At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!
As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.
At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.
Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!
Position DescriptionThe Upstream Senior Research Scientist (Technical Development) directly supports Elanco’s Technical Development (TD) organization in its mission to develop and deliver Innovation, Characterization, and Process Control. The primary responsibilities of this role are to support the upstream (mammalian cell culture) scientific team by developing, optimizing, and characterizing cell culture processes that produce recombinant vaccines, proteins, and antibodies. This role supports upstream lab activities within the broad scope of Elanco’s large molecule portfolio with initial emphasis on delivering Elanco’s therapeutic monoclonal antibody platforms.
Functions, Duties, and TasksLead a small group (1–3) scientists and ensure team members are growing scientifically and professionally through direct and indirect coaching and mentorship
Technical program leadership
Incorporate safety and quality into process development
Incorporate DoE-based approaches into design and analysis of cell culture experiments
Collaborate with internal and external partners and technology transfer with manufacturing partners
Author, review, and execute protocols, batch records, and technical reports
Provide subject matter expertise to mammalian cell culture processes and seed train expansion, leveraging knowledge and experience to accelerate and optimize protein production
Introduce new techniques and technologies to the TD organization and maintain awareness of advancements in the field and competitive landscape
Conduct prospective capacity planning and program planning for resources under supervision
PhD in Engineering, Biochemistry, or other biotechnology-related degree
Minimum of 5 years of experience working with mammalian cell culture of large molecule product streams (monoclonal antibodies, proteins, antigens)
Experience with fed-batch cell culture and leading other scientists
Experience with cell culture scale-up and technology transfer
Experience working in regulated environments (e.g., cGMP, USDA) and BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories
Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to collaborate with and influence teams
Experience designing experiments using statistical approaches involving biological systems
Experience with fed-batch, perfusion, and/or intensified fed-batch cell culture
Experience with cell culture scale-up and technology transfer
Experience working in regulated environments (e.g., cGMP, USDA) and BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories
Strong problem-solving skills, including strategic and creative thinking
Understanding of or experience with multiple technology platforms (e.g., fermentation, analytical method development, purification, formulations)
Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to collaborate with and influence teams
Strongly preferred: experience within the Animal Health industry
Experience interacting with applicable regulatory agencies (FDA, USDA, EMA)
Experience with quality standards such as GMP
Travel: Approximately 10%
Work Location: Global Elanco Headquarters – Indianapolis, IN
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status
Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.
Top Skills
What We Do
At Elanco, we work to improve the health of animals through innovative products and services for pets and farm animals around the world. As a global animal health company, we provide solutions that empower our customers to advance a vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life. Since 1954, Elanco has committed to empowering veterinarians, farmers, and all those who care for animals with the tools they need to help animals live healthy lives. Healthier animals are the key to making our lives better - This is the fundamental belief uniting all global Elanco employees. That’s why we are committed to the idea that our business can be a unique force for good for all in society. Through our Elanco Healthy Purpose™ framework of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments, we focus on delivering sustainable solutions to advance the well-being of animals, people and the planet. This program also enables our employees around the world to take paid time off to make an impact as a volunteer, offering their time or talent to give back to our customers, causes and communities. #ElancoHealthyPurpose #WeAreElanco
