✦ Luna Orbit — Science & Research

Associate Principal Scientist, Downstream Vaccines and Advanced Biotechnologies Process R&D

at Merck

📍 USA - Pennsylvania - West Point Hybrid 💰 $139K – $219K USD / year Posted April 03, 2026
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Position Details

Salary $139K – $219K USD / year
Type Full-Time
Experience mid
Exp. Years 7-10 years
Education BS and/or MS with a minimum of 5 years relevant work experience or PhD in Chemical Engineering
Category Science & Research

About this role

Senior Scientist, Engineering- Small Molecule Drug Substance Process Development leads downstream purification process development, scale-up, and tech transfer for GMP manufacturing of drug substances.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead early downstream process design and development for recombinant subunit and/or conjugate vaccine products
  • Contribute to development of new principles and workflows for rapid early process development
  • Design, execute, and analyze process development experiments
  • Represent function in cross-functional strategic teams
  • Mentor junior staff and provide technical guidance

Technical Overview

Role focuses on downstream unit operations, purification development, regulatory readiness (CMC), and cross-functional collaboration across Discovery to Manufacturing in a GMP setting.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a mid- to senior-level scientist with strong downstream process development experience for small molecules or biologics, robust knowledge of purification unit operations, and proven ability to lead cross-functional teams through DOE, scale-up, and tech transfer in a cGMP environment.

Must-Have Skills

BS/MS/PhD in Engineering or Biological SciencesStrong understanding of downstream unit operations for large moleculescGMP manufacturing experienceDOE (Design of Experiments)Process development and scale-upTech transfer

Nice-to-Have Skills

AKTA platform experience (or similar FPLC)Biomolecule conjugation knowledgePeptide/protein biochemistry knowledgeMentoring experienceCMC regulatory documentation

Tools & Platforms

AKTAFPLCHPLCSDS-PAGEUV-VisLight Scattering

Required Skills

BS/MS/PhD in Engineering or Biological Sciencesdownstream purificationcolumn chromatography (SECIEXAffinityMMCHIC)depth filtrationsterile filtrationviral filtrationtangential flow filtrationAKTA platform (FPLC)DOEcGMPGMPprocess developmenttech transferscale-upregulatory documentation (CMC)

Hard Skills

Downstream process developmentRecombinant protein purificationColumn chromatography (SECIEXAffinityMMCHIC)Filtration (depth filtrationsterile filtrationviral filtrationtangential flow filtration)Conjugate vaccines / antibody-drug conjugatesAKTA platform (FPLC)Process development experimentsDOEcGMP manufacturingScale-upTechnology transferAnalytical techniques (SDS-PAGEUV-VisHPLCLight Scattering)SDS-PAGERegulatory documentation (CMC)

Soft Skills

LeadershipMentoringCollaborationCommunicationOrganizationTime management

Industry & Role

Industry Healthcare & Medical
Job Function Lead downstream process development for vaccines/biotherapeutics at Merck West Point.

Clearance & Visa

Visa Sponsorship Yes

Keywords for Your Resume

senior scientistengineeringsmall moleculedrug substanceprocess developmentcGMPGMPDOEdesign of experimentsscale uptechnology transferpilot plantregulatory filingsregulatory documentationQCSDS-PAGEHPLCUV-VisLight Scatteringcross-functionaldownstream process developmentrecombinant purificationAKTAtech transferconjugate vaccinesantibody-drug conjugates

Deal Breakers

Lack of downstream purification experience in GMP settings, No exposure to cGMP manufacturing, Inability to work hybrid in West Point, PA, No experience with DOE or scale-up

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