-stage drug product development across diverse modalities, with a strong emphasis on monoclonal antibodies, multispecifics and other biologic modalities. The role involves designing and developing liquid and lyophilized formulations; evaluating critical quality attributes (CQAs); establishing robust, scalable fill/finish processes for complex biologic drug products; and authoring and supporting high quality regulatory submissions.
• Plan and execute formulation, stability, end-use compatibility, and fill/finish process studies for early-stage programs.
• Develop and characterize liquid and lyophilized formulations for biologics, with particular emphasis on biologics drug product formulation, handling, and lab-scale sterile filling.
• Investigate biologics-relevant CQAs (e.g., aggregation, fragmentation, charge/size variants, subvisible particles, surface interactions) to inform formulation and process design decisions.
• Design, develop, and execute automated high-throughput formulation screening workflows to accelerate excipient selection, formulation optimization, and processability assessments.
• Develop and implement laboratory automation solutions, including robotic liquid handling systems and automated sample preparation workflows, to improve experimental throughput, reproducibility, and data quality.
• Utilize design of experiments (DoE), high-throughput experimentation, and automated data analysis pipelines to efficiently explore formulation design space and support data-driven decision making.
• Identify and address technology gaps impacting biologics stability, protein-excipient interactions, and process-related stress responses.
• Apply machine learning, AI, laboratory automation, and data science to predictive modeling, workflow acceleration, and decision-making.
• Author/review guideline documents, technical protocols, technical transfer documentation, reports, product impact assessments, and regulatory sections in support of IND submissions
• Meticulous data collection, documentation using electronic data capture systems
• Ability to work in a matrixed team and present data cross functionally

What we expect of you

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of Scientific experience
• Associate’s degree and 4 years of Scientific experience
• High school diploma / GED and 6 years of Scientific experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Pharmaceutics, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Physical Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemical Engineering, or related field with a minimum of 3+ years of industrial experience in pharmaceutical/biotechnology or related field
• Understanding of physical/chemical stability of proteins and how process related stress impacts product quality.
• Preferred experience in biophysical analysis (Light scattering, DSF, AUC, FFF) and mass spectrometry (peptide mapping).
• Ability to learn and act on dynamic information at a rapid pace, hard-working and collaborative attitude
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for timely documentation, presentation, and discussion of scientific results for a fast pace and cross functional environment.
• Proven experience in formulation development and fill/finish operations for biologics; direct biologics drug product formulation experience is strongly preferred.
• Hands‑on experience with high‑throughput formulation development, automated liquid handling systems (e.g., Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman Coulter, Opentrons, or equivalent), and robotic laboratory workflows.
• Experience implementing laboratory automation, workflow digitization, and electronic data capture to improve R&D productivity.
• Familiarity with DoE, high‑throughput experimentation, laboratory robotics, and workflow orchestration for formulation and process development.
• Strong foundation in analytical techniques relevant to biologics and biologics (e.g., UPLC/HPLC, SEC, IEX, RP-HPLC, HIC, CE-SDS, subvisible particle analysis, etc.).

What you can expect from us

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales‑based incentive plan
• Stock‑based long‑term incentives
• Award‑winning time‑off plans
• Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Equal Opportunity & Diversity

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Salary Range

90,442.55USD -122,363.45 USD

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.