Umoja Biopharma is an industry-leading biotech with locations in Seattle, WA and Louisville, CO, focused on transforming the treatment of cancer with a novel integrated immunotherapy platform. Our vision is to develop off-the-shelf therapies capable of treating any tumor, any time. We are a diverse and growing team working in brand-new facilities in downtown Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Colorado, and we are looking for innovative thinkers who are excited by groundbreaking science and technology, and passionate about squaring up to the challenges inherent to cutting-edge drug development. We are committed to our core values and principles that support our overall mission and strongly invite applications from enthusiastic individuals who share our commitment and help position Umoja to deliver on our goals. We at Umoja believe in the importance of stories; we are looking for great people to join our team to help us create more stories for ourselves, for you, and most importantly for patients and their families.
Umoja Biopharma – Your Body. Your Hope. Your Cure.
POSITION SUMMARY
Umoja’s Analytical Development organization is seeking a driven Manager to manage a small team to support characterization of Lentiviral Vector (LVV) within the Process Analytics department. The ideal candidate is experienced with protein-based analytical methods (e.g., cIEF, MSD, Capillary Immunoassay, HPLC), as well as molecular methods (e.g., qPCR, dPCR). The successful candidate will be trained under the direction of SMEs to perform a variety of analytical methods. This role will also require attention to detail and proper documentation of execution of experiments in an Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) and contribute to report writing.
This position works closely with other functions to develop LVV product- and process-related analytical methods, serving as point of expertise in scientific protocols, and successfully transfer qualified methods to QC Analytical. This position plays a critical role in advancing Umoja’s pipeline and Analytical Development capabilities.
This role is expected to be about 50% focused on people management and 50% as a bench scientist. In addition, this role will be based onsite 5 days/week at our Louisville, CO location.
CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES
Specific Responsibilities include:
- Manage self-workload and the workload, project prioritization, career development, performance assessments for small team
- Develop new methods for viral vector products, training other team members on new technologies/methods
- Innovate to deliver method improvements and increase analytical breadth
- Design and lead projects to meet program timelines
- Collaborate with AD and QC team members on various stages of analytical method lifecycle (development/qualification/transfer)
- Identify key attributes that enable the Process Sciences team to make process improvements
- Maintain clear records of experimental work using an electronic notebook system that adheres to company guidelines.
- Manage and prioritize sample submissions and development activities for self and/or individual operators and return the data in a timely manner.
- Prepare technical data reports and presentations
- Exemplify the company core values and adhere to company policies to ensure safety and quality of gene therapy products and facility.
The successful candidate will have:
- PhD/MS/BS in Biology, Biochemistry, or related discipline with a minimum of 2/7/10 years respectively of method development experience in industry. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered
- Minimum of 2 years of experience managing and developing a small team
- Expertise with one or more of following protein and molecular analytical methods: cIEF, MSD, Capillary Immunoassay, HPLC, dPCR, and qPCR.
- Demonstrated proficiency with experimental design, execution, troubleshooting, and basic data analysis.
- Demonstrated problem solving skills.
- Excellent communication skills with the proven ability to build open and collaborative relationships and successfully work as a member of a multidisciplinary team
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with viral vectors (e.g., AAV, LVV)
- Experience designing forced degradation studies
- Self-motivated and organized
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, meet deadlines, and prioritize work on multiple projects
Physical Requirements
- 100% compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements in laboratory environments, including gloves, protective clothing, and eye safety glasses.
- Perform physical tasks required for the role, including standing, walking, bending, kneeling, sitting, working your hands in a biosafety cabinet, and occasionally moving materials up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to work onsite 5 days/week
Salary Range: $140,200 - $173,100
Umoja Biopharma offers its employees competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans. Additionally, we offer Umojians access to a 401k plan through Fidelity, with a 100% match up to their first 4% deferral. Umoja also provides a generous Paid Time Off policy, employee commuter benefits, and cell phone stipend. For a full breakdown of our benefits offerings, please see the Benefits section of our website.
Top Skills
What We Do
Umoja is developing a new approach to cancer therapy that retools a patient’s immune system in vivo, enhancing the body’s natural capacity to fight cancer. We envision a world where all patients with cancer have access to the most advanced immunotherapies and are free from the burdens of traditional cancer therapies
