Scientist III (Oligonucleotides)

Hydrogen Group; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 6,612,000 - 7,577,000; Full time

Job summary

Hydrogen Group is recruiting for an Oligonucleotide/Peptide Purification Development role in Cambridge, MA. The candidate will develop and scale purification processes for oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics, collaborating across purification, analytical, and manufacturing teams to enable clinical and commercial programs.

Responsibilities include process development, chromatography, UF/DF, and technology transfer to pilot scale and GMP facilities, with opportunities to mentor staff and

Qualifications

• Experience planning and executing scientific projects and experiments.
• Hands-on purification of proteins, peptides, and/or DNA/RNA.
• Knowledge of column chromatography (ion exchange, HIC, RP).
• Experience with UF/DF.
• Analytical skills: HPLC and UV/Vis spectroscopy.
• Creative, technically proficient in purification tech.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and characterize purification processes for oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics, including scale‑up.
• Support purification unit operations including chromatography, detritylation, UF/DF.
• Learn or apply chemical cleavage, conjugation, and hybridization steps.
• Investigate purification technologies to improve purity and productivity.
• Contribute to early- and late‑stage process characterization and robustness studies.
• Scale up and transfer purification processes to pilot scale and GMP manufacturing.
• Support technology transfer, document review, troubleshooting, and on‑the‑manufacturing floor work.
• Lead or support pilot‑scale activities and small technical initiatives.
• Provide training and mentoring to new staff.
• Assist in preparing CMC/regulatory sections for IND submissions.

Skills

Purification development

Chromatography

UF/DF

HPLC

UV/Vis spectroscopy

Protein/peptide purification

Technology transfer

Cross-functional teamwork

DoE

ÄKTA purification systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related life science field

Master’s degree in a related field

Tools

ÄKTA purification systems

UNICORN software

Job description

Title: Oligonucleotide / Peptide Purification Development

Location: Cambridge, MA
Pay: $48.00-$55.00/hr
Schedule: Standard Office Hours
Duration: 6-Month Initial Contract
We are seeking a highly motivated and creative scientist or engineer with process development experience to join an Oligonucleotide / Peptide Purification Development team. This position offers the opportunity to develop robust, high-purity purification processes for oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics and gain hands‑on exposure to the design, development, scale‑up, and transfer of manufacturing processes supporting clinical and commercial programs.
The successful candidate will contribute to the development of novel purification technologies and processes, working across laboratory, pilot‑scale, and manufacturing environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and characterize purification processes for oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics, including process development, process characterization, robustness studies, and scale‑up.
• Support purification unit operations including chromatography, detritylation, and ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UF/DF).
• Utilize multiple chromatography modes and support or learn additional processing steps including chemical cleavage, conjugation, and hybridization.
• Investigate novel purification technologies and approaches designed to improve purity, process robustness, and productivity.
• Support early- and late‑stage process characterization and robustness studies.
• Scale up and transfer oligonucleotide purification processes into pilot‑scale and GMP manufacturing facilities.
• Contribute to technology transfer activities, manufacturing documentation review, troubleshooting, and on‑the‑manufacturing‑floor support.
• Support root cause investigations and process evaluations, working independently where appropriate with guidance from the supervisor.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with teams supporting synthesis, drug product, analytical development, research, manufacturing, project management, and technology transfer.
• Document laboratory and development activities through development reports and other technical documentation.
• Lead or support pilot‑scale activities and small, focused technical initiatives.
• Provide training and mentoring to new employees as appropriate.
• Participate in the preparation and authoring of CMC/regulatory sections for IND submissions.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience successfully planning and executing scientific projects and experiments.
• Hands‑on laboratory experience with the purification of proteins, peptides, and/or DNA/RNA.
• Experience using column chromatography, such as:
  • Ion exchange chromatography
  • Hydrophobic interaction chromatography
  • Reversed‑phase chromatography
• Experience with ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UF/DF).
• Hands‑on experience analyzing proteins, peptides, and/or DNA/RNA, preferably using HPLC and UV/Vis spectroscopy.
• Demonstrated technical proficiency and creativity in developing or evaluating purification technologies and approaches.
• Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and within cross‑functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ÄKTA purification systems and UNICORN software.
• Experience with Design of Experiments (DoE).
• Experience with statistical analysis.
• Experience with process scale‑up, technology transfer, or GMP manufacturing environments is beneficial.

Education & Experience

Associate Scientist 3 / Engineer 2

• Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related life science field with 2–4 years of industry experience; or
• Master’s degree in a related field with 0–2 years of industry experience.

Senior Associate Scientist

• Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related life science field with 4+ years of industry experience; or
• Master’s degree in a related field with 2+ years of industry experience.