Scientist – Cell Engineering & Functional Target Validation

Amgen; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total Rewards Plan

Health, dental and vision coverage

Retirement and Savings Plan

Stock-based long-term incentives

Flexible work models

Job summary

Amgen in Thousand Oaks, CA seeks a Scientist to advance Surfaceome target validation. You will engineer cell models, build reporter systems, and run functional assays to support early pipeline decisions.

The role emphasizes precise genome editing, cell biology, and high‑throughput validation within a collaborative team. Ideal candidates hold a PhD or equivalent experience with CRISPR, flow cytometry, and multi‑color assays, plus strong data interpretation and teamwork skills.

Qualifications

• PhD in molecular/cell biology or related field required or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience with genome editing and genetic perturbation strategies.
• Experience with reporter cell lines and high‑throughput functional assays.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement genome editing strategies to generate cellular models.
• Engineer reporter cell lines and develop quantitative assays for target validation.
• Develop functional assays using luminescence and fluorescence readouts.
• Perform flow cytometry and cell sorting to verify target expression.
• Maintain electronic lab notebooks and present datasets to teams.

Skills

Genome editing

Flow cytometry

Cell engineering

Functional assays

Data interpretation

Education

PhD in Molecular/Cell Biology

Master's + 2 years experience

Bachelor's + 4 years experience

Tools

CRISPR systems

RNP electroporation

Lentiviral transduction

FACS

Genome editing verification

Job description

Career Category Research 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. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline and portfolio of medicines to treat heart disease, obesity and obesity-related conditions, rare diseases, inflammatory conditions and cancer. 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.

Scientist – Cell Engineering & Functional Target Validation

What you will do

Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. Amgen’s Surfaceome Platform is advancing the discovery and validation of cell type-specific surface targets across multiple disease areas, enabling the development of targeted therapeutics through a deeper understanding of cell-surface biology. To support this mission, the Surface Biology early validation group focuses on triaging proteomics- and transcriptomics-derived hits to define actionable target properties and guide early therapeutic modality selection. We are seeking a highly motivated Scientist to support cellular engineering, genetic tool generation, and cell-based functional assays within our high-throughput validation funnel. In this role, you will leverage hands‑on laboratory expertise to engineer target‑specific cellular models, establish reporter systems, and execute functional screening assays. You will construct cellular tools through genetic perturbation and develop and implement relevant downstream functional assays to support target biology validation and early pipeline decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Scientist Design and implement genome editing and genetic perturbation strategies, including gene knockout, knock‑in, activation, or suppression approaches, to generate cellular models for surface target validation.
• Engineer and characterize reporter cell lines and quantitative cellular assays to assess target expression, surface localization, protein turnover, internalization, and other modality‑relevant properties.
• Develop and implement functional assays using luminescence, fluorescence, and other quantitative readouts to support target confirmation, functional characterization, and early validation workflows.
• Perform flow cytometry, cell sorting, and complementary approaches to verify target expression and surface localization in engineered cellular models and validate their suitability for downstream assays.
• Maintain meticulous electronic laboratory notebooks, support high-throughput flow and imaging workflows across the early validation team as portfolio demands require, and present functional datasets in cross‑functional project team forums.

What we expect of you We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The professional we seek is a collaborative, critical‑thinking scientist with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications

• Scientist Doctorate degree (Ph.D.) OR Master’s degree and 2 years of relevant scientific experience OR Bachelor’s degree and 4 years of relevant scientific experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biotechnology or related scientific discipline, with demonstrated scientific curiosity, independent thinking, and problem‑solving skills.
• Experience with precision genome editing using CRISPR systems to achieve genetic perturbation, specifically targeted knockout (KO), knock‑in (KI, including functional tags and human gene sequences), and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) or knockdown, utilizing ribonucleoprotein (RNP) electroporation or lentiviral transduction.
• Experience with multi‑color flow cytometry, including cellular staining protocols, surface expression verification, and fluorescence‑activated cell sorting (FACS).
• Experience with developing, optimizing, and routinely executing cell‑based functional assays (e.g., plate‑based reporter readouts, luminescence/fluorescence assays, viability or cytotoxicity assays).
• Experience designing experimental workflows where cell line engineering strategies are directly guided by downstream functional assay requirements.
• Experience in the generation, single‑cell cloning, and functional validation of stable cell lines and reporter systems.
• Experience working collaboratively in multidisciplinary research teams, demonstrating strong organizational skills, high accountability, and clear communication.
• Experience with multi‑well or arrayed electroporation platforms (e.g., 96‑well RNP electroporation) for rapid generation of transient knockouts and genetic perturbations.
• Experience with target validation concepts, leveraging genetic perturbation approaches (KO, KI, KA) to interrogate cell‑surface target biology.
• Experience with membrane protein biology, cell‑surface receptor trafficking, or kinetic internalization assays.

What you can expect from us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well‑being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way. 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. 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. As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of 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.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities, consistent with legal requirements. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Salary Range 115,393.45USD -156,120.55 USD

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology. Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen