Process Engineer

Cellares; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly subsidized medical, dental, vision plans

401(k) matching

Free EV charging

Onsite lunches

Stock options

Job summary

Cellares in South San Francisco is looking for a Process Engineer to join the MSAT team. The successful candidate will support process transfer, compliance, and scalability for advanced cell therapy manufacturing. Responsibilities include managing technology transfers, ensuring robust processes, and collaborating across functional areas.

Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor's degree in a scientific field and at least 3 years of experience in cGMP operations, particularly in cell and gene therapy. The role offers a competitive salary and benefits, with the compensation range being $90,000 - $210,000 annually.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3+ years in biotech/biopharma industry.
• Experience in technology transfer in Pharma/Biotech.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the process knowledge of assigned product(s).
• Ensure seamless knowledge flow across functions.
• Support development of manufacturing operations.

Skills

cGMP Operations

Problem-solving

Analytical skills

Leadership

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a scientific or related field

Tools

Lean Manufacturing

GMP documentation

Job description

Position Summary

We are seeking an innovative and highly motivated Process Engineer to join the MSAT team who will contribute significantly to the development of our advanced cell therapy manufacturing platform.

This position is responsible for supporting the activities involved in the development, process transfer, compliance, and scalability for Cellares’ manufacturing operations. This individual will focus on technology transfers from Process Development into GMP manufacturing facilities, from South San Francisco to other Cellares sites, as well as drive and develop process automation to improve process reliability, safety, cost‑effectiveness, scalability, and compliance.

This is a multidisciplinary role requiring the ability to interface with internal and external stakeholders across functional areas to develop the best solutions possible. The successful candidate will be a resident expert in the areas of technology transfer and Manufacturing Science and Technology. It is expected that this individual will work closely with other functional areas and partners to ensure deliverables are met.

Candidates should enjoy working in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment, and be prepared to tackle a broad selection of challenges as the company grows.

Responsibilities

• Own the process knowledge of the product(s) assigned throughout the development lifecycle, work collaboratively for comprehensive process mapping, maintain the oversight on process capability, through data trending and statistical analysis of critical variables, ensuring process(es) are robust, in a continued state of validation and continuously improving
• Ensure the seamless flow of knowledge and information across functions, and with external stakeholders when applicable, with a focus on the assigned product(s)
• Work to identify and communicate standards and best practices for process design and manufacturing to ensure consistency across the manufacturing of cell therapies
• Work as the MSAT Process Engineer on internal or client projects
• Responsible for technology transfer activities at the site level (within, inbound, and outbound), including any scale‑up or other process adaptations
• Execute on technical transfer project team at site and liaises efficiently with involved internal and external functional groups as appropriate
• Support development of manufacturing operations, including GMP system implementation and tasks related to GMP readiness
• Support Process Development and process comparability activities on Cellares technology as required
• Write and review relevant SOPs for manufacturing operations and systems, as well as batch records and BOMs
• Support labor and equipment capacity modeling and participate in sales and operations planning process (S&OP) for supply review
• Perform manufacturability assessments for new process introductions
• Define and provide user requirements for process equipment associated with multiple facilities for the manufacture of cell therapies
• Support our software team in developing a robust end‑user solution for cell therapy manufacturing that integrates with external manufacturing processes and data management software including eBR, MES, QMS, ERP, and LIMS
• Provide technical leadership to Manufacturing and other departments associated with GMP operations
• Assess all major deviations including those that impact product quality
• Ownership of root cause analysis investigations and discussions, including effectively liaising across the appropriate functional teams to drive resolution to major quality events and deviations
• Propose and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) as necessary and own respective effectiveness checks to ensure recurrence was prevented
• Ownership of process‑related change controls and change orders, from ideation and change control board review to implementation and effectiveness check
• Facilitate and/or own the generation of process or operational‑related Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and resulting mitigations and actions
• Develop training and onboarding content and curriculum for new hires and new methods
• Provide input when troubleshooting processes on the manufacturing floor and during post‑operational investigations
• Maintain and report process run summaries and continued process verification reports
• Prepare and present data associated with manufacturing processes to internal and external partners, as well as health authority inspectors
• Support for process qualification and validation preparation, execution, monitoring, and reporting
• Work with clients on process mapping of the manufacturing processes

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in a scientific or related field is required
• A minimum of 3+ years of experience within the biotech/biopharma industry in cGMP Operations, preferably within cell and gene therapy
• Experience in the Pharma/Biotech industry in technology transfer
• Must know and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries. Must comply with safety policies of the company and site
• Adherence to cGMPs is required at all times during the manufacturing of Cell Therapy products. All personnel are responsible for notifying responsible management in a timely manner of regulatory inspections, serious GMP deficiencies, product defects, and related actions
• Relevant experience bringing biotechnology equipment and processes from design through GMP operational readiness is a plus
• Must have experience writing and reviewing GMP documentation
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving and critical thinking skills and the ability to lead as a change agent to promote flexibility, creativity, and accountability
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and build strong working relationships at all levels within the organization
• Experience with Operational Excellence and/or Lean Manufacturing is a plus
• Self‑motivated and passionate about advancing the field of cell therapy
• Self‑awareness, integrity, authenticity, and a growth mindset
• Desire to be part of a rapidly evolving organization with compelling technology and taking products and processes to the next level
• Excellent planning, organization, technical writing, and time‑management skills, including the ability to support, problem‑solve, and prioritize multiple projects and deadlines

$90,000 - $210,000 a year

Compensation package includes competitive base salary, highly subsidized medical, dental, vision plans, 401(k) matching, free EV charging, onsite lunches, and stock options.

Leveling will be based on overall experience, education, and demonstration of knowledge throughout the interview process.