Associate Director

Do you have a passion for Science? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be the one for you! At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

About AstraZeneca in Waltham, MA:

Our Waltham, MA facility builds life-changing medicines for people around the world. The modern, vibrant scientific campus employs more than 800 experts in our field, and it is only a short drive from Boston, MA. It is filled with innovative technology. Our work areas were built to facilitate teamwork, interaction and cross functional science. We believe employees benefit from being challenged and inspired at work. As AstraZeneca continues to put patients at the forefront of our mission, we are excited for our move to Kendall Square/Cambridge in 2026. Find out more information here: Kendall Square Press Release

The Waltham site offers a variety of amenities to help boost productivity and help keep our employees stay happy and healthy. This includes a fitness center, employee healthcare clinic, electric vehicle charging stations, dry cleaning, full-service cafeteria and copy center. This is where you’ll find newly-designed, activity-based work spaces to suit a variety of working styles while increasing collaboration between teams.

Summary of the Group

Biologics Engineering (BE) is large global organization with team in Cambridge, UK, Gaithersburg MD, and our site in Waltham MA responsible for the discovery and optimization of next generation biologics to create biological drug candidates for all key therapeutic areas such as oncology, respiratory and inflammation, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases. Our Waltham team is a new team we are building from the ground up to support both our global responsibilities as well as building an innovation center where we can push the boundaries of sciences and creativity. We're constantly pushing the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients, with a passion for the development of in-house biologics discovery platforms and novel drug modalities to address unmet medical needs.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

We are seeking a skilled and highly motivated Associate Director to lead our antibody production team. The successful candidate will play a critical role in a dynamic group responsible for high throughput expression & purification of large-scale antibody therapeutics on a milligram-to-gram scale as well as lead mutispecific production on the milligram scale. The selected individual will be a well-organized with a consistent track record of scientific and leadership success, a solid communicator able to present up to senior leadership both verbally and written formats.

·Hire, mentor and train a skilled group of scientists capable of delivering in a high stress environment.

·Provide strong leadership and organization.

·Work collaboratively with automation specialists to design and build work cells to accelerate and modernize these processes.

·Collaborate and work with a diverse group of scientists across all therapeutic areas to ensure timely progress in research projects.

·Design, develop, and implement high throughput protein expression and purification workflows for various antibody like proteins.

·Plan, execute, and complete high-throughput production and purification of protein therapeutics from mammalian expression systems using process automation and liquid handling robotics.

·Execute and analyze biochemical, biophysical and functional profiling of antibodies, multi specifics, recombinant antibody fragments.  

·Provide technical expertise on protein production and purification to team members, solve process development problems, and implement improved procedures.

Education & Experience Requirements 

PhD in Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or other relevant scientific field with 5+ years of experience.antibody engineering, cloning and expression, or UPLC and mass spectrophotometry.

Master’s with 10+ years of experience in antibody engineering, cloning and expression, or UPLC and mass spectrophotometry.

Bachelor’s with 15+ years of experience in antibody engineering, cloning and expression, or UPLC and mass spectrophotometry.

Required Skills:

·Leadership experience preferably direct line manager experience.

·Experience in molecular and cell biology techniques, including cloning, transfection and transduction methods.

·Experience in expression, purification, and biochemical/biophysical characterization of various antibody formats.

·Experience in optimizing/troubleshooting automation techniques (e.g. Hamilton liquid handler) with a problem-solving mindset.

·Hands on Liquid Handler experience; Hamilton or Lynx preferred.

·Experience in tissue culture techniques and familiarity with CHO and HEK293 cells.

·Experience in sample tracking and laboratory logistics software.

·Proven ability to work independently, effectively plan and organize work activities, and prioritize task completion to meet project deadlines.

·Track record of scientific innovation as evidenced by scientific publications, patents, and oral presentations at conferences.

Desired Skills:

·Experience in antibody discovery using several cloning and purification technologies.

·Experience in various imaging/multicolor flow cytometry-based instruments and data analysis programs; specific experience with iQue, Attune, and FlowJo and plus.

·Experience with lab automation scheduling software, Green Button Go preferred.

·Experience with python, Jupyter notebook, or other coding languages.

·Familiarization with design of experiments for workflow optimization.

·Strong interpersonal and communication skills as well as the ability to work within teams.

·Excellent written and verbal communication skills and effective presentation of complex scientific data to cross-functional and senior management.

Why AstraZeneca?
At AstraZeneca, we embrace opportunities for change to drive meaningful advancements. Our mission is clear: to deliver life-changing medicines and redefine possibilities in biopharma. By combining diverse perspectives, pioneering science, and bold ideas, we are transforming patient outcomes worldwide.

Where You Can Learn More

·Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn

·Follow AstraZeneca on Facebook

·Follow AstraZeneca on Instagram

Benefits

We offer a competitive Total Reward program, including:

·Competitive base salary, annual bonus, and long-term incentives

·Generous paid time off program

·Comprehensive benefits package

Diversity and Inclusion at AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive team that represents a diverse group of backgrounds and perspectives, knowing that inclusion drives better outcomes.We welcome all qualified candidates and align with applicable laws regarding inclusivity and employment eligibility. Individuals with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations during the application or interview process, as well as for essential job functions.