Senior Associate Scientist - Process Development

Pfizer; Pearl River (NY); On-site; USD 69,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Con‑

Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution

Paid vacation, holiday and personal  –

Health benefits: medical, prescription

Relocation assistance may be available

Job summary

Pfizer is seeking a Senior Associate Scientist in the Early Bioprocess Development (EBPD) group within Vaccines to advance subunit vaccine production. The role demands hands‑on molecular biology, cell culture, and data‑driven process optimization to accelerate high‑quality vaccine development.

You will optimize cell line development, perform fermentation characterization, analyze data, and present findings at cross‑functional meetings, contributing to published reports and external publications.

Qualifications

• A B.S. in bioengineering, biochemistry, chemical engineering or related field with 3–5 years industry/research.
• Experience in aseptic cell culture techniques, including passaging and maintenance.
• Experience with flow cytometry and FlowJo software.
• Molecular biology skills: DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, cloning, SDS‑PAGE or ELISA.
• Strong organization, teamwork and communication.

Responsibilities

• Optimize cell line development workflows to improve subunit protein expression, productivity, and robustness.
• Execute fermentation to characterize key performance indicators (cell fitness, growth, recovery, product yield, purity).
• Perform data analysis to identify patterns and correlations between DNA sequences and protein yield/quality.
• Present experimental data and conclusions at cross‑functional meetings and contribute to reports.
• Collaborate with multi‑disciplinary teams and maintain meticulous ELNs and documentation.

Skills

Cell culture

Data analysis

Molecular biology

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

B.S. degree in bioengineering, biochemistry, chemical engineering or related fields

M.S. in bioengineering, biochemistry, chemical engineering or related fields

Tools

FlowJo

ddPCR

ELISA

NGS platforms

Job description

Why Patients Need You Pfizer’s purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Process Development is at the heart of fulfilling this purpose as we translate advanced science into streamlined, robust processes that deliver medicines to patients globally.

What You Will Achieve

As a Senior Associate Scientist within the Early Bioprocess Development (EBPD) group in the Vaccines organization, you will apply cutting‑edge technologies to accelerate the development of high‑quality protein subunit vaccines. This role is highly technical and collaborative, requiring deep hands‑on expertise in molecular biology, cell culture, and data‑driven process optimization.

• Optimize cell line development workflows to improve subunit protein expression, overall productivity, process efficiency and biological robustness of the production systems
• Execute fermentation to characterize key performance indicators including cell fitness, growth, recovery, protein production yield, protein purity etc.
• Perform data analysis to identify patterns, establishing quantitative correlations between input parameters such as DNA sequences and output values such as protein yield and quality.
• Present experimental data and strategic conclusions at cross‑functional meetings, contributing to team‑wide knowledge sharing.

How You Will Achieve It

Collaborating with multi‑disciplinary teams and working closely with the cell culture, purification, mRNA production and analytical groups. Maintain impeccable, timely records in Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs) and author comprehensive technical/production reports. Draft, review, and contribute to internal technical reports and external scientific publications. Contribute to building a culture that embraces excellence, urgency, partnerships with key stakeholders, continuous learning and improvement, increasing technical skill base and other cross‑functional expertise. Ensure all tasks and responsibilities are carried out according to scientific, ethical and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree with 3 to 5 years of relevant industry or research experience, or M.S. in bioengineering, biochemistry, chemical engineering or related fields with 0 to 3 years of experience
• Experience in aseptic cell culture techniques, including cell passaging and maintenance, transfection, monitoring cell morphology and viability.
• Experience in using flow cytometry, and cell sorting cytometers as well as flow cytometry analysis software such as FlowJo.
• Knowledge and hands‑on experience in molecular biology techniques including DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, ddPCR, RT‑PCR, ligation, cloning, transformation, gel electrophoresis, SDS‑PAGE, western blot, ELISA.
• Well organized, self‑motivated, team‑oriented with high attention to detail.
• Strong collaborative spirit and communication skills.

Nice‑to‑Have

• Experience in setting up, feeding, sampling and controlling benchtop or single‑use bioreactors (batch, fed‑batch)
• Hands‑on knowledge and experience with NGS sequencing platforms.

OTHER JOB DETAILS

Work Location Assignment: On site The annual base salary for this position ranges from $68,600.00 to $114,300.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 7.5% of the base salary. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States. Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility. Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer. U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future. Sunshine Act Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

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Research and Development

Pfizer careers are like no other. In our culture of individual ownership, we believe in our ability to improve future healthcare, and potential to transform millions of lives. We’re looking for new talent to join our global community, to unearth new innovative therapies that make the world a healthier place.