Sr Associate Scientist -Analytical Operations

Job Description

Kite is seeking a highly motivated individual with analytical development and support experience to work on innovative cell therapies for cancer treatment. The successful candidate will join the Analytical Testing and Logistics team, in Analytical Development, and be responsible for reagent qualification of critical reagents used in analytical testing. The candidate will plan and execute Flow Cytometry, ELISA, Cell-based and Molecular Biology assays, analyze and review experimental data, and carefully document execution. The individual will also lead/support Innovation initiatives.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Contribute to analytical lab operation activities that support advancing process and product understanding of Kite’s cell therapy products

• Implement critical reagent selection, preparation, and qualification procedures to enable consistent method performance and coordinate transfer of all critical reagents, including cell lines

• Coordinate with Analytical Development teams and maintain cell lines, as needed, for method development

• Track inventory of reagents and cell lines, provide cross training, support user training on instruments, conduct sample analysis/data analysis and management, as it relates to critical reagent qualification

• Execute sample testing using Flow Cytometry, Immunoassays, Cell-based assays and PCR-based assays, and perform cell culture on a regular basis to enable reagent qualification

• Perform data analysis, data review, and data reporting

• Conduct troubleshooting, as necessary.

• Use Good Documentation Practices (GDP) to document laboratory activities and ensure data integrity, and maintain accurate documentation of experiments in an ELN system

• Write, review and edit technical documents, including SOPs, protocols, and reports,

related to critical reagent preparation and qualification

• As needed, maintain, calibrate, and operate instruments associated with testing, including flow cytometers, spectrophotometers and thermal cyclers

• Assist with laboratory administrative duties

• Additional responsibilities may be assigned, to reflect changes in business processes

Basic Requirements

• MS degree in the field of Biological Sciences, or related field, with 4+ years of experience OR

• BS degree in the field of Biological Sciences, or related field, with 8+ years of experience OR

• High school diploma and 10+ years of experience

Additional Qualifications

• 2+ years of Flow Cytometry/ELISA experience, in academia or industry, including 6+ color Flow Cytometry assay experiences

• Technical expertise in Flow Cytometric/ELISA instrument, trouble shooting, and proficiency with flow cytometry software (e.g., FlowJo, FACSDiva, CytExpert, FACS Express)

• Basic immunology knowledge, hands on experience in cell culture, knowledge in PCR, ELISA, and cell sorting

• Previous experience with cell therapy products, is a plus

• Experienced with using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Experience with JMP statistical software, is a plus

• Excellent organization and communication skills, as well as strong problem solving and analytical skills, and the ability to work in a cross-functional/matrix environment