Job Description

Why Patients Need You
Pfizer’s purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Research and Development is at the heart of fulfilling Pfizer’s purpose as we work to translate advanced science and technologies into the therapies and vaccines that matter most. Whether you are in the discovery sciences, ensuring drug safety and efficacy or supporting clinical trials, you will apply cutting edge design and process development capabilities to accelerate and bring the best in class medicines to patients around the world.

What You Will Achieve
As a Senior Associate Scientist, you will be at the center of our operations and you’ll find that everything we do, every day, is in line with an unwavering commitment to quality. You will be responsible for supporting the production of SARS-CoV-2 virus under BSL-2 and BSL-3 conditions including planning all virus infections, harvests, aliquoting and disbursements to other teams within Pfizer VRD, and will support cell culture for other viruses being used in Viral Vaccines Research.

The Senior Associate Scientist will be the primary liaison for transferring virus production methods of SARS-CoV-2 to EBPB, and will collaborate with scientists providing virus characterization data (titers, sequencing, qPCR) for all SARS-CoV-2 virus lots used in the preclinical evaluation and early clinical development of candidate viral vaccines. The Senior Associate Scientist will also be the primary contact with the translational medicine group for all SARS-CoV-2 viruses used for animal challenge studies. Your skills and expertise will ensure that all work is to be done in a compliant manner according to relevant Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) guidelines and Good Lab Practices cGLP and/or (Current) Good Manufacturing Practices (part of GxP) cGMP guidelines.

Your significant experience of applying knowledge of principles, concepts, and practices of the discipline will make you a critical member of the team. You are proactive in contributing to all team discussions and creating an environment of collaboration. It is your hard work and focus that will help in making Pfizer ready to achieve new milestones and help patients across the globe.

How You Will Achieve It
Generate certificates of characterization for all virus lots used clinical testing and translational medicine.

Contribute to achievement of immediate work group goals and collaborate with other team members.

Satisfactorily completes all cGLP (current Good Laboratory Practices) and safety training in conformance with requirements.

Perform cell culture and virus infections.

Schedule virus harvests and aliquoting.

Manage the inventory of SARS-CoV-2 using the CRIIS system.

Monitor all virus characterization data (titers, sequence, qPCR)

Complete required documentation for laboratory work

Execute qualifications/validations of new instruments and custom methods.

Organize assigned work according to established departmental priorities.

Collaborate with EBPD in transferring virus culture methods.

Interact with external vendors to obtain quotes, and purchase reagents for clinical testing where applicable.

Identify and report any experimental problems, proactively troubleshoot causative factors, and implement necessary corrections following discussion with supervisor.

Manage manual sample preparation, use and maintenance of appropriate equipment, and preparation of relevant reagents.

Qualifications
Must-Have
Bachelor's Degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering or relevant field of science and 3+ years of experience in cell culture and virus production, or Masters Degree and 0+ years of relevant experience

Ability to use appropriate software to perform analysis of data

Basic laboratory skills in the area of quantitative molecular biology- PCR, western blotting, biochemical assays and tissue processing

Experience with experimental design and the interpretation of results

Effective verbal and written communication skills

Proficiency with personal computers, including word processing, Excel, PowerPoint and relevant scientific software

Nice-to-Have
Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and flow cytometry

Pharmaceutical or Biotechnology discovery experience



Work Location Assignment: On Premise

Other Job Details:

Eligible for relocation package

Eligible for employee referral bonus

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.