Description

TITLE: Research Associate I, AD

REPORTS TO: Principal Scientist

LOCATION: San Antonio, Texas (On-site)

The Company

Velocity Bioworks is a U.S.-based biopharma CDMO headquartered in San Antonio, Texas supporting funded programs as they move from development into manufacturing for clinical trials. We collaborate with sponsors who are past exploration and are ready to apply discipline, structure, and technical rigor to development, analytics, and manufacturing.

Velocity is built to accelerate speed to clinic through aligned execution. Our work focuses on translating defined program goals into scalable manufacturing processes and robust analytical strategies. These activities are designed to support near-term clinical timelines while meeting quality requirements. We operate where quality and execution directly influence clinical and business progress.

Position Summary

Reporting directly to the Principal Scientist, the Research Associate will be responsible for providing analytical testing support for method or process development at Velocity Bioworks.

Key Responsibilities 

• Execute testing for pre-validation fit testing, validation/qualification testing and stability testing under the supervision of senior lab members 
• Assist projects leads Process Development (PD) support by offering analytical testing to monitor product performance and optimize processes during development.
• Assist in the development of protein and molecular-based assays
• Perform experiments to assess method performance characteristics and robustness, as well as troubleshoot the method as needed.
• Follow established test methods precisely with attention to detail and following Good Documentation Practices.
• Analyze data and provide results to project lead or PD.
• Execute testing to qualify/validate analytical methods to support Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) testing.
• Assist in the transfer of analytical methods to Quality Control stakeholder.
• Assist in routine lab maintenance.
• Cross train on all equipment, as needed.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• B.S. in Molecular Biology, Biology, Life Sciences, or related field.
• Experience with protein characterization techniques such has HPLC, CE-SDS and cIEF, SDS-PAGE, Western Blot, ELISA, and protein quantification assays desired.
• Experience with experimental design, data interpretation, statistical analysis, and trending.

Knowledge & Skills

• Understanding of protein biochemistry characterization methods/techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Analytical ability, with good judgment and ethics; professional presence and demeanor. 
• Must possess good to excellent writing and PC skills with a knowledge base in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project.
• Ability to take responsibility and “get the job done” in a high-energy, high-intensity, results-oriented environment.
• Must have strict attention to detail, high-quality customer service skills, and the ability to work well and collaborate in cross-functional teams.

Physical Requirements & Working Environment

• Flexibility is required for working hours. Some weekend and/or holiday work may be needed, and earlier or later start/finish times may also be required.
• The essential functions of the job are usually performed in an environmentally controlled facility where the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. This position may involve a combination of office and laboratory environments and automated equipment. 
• While performing the job duties, the employee is regularly required to sit; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee may sometimes be required to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee must have manual dexterity and manual ability to effectively use computer terminals.
• Role is required to work onsite at the Velocity Bioworks office and labs.