Senior Scientist, Analytical Sciences
About the role
The Senior Scientist, Analytical Sciences will lead efforts in improving therapeutics with microgravity. This role will shape Varda's product culture and play a significant role in establishing the low earth orbit economy.
Responsibilities
- Develop, optimize and validate analytical methods for characterizing biologic and small molecule drug substances and drug products using LC-MS and other biophysical analytical techniques
- Participate in project planning, resource mapping, and timeline scheduling to ensure product development and flight schedules are maintained
- Carry out hands-on experiments and work with external testing sites to fully characterize drug substances and drug products
- Train junior scientists on techniques and ensure high quality analytical data is produced by Varda
- Collaborate closely with product development, formulation sciences, and broader engineering groups to drive drug development activities
- Author relevant documents such as methods, protocols, validation reports, and regulatory filings as needed
Qualifications
- M.S., or Ph. D. degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or related fields
- 3+ years of experience with Ph.D., 6+ years of experience with M.S.
- Track record of developing methods for use in regulated filings and workflows
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Ph. D in Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, or Biotechnology degree, with 4+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience developing characterization methods for biologics and small molecule APIs
- Extensive experience in developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting intact, subunit, and peptide map LC-MS analysis of complex biologics
- Experience with UV, DLS, DSF, NMR, CD, FTIR, Raman, and particle sizing technologies
- Experience with chromatographic and affinity-based methods (HPLC/UPLC, LC-MS/MS, SEC-MALS, GC-MS, CE-SDS, icIEF, SDS-PAGE)
- Track record of method development as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals, IND/BLA/NDA filings, and presentations at scientific conferences
- Experience as the responsible engineer or technical owner of projects across project lifecycle
Pay
Salary Range: $140,000.00 - $180,000.00/per year
On-site in El Segundo, CA
Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
Benefits
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
ITAR Requirements
Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire “U.S. persons” who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.
E-Verify Statement
Varda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.