Senior Associate Scientist, Upstream Process Development — Bioprocess Automation & Digitization

Senior Associate Scientist role in upstream bioprocess development at Pfizer's Andover, MA site. Position combines mammalian cell culture process development with software engineering for bioprocess automation and control systems. Requires hands-on lab expertise and programming skills to develop and deploy control strategies across multiple manufacturing sites.

Responsibilities

• Translate cell culture process understanding into control requirements and deploy control schemes and alarms on the automation platform
• Design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments using shake flasks and bench-top or high-throughput bioreactor models
• Serve as technical owner for instrument platforms including bioreactor systems, analyzers, and PAT instruments, managing their integration
• Support full software lifecycle including version control, code review, testing, deployment, and troubleshooting in production lab environments
• Collaborate with automation engineers, vendors, and scientists to ensure platform reliability and continuous improvement

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 2–4 years industrial experience, or Master's degree with 0–2 years in relevant engineering or life sciences field
• Working knowledge of at least one programming language with substantial delivered code or published source
• Hands-on laboratory experience in cell culture or protein purification in academic or industrial settings
• Strong self-motivation, organization, attention to detail, and ability to communicate technical decisions across disciplines
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, bioreactor operation, or process control strategies preferred
• Familiarity with industrial communication protocols such as OPC UA or Modbus, or software engineering practices

Compensation: $68,600–$114,300 base salary, plus 7.5% bonus target