Senior Scientist, Process Development
Senti Biosciences
South San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Friday, May 17, 2024
Senti Bio is seeking an experienced scientist to join our process development group for our cell therapy programs. A successful applicant will have prior experience with process development and scale up of gene modified cell therapies, hands on experience taking a novel cell therapy through IND, and be comfortable in a fast moving and nimble culture. Applicants should have current and extensive knowledge of culture expanded allogeneic cell products (e.g. NKs), comfort with pre-clinical process development and GMP tech transfer to a CDMO experience. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about the future of “smart therapeutics” and have the energy and boldness to thrive and grow in a dynamic and fast startup environment.
Responsibilities
- Play a key role in process development for Senti's cell therapy development programs, with focus on culture expanded allogeneic products, including natural killer cells (NKs) and other therapeutic cell modalities.
- Work closely with the CDMO MSAT team to understand key requirements and guide decision making to enable seamless transfers and process optimizations.
- Develop internal capability for larger scale bioreactor-based generation of genetically modified cells suitable for transfer to a GMP facility.
- Play a central role in selection and interaction with contract manufacturers, key suppliers, and other external vendors.
- Maintain thought leadership with the current cell therapy ecosystem and bring best practices to the organization.
- Coordinate tasks across multiple projects. Make decisions on prioritization and planning. Be the key driver to meet project timelines and milestones.
- Lead in design, development, and execution of process development studies to aid in optimization and characterization of cell manufacturing processes
- Apply knowledge of immune cell biology to establish process robustness yield high quality cells
- Review executed batch records, extract and trend data, and identify areas for improvement
- Support regulatory filings through authorship and review of technical sections
Qualifications
- BS/BA degree with 8+ years experience or MS/PhD degree with 6+ years experience in a cell therapy development setting.
- 4+ years of cell therapy process development experience from proof-of-concept to clinical manufacturing, preferably with immunology cells (NKs, T, HSCs, etc.)
- Experience with lentiviral, retroviral, and other ex vivo cell engineering vectors a plus.
- Familiarity with IND regulatory requirements, GMP environments, and quality documentation.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently in a multi-functional project at a fast moving organization.
Salary and Benefits
- Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual target bonus and equity.
- The base salary range for this role is $165,000-180,000. Starting pay is determined by multiple job-related factors including a candidate’s skills, education and experience level, benchmark, and internal parity.
- Significant growth opportunity as the company expands.
- Empathetic, supportive, and collaborative colleagues and work environments