Careers

Associate Director/Director, Upstream Process Development

Frontera Therapeutics is looking for an experienced cell culture development professional with experience in viral vector production in the role of Associate Director or Director.  The successful applicant will lead a group of scientists and associate scientists responsible for the development of viral vector cell culture processes, technology transfer to manufacturing sites, overseeing process scale-up operations, defining scale-down models, and authoring of associated regulatory filing documents. We are looking for a candidate with excellent scientific, communication, and project management skills.

We are looking for creative problem solvers to join our collaborative and fast-paced team in Bedford, MA. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to grow and become the next leaders in the field.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a group of scientists and associate scientists responsible for successful viral vector process development, process characterization, execution of upstream processes, and technology transfer to manufacturing sites.
• Oversee the process development and scale-up operations, defining scale-down models.
• Drive innovation to enhance viral vector productivity and quality.
• Make strong technical, strategic contributions to cross-functional development project teams.
• Manage a multi-project development portfolio.
• Author-associated regulatory filing documents.
• Present findings and/or results to senior management, external stakeholders, and industry leaders at national/international conferences.
• Build upstream department timeline and budget.

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD degree in Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related discipline with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience or a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 14 years of experience.
• Experience in executing projects to aggressive timelines with the ability to adapt to rapid changes in project priorities.
• Experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry within a cell culture role and an excellent understanding of the theory and practice of cell culture process development is required.
• Molecular understanding of viral vector productions, in particular AAV biology, is highly desired.
• Strong cell culture expertise and knowledge pertaining to AAV production.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in parallel, including key participation in cross-functional project and innovation teams.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience managing direct reports or project teams.
• Excellent communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the development of Sf9-baculovirus-based AAV production.
• Experience in cell line generation and media development.
• Experience in scale-up and scale-down of bioreactor processes.
• Experience managing cross-functional team and initiatives.
• Fluent in speaking, reading, and writing Chinese.