Cell Culture Technician

The Cell Culture Development Contractor is involved in lab maintenance and preparation for recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) production processes.
The Contractor prepares buffers, solutions, reagents, and lab consumables according to protocols, documents work within an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN), maintains lab equipment, and works under supervision of senior technical leads.
He/she will be responsible for:

• Culturing mammalian cells in shake flasks.
• Preparation of buffers, reagents, and solutions.
• Contribute to the authoring of lab procedures.
• Maintenance of accurate ELNs following ALCOA+ principles.
• Ensuring work conforms to applicable quality and safety standards.
• Support maintenance and troubleshooting of laboratory equipment.
• Other duties as assigned including, but not limited to, contributing to lab organization and cleanliness, consumables stocking, and routine equipment maintenance.

Responsibilities

• 80% Perform laboratory support work and execute laboratory experiments.
• 10% Compile data for analysis, verify data for report writing, and lab procedure authoring.
• 10% Attend meetings and perform administrative duties as needed.

Education and Experience Requirements

• B.S. in chemical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, or biology/molecular biology or related area with 0 – 3 years of relevant scientific or technical experience in the life sciences industry or equivalent.
• Comfortable working with instrumentation and technologies in support of cell culture process monitoring. Digital data proficiency and ELN experience is a plus.
• Experience with aseptic suspension cell culture methods, including sterile media and solution preparation is preferred.
• Experience with viral vector production is preferred, but not essential.
• Organizational, record keeping, and communication skills.

Key Skills, Abilities, and Competencies

• Ability to adhere to operations guidance and deliver on defined objectives.
• Ability to learn new techniques and work independently after training.
• Detail-oriented and strong organizational skills.
• Strong record-keeping skills and communication skills.
• Hands-on experience in cell culture production processes and aseptic technique skills are preferred.
• Effective communication skills (verbal, written, interpersonal).
• Ability to manage time effectively.
• Proficiency in MS Office, ELNs, Spotfire, and other data analysis software is a plus.

Complexity and Problem Solving

• The Cell Culture Process Development Contractor is expected to leverage established procedures, scientific principles and practices to support routine laboratory operation and troubleshooting.
• The Contractor is expected to work with the Cell Culture Development Team to prepare for experiments and maintain laboratory equipment.

Internal and External Contacts

• Fellow Cell Culture Development Team Members.
• Cross-functional Team Members such as: Purification Development, Analytical Development, Facilities, and Service Personnel/Vendors.
• External Vendors that offer equipment and/or services for various aspects of Process Development.

Other Job Requirements

• Must be able to lift 25 pounds.
• Due to the inherent nature of cell culture, some weekend work and/or work on holidays may be needed. On occasion, long work hours may be required depending upon the experiment schedule.
• Handling large volumes of cell culture or related materials, such as tens or hundreds of liters, may be required. Also, several viral materials, including AAV, adenovirus and lentivirus may be involved in the work.

Pay Rate Range: $20-31/hr depending on experience