Scientist I (mRNA LNP)

Location: On-site at 6122 Nancy Ridge Dr, San Diego, CA, US

Anticipated base pay range: $69,036–$89,570 per year.

Company

WuXi Biology at San Diego is a division of hirify.global providing scientific services and drug discovery solutions to customers.

What you will do

• Develop innovative proposals and implement emerging drug delivery technologies to expand service capabilities.
• Lead evaluation and implementation of drug delivery technologies and build integrated service platforms.
• Lead projects from study design through execution, troubleshooting, and completion.
• Generate targeted mRNA LNPs and perform in vitro validation through cell-based assays.
• Draft tailored scientific proposals and reports for clients and support financial and productivity goals.
• Coordinate collaborations across the in vitro Biology team, cross-functional units, and customers while ensuring EHS, regulatory, and company SOP compliance.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in chemical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, immunology, or a related field with 0+ years of biotech, pharmaceutical, or CRO experience; or a Master’s degree with 5+ years; or a Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with mRNA LNP design, optimization, and production; antibody conjugation; in vitro cell-based assays for mRNA LNP drug validation; and scientific proposal and report writing.
• Broad expertise in state-of-the-art drug delivery technologies and validation across different assay systems.
• Hands-on experience with human whole blood, PBMCs, and isolated immune cell subsets for drug testing.
• Knowledge of in vitro pharmacology assay development, validation, and compound screening across small molecules, antibodies, antibody conjugates, nanoparticles, and RNA-based modalities.
• Ability to consider in vitro-to-in vivo and clinical translation when developing assays and improving data translatability.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with collaborators and clients, plus the ability to work effectively with diverse teams.
• Thorough understanding of Good Laboratory Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices.
• Must be able to work on-site in office and laboratory environments, including exposure to animals, biohazards, chemicals, variable temperatures, and noise; animal allergies to applicable species are not permitted.
• Ability to wear PPE, stand, sit, walk, lift and push/pull 10 lbs routinely or occasionally, perform repetitive motions, distinguish colors, and climb ladders, stairs, or scaffolding.

Culture & Benefits

• On-site laboratory work supporting customer drug discovery programs.
• Work includes collaboration across in vitro Biology and cross-functional teams.
• Employment is subject to applicable regulations, international standards, hirify.global policies, and standard operating procedures.
• Equal opportunity employment is provided without discrimination based on protected characteristics or disability.