Janssen Research & Development, L.L.C., a division of Johnson & Johnson's Family of Companies, is recruiting for a Scientist, Replicon RNA Process Development, within the RNA & Targeted Therapeutics group located in La Jolla, CA (San Diego area).

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science.

We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com and follow us @JanssenGlobal.Janssen Research & Development, LLC is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.

RNA & Targeted Therapeutics is an organization within Discovery Sciences committed to the delivery of high-quality drug candidates in the novel synthetic modalities space working closely with all six Janssen Therapeutic Area (TA) discovery teams.

The successful candidate will support the program goals and strategy of the group working to develop and deploy our RNA-based vaccine platform across multiple disease indications. The candidate will demonstrate expertise in the process development and manufacturing of mRNA/RNA therapeutic/vaccine candidates and the ability to apply these skills in unique and clever ways. She/he will work closely and collaboratively with both internal and external partners to advance potential products into the clinic. The Scientist will have significant laboratory activities, be responsible for process development, implementing new purification & scale-up techniques, and improving overall RNA vaccine manufacturing strategies to ultimately support manufacturing and CMC endeavors for multiple projects. The Scientist will also have the opportunity to lead internal projects and external collaborations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Help define scientific strategies and goals within the team
• Maintain a high level of productivity in the laboratory
• Execute and improve upon all platform specific process development and manufacturing activities
• Develop and run platform/product specific analytical assays
• Train and supervise associate scientists in the lab
• Devise ways to improve the current vaccine purification & manufacturing strategy and identify new technologies used to enhance the yield, purity, quality and potency to expand its use into new therapeutic areas
• Manage internal projects and external collaborations
• Present data and reports on project status at individual, group, and departmental meeting levels
• Present work at scientific conferences

• PhD in Biology, Chemistry, or related field is required
• At least 1 year of professional/industry or postdoctoral experience with an emphasis on molecular biology, chemistry, mRNA vaccines and/or therapeutics, or related field is required
• Ability to independently operate and trouble-shoot FPLC/HPLC/UPLC instrumentation is required
• Hands on proficiency operating instrumentation with column chromatography (examples include; cation/anion exchange, size exclusion, HIC, etc.) is required
• Ability to independently perform, trouble-shoot, scale-up, and modify in vitro transcription reactions of RNA is required
• Able to effectively multitask and advance various projects simultaneously is required
• Excellent verbal, presentation, and written communication skills are required, as well as the ability to effectively work in a team environment
• Hands on proficiency performing end-point analytical assays (residual DNA [qRT-PCR], residual protein [micro BCA, Nano Orange], RNA concentration [UV/Vis, Ribogreen assay], etc.) is preferred
• Familiarity with USP analytical assays is preferred
• An understanding of Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls (CMC) is preferred
• An understanding of regulatory requirements for the manufacturing and final release of nucleic acid vaccines is preferred
• An understanding of lipid-mediated drug product formulation is preferred
• Ability to independently perform mammalian cell culture is preferred
• Ability to independently perform DNA/RNA molecular biology techniques including plasmid amplification, DNA/RNA purification, cloning, and qRT-PCR is preferred
• Protein expression analysis techniques such as cell transfection or electroporation, protein concentration determination, and Western Blot is preferred
• Experience managing projects in a cross-functional/matrixed environment is preferred
• This position is located in La Jolla, CA, and may require up to 15% travel.