Associate Specialist

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 Gaithersburg, MD:
Our Gaithersburg, Maryland facility creates life-changing medicines for people around the world.  This campus employs more than 3,500 authorities in our field and is only a short drive from Washington, DC. This modern and vibrant scientific campus is the home of R&D and Oncology in the US. Here, we play host to some of the most cutting-edge technology and lab spaces, all crafted to inspire teamwork and cross-functional science. We believe employees benefit from being challenged and inspired at work. We are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and teamwork.

The Gaithersburg site offers a variety of amenities to help boost productivity and help keep our employees 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:
Description of Position
As an associate specialist in the clinical biologics production team within biopharmaceutical development, you’ll build broad knowledge of bioprocessing in a cGMP environment to launch your career in the biopharmaceutical industry. In this role you will take an adaptable, science driven approach to everything you do.  You will become an integral part of process development, accelerating product candidates into the clinic and gaining knowledge and experience in cell culture, purification and critical support activities. Under the supervision of highly trained personnel, you will gain the process knowledge and skills to perform large scale clinical development activities through hands-on training.  You will join a collaborative and driven team in an extraordinary biopharmaceutical company that is driving disruptive innovation in the industry.

Education & Experience Requirements:
• BS/BA Engineering degree preferred with 0-1 years of experience

Principal Duties
• Learn how  to operate the bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment such as: incubators, stainless steel and disposable single-use bioreactors, depth filtration skids, LN2 dewars, chromatography skids, single-use mixers, centrifuges, cleaning/sanitization of equipment, washers, autoclaves, environmental monitoring cleaning verification sampling, tanks and in-process testing instruments. 
• Monitors critical process parameters, troubleshoots during processing and recommends potential solutions to management.
• Learn in unit operations to improve quality, ensure safety and process efficiency/accuracy 
• Learn how to develop new concepts, techniques, and  work with standard operation procedures. 
• Reviews performed Production Records for accuracy and completion of process steps within a  good manufacturing practice/ good documentation practices (GMP/GDP) 
• Ability to use MS Office tools and AZ enterprise system  

Cell Culture Technical Principal Duties
• Prepare stainless steel and disposable bioreactors and tanks to include pressure test, clean in place/sterilize in place (CIP/ SIP), and centrifuge harvest
• Perform aseptic technique and cell banks operation
• Introductory knowledge in cell culture operations such as cell bank operations, bioreactors, biosafety cabinet operation, and centrifuge harvest operations 
• Introductory knowledge raw material weight-out and media/buffer preparation
• Introductory knowledge in the operation of all area specific production equipment such as column chromatography operations, tangential flow filtration, and column  packing 
• Introductory knowledge in basic analytical testing (e.g.  protein concentration, osmolarity, pH and etc.)  

Additional Desired Skills
• Dynamic individual with the ability to communicate and engage others. 
• Independent and self-starting with the ability to work with minimal direction. 
• Demonstrate a high level of drive and initiative.
• Logic and decision-making abilities, ability for critical thinking and troubleshooting  skills. 
• Demonstrate leadership, organization and time management skills. 
• Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to change ways of working/see opportunities  to improve processes within cGMP clinical manufacturing environment. 
• Ability to learn manual operation in a glove box isolator unit for an antibody conjugation  process. 

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being entrepreneurial - finding those moments and recognising their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organisation to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering cutting edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

So, what’s next!

Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available and we hope it’s yours.

Where can I find out more?

Check out our landing page for more information on our BPD group  https://careers.astrazeneca.com/bpd

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AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.

AstraZeneca requires all US employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 but will consider requests for reasonable accommodations as required by applicable law.