Principal Scientist, Scientific Affairs

Position Summary

We are seeking an innovative and highly motivated Principal Scientist, Scientific Affairs who will contribute significantly to the development and continued growth of our advanced cell therapy manufacturing platform.

The primary focus of this position will be to provide scientific and strategic guidance across the organization to ensure alignment between scientific advancements and business goals. The Principal Scientist will play an instrumental role in engaging with partners and clients throughout the product adoption life cycle, establishing strong working relationships and delivering tailored solutions to maximize customer satisfaction and successful adoption of the Cellares Cell Therapy Manufacturing Platform.

This is a multidisciplinary role responsible for interfacing across many parts of the company (with Business Development, Marketing, Product Management, Engineering and Process Sciences teams) to develop the best solutions possible. The successful candidate will be a resident expert in the cell and gene therapy landscape, existing manufacturing platforms, and maintain a pulse into where the industry's imminent and long term needs lie.

Candidates should enjoy working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment, and be prepared to tackle a broad selection of challenges as the company grows.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) of current and upcoming Cellares technology capabilities and performance specifications

• Review and translate internal performance data into customer-facing content, ensuring scientific information is accurate and represents Cellares' value and capabilities

• Drive pre-sale data deep dives and technology feasibility discussions with potential clients to foster partnerships or adoption of Cellares' technology solutions

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with partners and clients throughout the entire life cycle of projects, ensuring smooth communication and successful project outcomes

• Identify client's needs, conduct thorough research on the issues they face, and provide suitable solutions and alternatives to achieve high levels of client satisfaction

• Draft proposals, statements of work, test plans, and reports to support client needs and facilitate effective communication during project engagements

• Maintain an up-to-date awareness of the current state of cell & gene therapy through continuous monitoring of scientific literature and competitive intelligence

• Provide critical evaluations on the clinical and commercial viability of cell & gene therapy pipelines to inform strategic business decisions

• Collaborate with the Product team to provide valuable input on the portfolio of product features across customers, identifying synergies and scalability opportunities to enhance the company's offerings

• Support Marketing as scientific SME by developing, reviewing, and presenting scientific contents for conferences and other major events

• Develop strong working relationships with internal subject matter experts across the organization, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment

• Drive overall customer satisfaction and engagement to foster lasting partnerships and promote the adoption of Cellares' Technology Solutions in the industry

Requirements

• PhD degree in life sciences, biomedical engineering or related discipline required

• 2+ years of experience working in cell & gene therapy drug development and/or commercialization

• 2+ years of experience in client services directly interfacing with partners and/or clients

• Experience working with and building strong relationships with cross-functional departments in business, marketing, hardware and software engineering, product and project management, process and analytical development, regulatory and quality

• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail, with the ability to troubleshoot technical issues and propose effective solutions

• Excellent attention to detail and act with a sense of urgency and enthusiasm

• Excellent verbal, written, organizational, presentation and interpersonal skills

• Experience with semi-automated instruments and/or bioprocess automation is a plus

Annual Salary Range: $90,000 - $210,000

Cellares total compensation package contains competitive base salaries, highly subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans, 401(k) Matching, Free EV Charging, Onsite lunches, and Stock options. All displayed pay ranges are approximate, negotiable, and location dependent.

This is Cellares

Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) and takes an Industry 4.0 approach to mass manufacturing the living drugs of the 21st century. The company is both developing and operating integrated technologies for cell therapy manufacturing to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies. The company's Cell Shuttle integrates all the technologies required for the entire manufacturing process in a flexible and high-throughput platform that delivers true walk-away, end-to-end automation. Cell Shuttles will be deployed in Cellares' Smart Factories around the world to meet total patient demand for cell therapies at global scale. Partnering with Cellares enables academics, biotechs, and pharma companies to accelerate drug development and scale out manufacturing, lower process failure rates, lower manufacturing costs, and meet global patient demand.

The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California with its commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The company is backed by world-class investors and has raised over $355 million in financing.

Leveling will be based on overall experience, education, and demonstration of knowledge throughout the interview process.