Associate Scientist - Downstream Bioprocess

Our client, a world leader in life sciences and biotechnology, is looking for an “Associate Scientist - Downstream Bioprocess” based in Foster City, CA. Job Duration: Long Term Contract (Possibility of Extension) Pay Rate : $54.50/hr on W2 Company Benefits: Medical, Paid Sick leave, 401K The ideal candidate will have practical experience executing downstream purification processes in a pilot, manufacturing, or process development environment and be comfortable operating chromatography and filtration equipment while working within controlled documentation and schedule-driven workflows. Key Responsibilities Plan and execute pilot-scale downstream purification runs, including clarification, chromatography, TFF, viral filtration, depth filtration, and centrifugation. Prepare buffers and reagents and perform equipment setup, operation, cleaning, and teardown. Operate ÄKTA chromatography systems and UNICORN software for process execution and data collection. Pack and unpack chromatography columns and support chromatography process activities. Operate single-use equipment and filtration systems in a pilot-scale environment. Monitor process performance, analyze run data, identify process issues, and troubleshoot deviations in real time. Accurately document activities in SOPs, batch records, run sheets, and technical summaries. Communicate observations, process results, and troubleshooting findings to cross-functional teams. Support process scale-up, comparability studies, technology transfer, and laboratory readiness activities. Follow applicable safety, quality, and controlled-documentation procedures. Support occasional weekend or extended-hour coverage based on process schedules. Required Qualifications AA/AS degree with 4+ years of relevant industry experience in downstream purification or bioprocessing; OR BS/BE degree in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Biology, or a related field with 2+ years of relevant industry experience. Hands-on pilot-scale downstream bioprocessing experience is required. Practical experience with downstream purification operations such as: Chromatography TFF Viral filtration Depth filtration Centrifugation Clarification Buffer preparation Hands-on experience operating ÄKTA systems and UNICORN. Experience with chromatography column operation, including packing/unpacking, is highly relevant. Preferred Qualifications End-to-end downstream purification experience rather than experience limited to a single unit operation. Biologics pilot plant or manufacturing experience. Experience supporting process development, scale-up, technology transfer, or comparability activities. Experience with single-use technologies and equipment. GMP/cGMP or GMP-adjacent experience. Experience with controlled documentation, batch records, SOPs, and deviation reporting If interested, please send us your updated resume at hr@dawarconsulting.com/kavitha@dawarconsulting.com