Senior Scientist II, Cell Therapy Discovery

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE
You will own key assays and workflows for CAR design, T-cell engineering, and in vitro functional characterization. 
You will partner with project teams to enable data-driven decisions that advance programs from discovery toward translation.
You will help shape study plans, and ensure timely delivery of milestones across functions.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
•    Study Design and Execution: Design and run in vitro studies for CAR T candidates; design constructs and characterize engineered cell therapies; develop, execute, and optimize functional assays.
•    Data analysis and reporting: Analysis data, generate figures, and prepare reports and slide decks, present results and propose next experiment steps.
•    Quality and compliance: Ensure adherence to required training and maintain accurate, complete experimental records. 
•    Cross-functional collaboration: Align with Pharmacology & Toxicology, CMC, translational science and clinical teams to advance project.
•    Team and communication: Clear scientific writing and presentation, mentor colleagues and foster a productive, well-organized lab environment
•    Problem-Solving: Track record of trouble shooting models, optimizing protocols, and meeting timelines in a dynamic environment.

REQUIREMENTS
Education: PhD in immunology, cell biology, or related field; or MS with 4+ years demonstrated impact in cell therapy discovery

Skills & Capabilities
•    Primary Cell Culture: Proficient in human primary cell isolation, culture, activation, and maintenance.
•    Prepare lentiviral vectors and perform transduction; optimize MOI to maximize transduction efficiency; assess vector copy number and integration characteristics; conduct electroporation-based gene edits.
•    Flow cytometry: Proficient in panel design, compensation, and gating.
•    Functional assays: target killing (luciferase/impedance), cytokines, proliferation/persistence, serial-kill or rechallenge assays; antigen density titration and specificity testing.
•    Molecular methods: PCR/qPCR, plasmid prep; amplicon NGS prep for edit verification and transgene integrity.
•    Data & Tools: Proficiency with ELN, FlowJo, Snapgene, GraphPad; understanding of assay acceptance criteria and basic statistics.
•    Compliance: Practice BSL 2 biosafety, uphold animal ethics (IACUC), maintain awareness of research GxP, and ensure data integrity.
Preferred Experience:
•    Program Advancement: Progress CAR T candidates from lead optimization to preclinical packages; support method transfer and qualification with Process Development.
•    Advanced Modalities: Experience with armored CARs, logic gated CARs.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.