Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development Scientist II

Vaxcyte; San Carlos, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity component

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Vaxcyte, a clinical-stage vaccine development company, seeks a Scientist II for Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development. You will design and execute microbial fermentation studies to develop and optimize upstream processes for polysaccharide manufacturing, with documentation of procedures, results, and conclusions for internal stakeholders.

You will lead activities, mentor juniors, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and present findings.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemical/Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Microbiology, or related field with 2–5 years of industry experience; or MS with 7+ years; or BS/BA with 10+ years.
• Experience independently designing, executing, analyzing, and documenting microbial fermentation and upstream process development studies.
• Strong knowledge of microbial fermentation, process development, scale-up/scale-down, and DoE.
• Hands-on experience with fermenters, microbial media, and process analytical technologies; GMP knowledge is a plus.
• Experience with GMP-related regulatory documentation and BSL-2 organisms is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, analyze, and document upstream polysaccharide fermentation studies to support process development and vaccine production.
• Develop and troubleshoot fermentation processes to improve yield, quality, and robustness using DoE and statistical tools.
• Operate bioreactors and automation systems (Ambr®250) and perform data analysis.
• Coordinate analytical testing and interpret results to develop evidence-based conclusions and recommendations.
• Lead project activities, mentor junior team members, and communicate findings to cross-functional teams.
• Prepare protocols, technical reports, SOPs, batch records, and development summaries.

Skills

Microbial fermentation

Upstream process development

DoE (Design of Experiments)

Automation (Ambr 250)

Data analysis (JMP)

GMP knowledge

Scientific writing

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS/BA in a related field

MS in a related field

Tools

Ambr®250

JMP

Job description

Vaxcyte, a clinical-stage vaccine development company, seeks a Scientist II for Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development. You will design and execute microbial fermentation studies to develop and optimize upstream processes for polysaccharide manufacturing, with documentation of procedures, results, and conclusions for internal stakeholders.

You will lead activities, mentor juniors, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and present findings.