Our Purpose: EMPOWER CELLS TO CHANGE LIVES
At SQZ Biotechnologies we believe that our cell therapies will revolutionize the way we treat diseases. Our unique capabilities enable us to engineer almost any function into any cell type, breaking down the barriers in the field, and creating the possibility for cell therapies that could not have been previously envisioned.
Our Values:
- Patients are the Purpose: We strive to transform patient quality of life so they can focus on living.
- Squeeze Together: We are one team with one goal. Only through the sum of our strengths can we achieve our shared purpose.
- Own the Outcome: We are what we do. Integrity and accountability are fundamental.
- Challenge the Now: We fearlessly drive innovation by questioning what is possible, fostering creativity, and executing on our ideas.
The Role:
SQZ Biotechnologies is seeking a flexible, detail oriented analytical thinker as a Research Associate to join the Analytical Development & Quality Control (AD&QC) team. The successful candidate will work within the internal AD&QC team to develop analytical methodologies for characterization of SQZ Biotechnology’s cell therapy products, support internal testing needs, and work collaboratively with Research and Development teams. The successful candidate will also work with external partners to transfer and qualify appropriate test methods.
Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the development of:
- Flow cytometry methods to characterize cell therapy products, including elucidation of cell composition for blood products, in-process samples and product materials
- Cell counting and cell viability methods suitable for deployment in CMC manufacturing settings
- Analytical methods to measure potency of cell therapy products
- Analytical methods for heightened characterization of cellular, donor-based starting materials
- Conduct studies to understand stability profile of cell therapy products
- Support external method transfer and analytical method qualification activities at contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs)
- Perform QC activities on materials generated by internal process development team; provide testing support for research and exploratory teams as needed
Candidate Must:
- Independently execute and troubleshoot experiments
- Manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Diligently document all data in electronic notebooks in a timely manner
- Critically analyze and present data
- Demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving and attention to detail
- Effectively plan, organize, and schedule work activities to meet deadlines
- Work collaboratively in a high-impact team setting
Minimum Qualifications:
- BS or MS in life science or related field (Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, etc.)
- At least least 1 year of cumulative experience in an industry setting preferred
- Expertise in aseptic technique
- Experience with cell characterization methods and instrumentation (e.g. flow cytometry, FACS, cell counting and viability, hematology analyzers, plate readers)
- Good understanding of safe lab practices and BSL requirements
- Excellent computer skills including experience with Excel, Minitab, GraphPad Prism or similar statistical and data analysis software
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with diverse analytical, molecular biology and immunological methods (e.g. U/HPLC, ELISA, ELISpot, Fluorescence and/or Confocal Microscopy, IF/ICS, IHC, FACS, gel electrophoresis, western blot, qPCR)
- Experience with analytical method qualification and validations
- Experience with data processing software like FlowJo, SoftMax Pro, or chromatography analysis software
- Experience writing scientific reports and method SOPs
SQZ Biotechnologies is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and to provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex or gender identity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, SQZ complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. SQZ does not support relocation for this role.