Field Application Scientist - Bioprocessing Hardware & Automation

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Laboratory Setting, Office

Job Description

How You Will Make an Impact

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.

As a Hardware & Automation Field Application Scientist (FAS) within BioProduction, you will be a trusted technical partner to biotechnology and biopharmaceutical customers across Ireland and the south of the UK. You will work primarily with process development, MSAT, operations and manufacturing teams, helping them evaluate, implement and adopt technologies that improve bioprocess performance.

You will support bioprocess workflows spanning upstream and downstream activities, with a focus on hardware, single-use technologies and automation. This includes single-use bioreactors and mixers, DynaSpin harvest systems, fluid-management solutions and related process-control technologies. You will connect process requirements with equipment capabilities, workflow integration and manufacturing needs, and help customers develop, scale, transfer, optimize and troubleshoot their processes.

We are looking for someone who enjoys understanding why a process or system behaves the way it does and turning that understanding into practical customer solutions. You do not need experience with every platform or at every scale; strong process understanding, technical problem-solving and the ability to transfer your knowledge to new systems are more important.

What You Will Do

• Act as a technical expert and trusted advisor for BioProduction hardware, single-use systems and automation, serving as an application-focused contact for customer process development, MSAT, operations and manufacturing teams.

• Support workflow development and technology integration across upstream and downstream processing, with particular emphasis on upstream bioprocessing equipment and single-use systems.

• Support customers with process engineering, scale-up and scale-down, technology transfer, process optimization and troubleshooting from development through manufacturing.

• Lead or contribute to pre- and post-sales technical activities, including workflow assessments, hardware evaluations, proof-of-principle studies, demonstrations, pilot runs and technology qualification in regulated environments.

• Troubleshoot process, hardware, single-use flow-path and automation issues; coordinate with Field Service Engineering, Quality, and other teams to support timely, compliant resolution.

• Advise customers on effective use and integration of bioreactors, mixers, DynaSpin systems, single-use assemblies, fluid-management solutions and related technologies.

• Conduct workflow consulting and structured process walks at customer sites to understand operational needs, identify improvement opportunities and align technical recommendations with customer goals.

• Support Bioprocessing Development Center activities and other customer demonstrations, helping deliver clear, consistent technical messaging.

• Develop and follow hardware and automation adoption plans with customers; agree measurable milestones such as time to first run and, where applicable, time to first GMP lot, and review utilization after implementation.

• Deliver technical training and design or deployment workshops for scientists, engineers and operators, and support technology adoption from development through manufacturing.

• Document technical engagements in Salesforce CRM and contribute technical input to account plans and risk-mitigation plans.

• Gather and communicate Voice of Customer feedback to inform product roadmaps and support technical content such as application notes, white papers and case studies.

• Represent Thermo Fisher Scientific at relevant conferences, workshops, seminars and webinars through workflow-based technical presentations and demonstrations.

What Will Help You Succeed

You bring a strong foundation in upstream bioprocessing and a process-engineering mindset: the ability to connect biological process requirements with equipment capabilities, scale, controls and manufacturing constraints. You can apply this foundation across integrated bioprocess workflows and learn new platforms as customer needs require.

We are particularly interested in candidates with meaningful experience across several of the following areas:

Process development  •  Process engineering  •  Process optimization  •  Scale-up / scale-down  •  Technology transfer  •  Process characterization  •  Troubleshooting / root-cause investigation

You should also bring:

• Strong practical understanding of bioprocess equipment and process-engineering fundamentals, including the interaction between bioreactor design, agitation, gas transfer, sensors, pumps, process control and the biological process.

• Meaningful experience with single-use bioprocessing technologies, ideally including single-use bioreactors and associated fluid-management systems.

• Ability to analyze process and equipment data, form and test technical hypotheses and systematically troubleshoot technical problems.

• Experience communicating complex technical information and training, mentoring or advising others; strong collaboration and influencing skills.

• Ability to work independently in a field-based role while collaborating effectively across functions and with customers.

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Bioengineering or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant industry experience.

• Professional fluency in English and willingness to travel in line with customer and business needs.

Experience That Would Set You Apart

Experience in one or more of the following would be particularly valuable. These are preferred qualifications; we welcome candidates with strong process and equipment fundamentals who can build experience in specific platforms or methods:

• Production-scale upstream or downstream bioprocess equipment, particularly Thermo Fisher Scientific platforms; experience at 50 L or above is useful.

• Broad single-use experience including fluid paths, bags, tubing assemblies, connectors, filters and sensors.

• Process control and automation, including control strategies, PID/control loops, recipe development, HMI systems, scripting or automation troubleshooting; openness to learning new automation systems is important.

• Commissioning and qualification activities such as FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ, URS, P&IDs, batch records or qualification protocols.

• Mammalian cell culture, fed-batch or perfusion, GMP manufacturing, MSAT, process development, technology transfer, CQV or customer-facing technical support.

• Working knowledge of cGMP principles and applicable regulatory expectations, including FDA, EMA or ICH guidance.

• Familiarity with process analytical technology (PAT), design of experiments (DoE), quality by design (QbD), ASME-BPE standards, or risk-based extractables and leachables assessments for single-use systems.

• Experience with data-analysis tools such as Excel or JMP, technical writing, or Salesforce CRM for activity and engagement tracking.

• Demonstration of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Four I values: Integrity, Intensity, Innovation and Involvement.

Location and Travel

This field-based role supports customers primarily across the Ireland and the south of the UK.

We are advertising the position in Ireland to provide strong connectivity to important customers within the territory.

The role involves approximately 50–60% travel, including customer-site visits, overnight stays and occasional multi-day trips. Candidates must hold a valid driving licence and be able to travel internationally within Europe and to the United States when required.

Relevant backgrounds include Process Engineering, Process Development, MSAT, Bioprocess Engineering, Technology Transfer, Technical Applications, CQV, CDMO/consulting and manufacturing support. What matters most is evidence that you can translate process understanding into scalable equipment and workflow solutions.

If you have strong upstream process and bioreactor experience but do not meet every preferred qualification above, we still encourage you to apply.