Development Associate

Job description

3269675
Career Level

Entry-Level
Relocation Assistance

No
Business

GE Healthcare
Business Segment

Healthcare Life Sciences
Function

Engineering/Technology
Country/Territory

Canada
Additional States/Provinces

Ontario
Role Summary/Purpose

You will be part of a diverse bioengineering team focused on defining & executing process optimization & technology development projects within the cell & gene therapy & regenerative medicine fields. You will provide deep technical expertise & will be responsible for task definition, planning, & execution. You will be a leader in bringing new & innovative products to market to enable life-saving advances in cell & gene therapy & regenerative medicine.
Essential Responsibilities

• Project task execution for process optimization and technology development programs in cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine, with focus on viral vector technology. This includes experiment planning, data analysis, documentation and reporting. 
• Execute on project milestones as part of a diverse and multi-disciplinary team. 
• Provide technical expertise within the project team focused on upstream and downstream processing of viral vectors. 
• Performs cell culture as required for key experimental objectives. 
 • Drive effective communication across the organization and leadership team. 
• Identify, evaluate and recommend new and existing technologies to improve workflows. 
• Demonstrate continuous integrity, credibility, and positivity, and motivate others to do the same. 
• Continuously grow and adapt in a fast-moving field to keep yourself and the organization at the forefront of the cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine fields.
• Assist and train others as necessary. 
• Other duties as required.

Qualifications/Requirements

Language Requirement: Oral and Written English 
Educational Background Required: M.Sc. OR B.Sc. degree. The degrees must be in virology, bioengineering, chemical engineering, bioprocess, biotechnology, cell biology, or a related field. 
Work Experience Required: If M.Sc.-level degree, 0-5 years of relevant industry work experience required, if B.Sc.-level degree, 5+ years relevant work relevant experience.

Desired Characteristics

Work Experience and Preferred Qualifications 

 • Practical and industrial experience in viral vector production. Lentivirus and adeno-associated virus experience is desired. 
 • Hands-on experience working with mammalian primary or immortalized cell cultures is required. 
• Required expertise in one or more of the following areas: viral vectors, bioprocess development, cell or molecular biology, gene engineering. Industrial experience in development and optimization of processes for virus production from suspension and/or adherent cell lines is also desired. Experience adapting adherent cell lines suspension is a plus. 

• Desired expertise in optimization of downstream processes for clarification, UFDF, chromatography (IEx, SEC, affinity, multi-modal) and/or use of cell harvesting equipment for volume reduction and concentration. 

• Industry experience in evaluation and development of upstream cell culture processes by using various platforms (cell cubes/stacks, bioreactors, with or without micro-carriers, etc) is also desired. 
• Expertise working with: pluripotent stem cells and derived progeny, hematopoietic stem cells, immune cells, or mesenchymal stromal cells is a plus. 
 • Experience in characterization assays for viral titre (p24, RNA eq, TU/mL, mRNA, etc) is required. Experience with characterization assays for cells and proteins (flow cytometry, particle measurement, fluorescence, binding, activity, stability, etc) is desired. 
• Experience with molecular biology techniques (PCR, qPCR, RT-PCR, ddPCR, CRISPR-Cas9) and transient transfection protocols is desired. 
• Solid scientific approach with experience in experimental planning, design (DoE), statistical analyses, interpretation, documentation and communication. 
• Independent, detail-oriented, self-starter with excellent analytical skills and the ability to multitask and succeed in a team environment. People and team management skills are an important asset. 
• Demonstrated initiative and the ability to deliver high quality outcomes. 
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with computer productivity software (e.g. MS Office, etc.) and a range of technical applications (e.g. JMP, Minitab, FlowJo, Matlab, etc).

Terms of Employment

Full-time (40 hours/week), permanent-position, CL2 laboratory, possible exposure to chemical, biological or other hazardous substances, working at a computer for data entry and analysis, may be required to be available outside of standard working hours.

About Us

GE is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. Through our people, leadership development, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for global customers by speaking the language of industry.
Primary Country

Canada
Primary State/Province

Ontario