Senior Associate Scientist Downstream R&D

Senior Associate Scientist Downstream R&D

Cork city, Ireland Posted on 05/07/2026

• Industry Pharma/Biotech/Clinical Research
• Work Experience 4-5 years
• City Cork city
• State/Province Cork
• Country Ireland

Job Description

PSC Biotech is a leading Biotech Consultancy firm founded in 1996, headquartered in Pomona, California, USA, with Global operations in Ireland, India, Singapore, Australia and the US, serving 350 clients in more than 23 countries worldwide.

The Snr. Associate Scientist will provide scientific expertise on a variety of small-scale protein purification techniques to support process development, characterization, troubleshooting of manufacturing issues, and continuous process improvement. This role is a subject matter expert role within the Technical Development and Services, Biological Centre of Excellence Laboratory and is open to candidates with Downstream processing experience. Analytical experience or background would also be considered. Thorough understanding of GMPs and ICH guidelines an advantage.

The candidate should have experience in bioprocessing of proteins (Enzymes, Antibodies), and more specifically have hands on expertise of small-scale laboratory purification techniques (e.g. AKTA systems, TFF, Filtration) and be familiar with chromatography, resin screening and filtration. The candidate will be involved in various cross functional projects that will involve high standards of collaboration with scientific peers across Process Development, Manufacturing, Quality and Analytical Services.

Responsibilities

Laboratory / Project work:

• Accountable for designing and delivering assigned scientific projects & studies in line with overall BCoE business plan and technical agenda, with limited supervision.
• Accountable for the integrity of the data and scientific conclusions from assigned scientific projects.
• Support and lead root cause analysis investigations, troubleshoot processing problems and support more junior scientists with technical challenges and development of technical depth.
• Accountable for developing and maintaining small scale models and maintaining expertise in protein purification techniques and methodologies.
• Author protocols, work instructions, SOPs, risk assessments and technical reports to a high standard.
• Use scientific integrity and expertise to challenge the status quo and identify opportunities for improvement in lab practices.
• Accountable for developing & maintaining a high standard of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).
• Responsible for developing cross functional project plans with other BCoE SME's and stakeholders.
• Responsible for participating in the internal network of SME's across the scientific and technical functions namely BCoE, Process Sciences and Analytical etc.
• Responsible for the communication and dissemination of scientific output to scientific & technical functions and BCoE stakeholders (i.e. presentations to internal functions).
• Responsible for designing discrete studies/experiments with appropriate supervision.
• Responsible for maintaining a culture of empowerment, accountability and continuous improvement within BCoE.
• Responsible for contributing to strong cross functional relationships through promotion of science and the work of BCoE across stakeholder groups, specifically Technical Operations functions.
• Responsible for maintaining a culture of Operational Excellence, namely Standard work and 5S.
• Responsible for adhering to BCoE procedures and practices specifically in relation to laboratory operations.
• Accountable for the health and safety of self and colleagues working together.

Requirements

• PhD degree in a relevant scientific discipline (Biochemistry, biotechnology, process engineering etc) with 0-2 years' experience of laboratory scale downstream techniques. Commercial scale experience will also be considered.
• Master's degree in a relevant scientific discipline (Biochemistry, biotechnology, process engineering etc) with 3+ years' experience of laboratory scale downstream techniques. Commercial scale experience will also be considered.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific discipline (Biochemistry, biotechnology, process engineering etc) with 5+ years' experience of laboratory scale downstream techniques. Commercial scale experience will also be considered. Some experience in analytical science will be an advantage.
• Working knowledge of pharmaceutical regulatory requirements appropriate to level and understanding of the cGMP manufacturing process for Biologics.
• Strong communication, teamwork and problem solving skills.

Additional notes

• Laboratory work and manufacturing support activities will require the use or proximity of chemicals, laboratory and manufacturing equipment and instruments, and mechanical moving parts. Noise and vibration may be present.
• Periodic week end laboratory work and/or on call support will be required on a team rotation basis.