Senior Scientist – Lentiviral Vector Upstream Process Development

6084-Janssen Research & Development, LLC Legal Entity; Spring House (PA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson in Spring House, PA, seeks a Senior Scientist for Lentiviral Vector Upstream Process Development to lead scalable cell culture process development for cell therapy and CAR-T programs. The role emphasizes data-driven understanding and cross-site knowledge transfer across GMP manufacturing.

You will guide early- or clinical-stage process development, optimize bioreactor operations, and mentor junior scientists while delivering robust upstream platforms and regulatory-supporting

Qualifications

• Required: PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, or related field with 2+ years of relevant experience; OR BS or MS with 4-6 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with process development of viral based products.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture process development for biologics, cell and gene therapy, RNA therapeutics, or related viral vector modalities.
• Hands-on experience with cell culture, bioreactor operation, media optimization, process monitoring, and process scale-up.
• Strong data analysis, experimental design, and technical documentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute, interpret, and communicate complex studies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional team environments.
• Previous experience with technology transfer of a bioprocess to clinical or commercial GMP manufacturing is strongly preferred Occasional weekend work may be required Up to 10% domestic and international travel may be required

Responsibilities

• Design and execute upstream process development studies for lentiviral therapeutic products and provide scientific guidance.
• Conduct cell culture experiments using shake flasks, bench-scale bioreactors, and automated high-throughput systems.
• Contribute to development of lentiviral processes to continuously improve productivity, quality, and manufacturability.
• Perform technology transfer to and collaborate with Johnson & Johnson’s manufacturing sites
• Support existing and new commercial manufacturing investigations and provide subject matter expert knowledge as part of product life cycle management
• Apply statistical experimental design, data analytics, and online monitoring and visualization tools to strengthen upstream process understanding.
• Analyze and interpret process data using JMP, MiniTab, Python, Spotfire, or similar platforms.
• Evaluate emerging novel upstream technologies that improve process robustness and development efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with downstream, analytical, formulation, modeling, automation to align study design and deliverables
• Mentor junior scientists and provide scientific leadership across programs and cross-functional workstreams.
• Author technical reports, development summaries, scientific presentations, protocols, and regulatory-supporting documentation.

Skills

Analytical Reasoning

Biochemistry

Chemistry

Manufacturing & CMC

Coaching

Critical Thinking

Drug Discovery

Emerging Technologies

Molecular Diagnostics

Pharmacogenetics

Pharmacovigilance

Process Improvements

Quality Assurance

Relationship Building

Research Documents

Scientific Research

Technologically Savvy

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering or related

BS/MS in related field

Tools

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, 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 recognise 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 recognise their merit. We are searching for the best talent for a Senior Scientist – Lentiviral Vector Upstream Process Development to be based in Spring House, PA.

Purpose: The Senior Scientist, Lentiviral Vector Upstream Process Development, will lead development, optimization, and characterization of scalable cell culture processes for cell therapy and CAR-T programs. This role will provide scientific leadership for early- or clinical-stage process development, with emphasis on cell culture and bioreactor execution at varying scales and data-driven process understanding, platform robustness and knowledge and optimization of upstream process technologies. This role will also support technology transfer to Johnson & Johnson’s manufacturing sites, commercial manufacturing investigations and provide subject matter expert knowledge as part of life cycle management for cell therapy products in Johnson & Johnson’s pipeline.

You will be responsible for:

• Design and execute upstream process development studies for lentiviral therapeutic products and provide scientific guidance.
• Conduct cell culture experiments using shake flasks, bench-scale bioreactors, and automated high-throughput systems.
• Contribute to development of lentiviral processes to continuously improve productivity, quality, and manufacturability.
• Perform technology transfer to and collaborate with Johnson & Johnson’s manufacturing sites
• Support existing and new commercial manufacturing investigations and provide subject matter expert knowledge as part of product life cycle management
• Apply statistical experimental design, data analytics, and online monitoring and visualization tools to strengthen upstream process understanding.
• Analyze and interpret process data using JMP, MiniTab, Python, Spotfire, or similar platforms.
• Evaluate emerging novel upstream technologies that improve process robustness and development efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with downstream, analytical, formulation, modeling, automation to align study design and deliverables
• Mentor junior scientists and provide scientific leadership across programs and cross-functional workstreams.
• Author technical reports, development summaries, scientific presentations, protocols, and regulatory-supporting documentation.

Qualifications:

• Required: PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, or related field with 2+ years of relevant experience; OR BS or MS with 4-6 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with process development of viral based products.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture process development for biologics, cell and gene therapy, RNA therapeutics, or related viral vector modalities.
• Hands-on experience with cell culture, bioreactor operation, media optimization, process monitoring, and process scale-up.
• Strong data analysis, experimental design, and technical documentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute, interpret, and communicate complex studies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional team environments.
• Previous experience with technology transfer of a bioprocess to clinical or commercial GMP manufacturing is strongly preferred Occasional weekend work may be required Up to 10% domestic and international travel may be required

Required Skills:

• Analytical Reasoning
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Manufacturing, and Control (CMC)
• Coaching
• Consulting
• Critical Thinking
• Drug Discovery Development
• Emerging Technologies
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Pharmacogenetics
• Pharmacovigilance
• Process Improvements
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Relationship Building
• Research Documents
• Scientific Research
• Technologically Savvy

Preferred Skills:

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, 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 https://www.jnj.com/.

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