Position Description: Research Associate II/III

Job Title | Research Associate II/III
Location | La Jolla, CA
Department | Research and Development

Summary

This position will play an important role in executing a science-driven strategy to provide support for expanding and strengthening the preclinical package in support of existing products and for the development of new product candidates to broaden and strengthen the Company’s product pipeline.

Advanced BioHealing is a rapidly growing, world-class organization specializing in cell therapies led by the Company’s approved products, Dermagraft and Transcyte. The Company is evaluating ways to apply these FDA-approved products for new indications and seeks to bring on board the expertise necessary to develop new product candidates. This position will be based in (La Jolla, CA). The highly qualified individual will hit the ground running, and have an immediate impact on the execution of in-house non-clinical research programs to help expand the market for existing products and the development of new product candidates.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of this position include the following, although other duties may be assigned.

The Company seeks a highly qualified individual who will be responsible for executing specific components of the research efforts to support the Company’s commercial products, clinical, non-clinical, and product candidates. The candidate should have all or some of the following qualifications:

• Experience with cell-based biologic products
• Laboratory experience in biochemistry, cell biology, and cell culture
• Experience in running assays including bioassays, receptor assays, ELISAs, Western blotting, PCR, flow cytometry, FTIR, and HPLC
• Candidates with experience in protein biochemistry, such as assays for extracellular matrix (ECM) protein identification and characterization are highly desired
• Experience in managing normal laboratory operations including maintenance and calibration of equipment, waste management, chemical inventories
• Management of laboratory interns
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Experience writing scientific protocols/reports
• Work with minimal supervision to complete laboratory projects in a timely manner to meet department deadlines

This position will be hands-on and will require the individual to conduct laboratory bench studies. The candidate will be expected to help keep the laboratory in good running order and well organized. This individual will interact with R&D staff across the company to insure that the Research and Development goals are executed in a timely manner and to the highest level of quality. The position requires a B.S. degree and at least 4 years of experience or a Master’s of Science degree working in a laboratory setting preferably for a biotechnology and/or medical device company.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The position will participate in the supervision of laboratory interns carrying out routine lab activities for the Company in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities may include interviewing, planning, assigning, and directing work of interns.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Specific Tasks Include:

Conduct research studies involving mammalian cell culture, ECM analysis, and growth factor potency, including bioassays, receptor assays, ELISAs, Western blotting, PCR, flow cytometry, FTIR, and HPLC.

Manage research laboratory equipment maintenance, calibration and services to ensure continuous laboratory operations.

Complete research studies with minimal supervision to support departmental goals and meet corporate deadlines.

Maintain searchable inventories of research materials, chemicals, MSDSs and cell banks for use by laboratory personnel and review by outside agencies.

Establish new analytical methods using in vitro procedures to support mechanism of action studies, enhanced characterization of products and product candidates, and regulatory filings for existing and future product opportunities.

Implement good documentation practices for all research study data in laboratory notebooks, study binders, and formal study reports.

Draft reports summarizing in-house laboratory studies; draft study protocols, test procedures, and standard operating procedures related to laboratory research efforts.

Communicate team progress both in oral and written formats at weekly research meetings.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree (B.S.) or equivalent with 4 years related experience and/or training or a Master’s of Science degree (M.S.) in the area of cell biology, biochemistry or similar discipline. Hands on experience with standard laboratory techniques such as ELISA, mammalian cell culture, PCR, HPLC, and FTIR preferred.

Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex documents including scientific literature and product-related literature. Ability to clearly communicate and present research data to co-workers and company management in both oral and written formats.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability, statistical inference, exponents, scientific notation, dilution factors, and to apply these to practical situations.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Travel Demands

The individual may be required to travel up to 5% of the time to interact with outside laboratories in support of the Company’s objectives.

We offer a competitive benefits & compensation package!

All qualified resumes should be submitted directly to careers@abh.com

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.