Scientist – Process Development, Drug Substance Lifecycle

Catalent; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Day-one medical, dental, and vision

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off and holidays

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Catalent is seeking a Scientist – Process Development, Drug Substance Lifecycle to join our team in Madison, Wisconsin. In this role, you will provide technical expertise and lifecycle support for biologics programs as they progress through development, validation, commercialization, and post-approval manufacturing.

You'll collaborate across Manufacturing, Quality, MS&T, Regulatory, Project Management, and client teams to drive successful program execution and continuous process improvement.

Qualifications

• PhD in a STEM discipline or Master's with 3+ years of industry experience; or Bachelor's with 6+ years.
• Experience in biologics development, validation, or commercial manufacturing is preferred.
• Experience working in cGMP environments and with lifecycle management concepts.

Responsibilities

• Lead process characterization activities for development, validation, and commercial programs.
• Support process validation, continued process verification, and lifecycle change management.
• Analyze process data, identify improvements, and drive risk reduction.
• Act as SME for assigned programs and client interactions.
• Prepare and review technical protocols, reports, and regulatory documents.
• Support investigations, CAPAs, change controls, and quality system activities.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Education

PhD in STEM

Master's degree + 3 years of experience

Bachelor's degree + 6 years of experience

Tools

JMP

Minitab

Excel

Job description

Catalent is seeking a Scientist – Process Development, Drug Substance Lifecycle to join our team in Madison, Wisconsin. In this role, you will provide technical expertise and lifecycle support for biologics programs as they progress through development, validation, commercialization, and post-approval manufacturing. You'll collaborate across Manufacturing, Quality, MS&T, Regulatory, Project Management, and client teams to drive successful program execution and continuous process improvement.

About Catalent Madison

Catalent's Madison, Wisconsin facility is a state-of-the-art biologics development and manufacturing site supporting customers from research through early- and mid-stage clinical production. Located at 726 Heartland Trail, the 102,700-square-foot GMP facility specializes in mammalian cell line engineering, drug substance manufacturing, and biopharmaceutical process development.

The site is home to Catalent's proprietary GPEx® and GPEx® Lightning technologies, enabling the generation of high-producing mammalian cell lines for biologic therapies. With production capabilities ranging from 50L to 4,000L and a recent $45 million expansion, the Madison campus continues to play a critical role in Catalent's global biologics network while supporting Wisconsin's growing life sciences industry.

Location: 100% Onsite at our facility in Madison, Wisconsin

Shift: Monday – Friday, First Shift

Key Responsibilities

• Lead process characterization activities for development, validation, and commercial-stage biologics programs.
• Support process validation, continued process verification, comparability assessments, and lifecycle change management.
• Analyze process performance data, identify improvement opportunities, and drive risk reduction initiatives.
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert for assigned programs and client interactions.
• Author and review technical protocols, reports, validation documents, and regulatory support documentation.
• Support investigations, CAPAs, change controls, and quality system activities in a cGMP environment.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful technology transfer and commercial manufacturing support.
• Other responsibilities as needed.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in a STEM discipline or Master's degree with a minimum of 3 years of relevant industry experience; or Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 6 years of relevant industry experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting biologics development, characterization, validation, or commercial manufacturing.
• Knowledge of process characterization, PPQ, lifecycle management, and validation principles.
• Experience working within cGMP environments.
• Familiarity with statistical analysis tools such as JMP, Minitab, or Excel.
• Experience supporting cross-functional technical projects and client-facing activities.

Why you should join Catalent

• Opportunity to play a key role in driving growth within a global CDMO leader.
• Competitive compensation package, including incentive opportunity.
• Day-one medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development opportunities.
• Generous paid time off and holiday schedule (152 hours + 8 holidays)
• Collaborative, mission-driven culture focused on improving patient outcomes worldwide.

Catalent is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and veterans.

If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may submit your request by sending an email, and confirming your request for an accommodation and include the job number, title and location to [e-mail]. This option is reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability. Information received will be processed by a U.S. Catalent employee and then routed to a local recruiter who will provide assistance to ensure appropriate consideration in the application or hiring process.