Scientist, Upstream Process Development

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine; North Carolina; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine in Spring House, PA seeks a Scientist, Upstream Process Development to advance scalable cell culture processes for biotherapeutics. Lead bioreactor-based development, optimize media, and drive data-driven decisions across cross-functional teams.

The role emphasizes DOE, Ambr 250 operation, and collaboration with analytical, automation, and formulation groups to deliver quality process improvements and regulatory-ready documentation.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in a related field with 2–4+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture process development for biologics, cell and gene therapy, RNA therapeutics, or related viral vector modalities.
• Hands-on experience with bioreactor operation, media optimization, process monitoring, and scale-up support.
• Strong data analysis, experimental design, and technical documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute upstream process development studies for lentiviral in vivo therapeutic products under scientific guidance.
• Perform cell culture experiments using shake flasks, bench-scale bioreactors, and automated high-throughput systems.
• Support development of scalable fed-batch and perfusion processes to improve productivity, quality, and manufacturability.
• Utilize Ambr 250 bioreactor systems for process development, media optimization, and scale-down model studies.
• Apply statistical experimental design, data analytics, and visualization tools to support process understanding and decision-making.
• Build working knowledge of Process Analytical Technology, Raman spectroscopy, online monitoring, and digital bioprocessing tools.
• Analyze and interpret process data using JMP, MiniTab, Python, Spotfire, or similar platforms.
• Support evaluation of novel upstream technologies that improve process robustness and development efficiency.
• Collaborate with downstream, analytical, automation, modeling, and formulation teams to align study design and deliverables.
• Author technical reports, development summaries, protocols, and regulatory-supporting documentation.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

Statistical design

Cross-functional teamwork

Data analysis

Education

BS/MS in Chemical Engineering or Biochemical/ Biological Sciences

Tools

Ambr 250

JMP

MiniTab

Python

Spotfire

Job description

At Johnson & Johnson,we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build aworld where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured,where treatments are smarter and less invasive, andsolutions are personal.Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity.Learn more at jnj.com.

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

Job Function:

Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development

Job Sub Function:

Biotherapeutics R&D

Job Category:

Scientific/Technology

All Job Posting Locations:

Spring House, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Job Description:

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal.

Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com.

As guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is responsible to our employees who work with us throughout the world. We provide an inclusive work environment where each person is considered as an individual. At Johnson & Johnson, we respect the diversity and dignity of our employees and recognize their merit.

We are searching for the best talent for a Scientist, Upstream Process Development to be in Spring House, PA.

Purpose:

The Scientist, Upstream Process Development will support development, optimization, and characterization of scalable cell culture processes for invivo therapeutic programs. This role will contribute to early- through clinical-stage process development, with emphasis on bioreactor execution, media and process optimization, scale-down model generation, and data-driven process understanding for next-generation biologics and genetic medicines.

You will be responsible for:

• Design and execute upstream process development studies for lentiviral in vivo therapeutic products under scientific guidance.
• Perform cell culture experiments using shake flasks, bench-scale bioreactors, and automated high-throughput systems.
• Support development of scalable fed-batch and perfusion processes to improve productivity, quality, and manufacturability.
• Utilize Ambr® 250 bioreactor systems for process development, media optimization, and scale-down model studies.
• Apply statistical experimental design, data analytics, and visualization tools to support process understanding and decision-making.
• Build working knowledge of Process Analytical Technology, Raman spectroscopy, online monitoring, and digital bioprocessing tools.
• Analyze and interpret process data using JMP, MiniTab, Python, Spotfire, or similar platforms.
• Support evaluation of novel upstream technologies that improve process robustness and development efficiency.
• Collaborate with downstream, analytical, automation, modeling, and formulation teams to align study design and deliverables.
• Author technical reports, development summaries, protocols, and regulatory-supporting documentation.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, or related field with 2-4+ years of relevant experience
• Experience in mammalian cell culture process development for biologics, cell and gene therapy, RNA therapeutics, or related viral vector modalities.
• Hands-on experience with bioreactor operation, media optimization, process monitoring, and process scale-up support.
• Experience with Ambr® 250 high-throughput bioreactor systems.
• Strong data analysis, experimental design, and technical documentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via https://www.jnj.com/contact-us/careers . internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.

Preferred Skills:

Analytical Reasoning, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Coaching, Collaboration, Conducting Experiments, Data Quality, Drug Discovery Development, Molecular Diagnostics, Patent Applications, Pharmacogenetics, Report Writing, Research Documents, Scientific Research, Technologically Savvy, Written Expression