Full-Time

Sr. Scientist

Upstream Polysaccharide Process Development

Posted on 9/5/2024

Vaxcyte

Vaxcyte

201-500 employees

Develops vaccines for bacterial infections

Compensation Overview

$150k - $169k/yr

+ Equity Component + Comprehensive Benefits

Senior

San Carlos, CA, USA

The job is onsite in San Carlos, CA.

Category
Biology Lab & Research
Biology & Biotech
Required Skills
Data Analysis
Requirements
  • PhD in Chemical/Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or similar degree with 3+ years of relevant industry experience, or MS with 6+ years of relevant industry experience.
  • Expertise in upstream process development, scale-down, scale-up, and technology transfer of microbial fermentation, and vaccine production processes.
  • Cell banking expertise, colony selection and genetic analysis of recombinant strains.
  • Hands-on experience with fermenters, microbial media, and process analytical technologies.
  • Strong knowledge in fermentation development utilizing multi-variate development experiments (e.g. Design of Experiments) for polysaccharide production using microorganisms in lab and pilot-scale fermenters.
  • Experience working with BSL2 organisms, *Streptococcus pneumoniae* and *Escherichia coli* are a plus.
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.
  • Proficient in data analysis and statistical software such as JMP or Design Expert.
Responsibilities
  • Design, execute, and analyze experiments for upstream polysaccharide fermentation processes and scale-up of microbial fermentation, and vaccine production processes.
  • Design experiment to optimize fermenter process parameters such as media, feed, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, agitation, and aeration to enhance product yield, quality, and consistency.
  • Lead early and late-stage upstream process development for polysaccharide vaccine production.
  • Lead and perform fermenter studies including kLa/OTR, scale-up and scale-down processes.
  • Evaluate and implement new technologies and methods to improve upstream process performance and robustness.
  • Prepare and review technical reports, SOPs, batch records, and regulatory documents.
  • Lead and supervise junior scientists and research associates and provide technical guidance and troubleshooting.
  • Present and communicate scientific data and results to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Collaborate effectively with downstream, analytical, and manufacturing teams within polysaccharide development and manufacturing team to ensure seamless technology transfer and process integration.
  • Be an outstanding teammate and collaborate across groups both internal and external (CMO) to Vaxcyte.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience working with BSL2 organisms, *Streptococcus pneumoniae* and *Escherichia coli* are a plus.

Vaxcyte develops vaccines aimed at preventing bacterial infections, focusing on diseases like invasive pneumococcal disease, Group A Strep, periodontitis, and Shigella. Their lead product, VAX-24, is a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that targets 24 strains of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria and has received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA. Vaxcyte utilizes advanced chemistry and a proprietary cell-free protein synthesis platform, XpressCF™, to create vaccines that can effectively address the complex defenses of bacteria while stimulating an immune response. This method sets them apart from traditional cell-based vaccine production. The company's goal is to develop and commercialize broad-spectrum vaccines to improve public health and combat serious bacterial infections.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Foster City, California

Founded

2013

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Vaxcyte's VAX-24 has FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for pneumococcal disease prevention.
  • Recent $1.5 billion public offering boosts Vaxcyte's financial resources for vaccine development.
  • Growing antibiotic resistance increases demand for Vaxcyte's novel bacterial vaccines.

What critics are saying

  • Competition from mRNA vaccine developers like Moderna and BioNTech is intense.
  • Supply chain vulnerabilities could disrupt Vaxcyte's proprietary XpressCF™ platform.
  • Emerging bacterial strains may not be covered by Vaxcyte's current vaccine candidates.

What makes Vaxcyte unique

  • Vaxcyte uses a proprietary cell-free protein synthesis platform, XpressCF™, for vaccine development.
  • Their lead product, VAX-24, targets 24 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • Vaxcyte's vaccines aim to combat bacterial infections, including pneumococcal disease and Group A Strep.

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Benefits

Company Equity

Stock Options

Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

-1%
Clinical Trial Vanguard
Mar 31st, 2025
Vaxcyte Announces Positive VAX-24 Infant Phase 2 Results

Vaxcyte aims to develop superior vaccines against bacterial diseases, utilizing advanced synthetic techniques like their XpressCF(TM) cell-free protein synthesis platform.

MarketBeat
Oct 5th, 2024
Clearbridge Investments LLC Makes New $14.06 Million Investment in Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX)

Clearbridge Investments LLC makes new $14.06 million investment in Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX).

Bizjournals
Sep 20th, 2024
Winner, Public Company, Small: Andrew Guggenhime, Vaxcyte Inc.

In the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, Andrew Guggenhime joined San Carlos-based Vaxcyte Inc. as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, drawn by the company's mission to develop vaccines to prevent and treat infectious bacterial diseases.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 9th, 2024
Vaxcyte Announces Pricing of $1.3 Billion Public Offering

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Sept. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxcyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCVX), a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases, announced today the pricing of an underwritten public offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants. Vaxcyte is selling 10,194,175 shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase 2,427,184 shares of common stock in the offering. The shares of common stock

Vaxcyte
Sep 6th, 2024
Vaxcyte Announces Closing of $1.5 Billion Public Offering Including Full Exercise of Underwriters' Option to Purchase Additional Shares

Vaxcyte announces closing of $1.5 billion public offering including full exercise of underwriters' option to purchase additional shares.

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