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Job description
For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.
Job Overview
Charles River Discovery are excited to be recruiting for a Technical Specialist II, Stem Cells to join our Chesterford Park site, set in Saffron Walden.
This is a permanent, onsite role with expectation to be based in the laboratory.
The Technical Specialist II will be applying lab-based technical expertise in Stem Cell culture in contribution to agreed specifications in delivering client projects to agreed deadlines. You’ll be an expert in stem cell culture as this is not an entry level role and candidates must have a track record of culturing and differentiation hES and iPS cells within industry.
Candidates must have full and permanent Right to Work in the UK to be considered as we are unable to offer sponsorship for this position.
What you’ll be doing:
• Culture and differentiation of hES and iPS cells in line with client and project needs.
• Isolating and culturing primary cells, recombinant cell line generation and preparation of cell lines for high throughput screening projects.
• An awareness of relevant scientific and contemporary cellular assay practices, with the ability to use this knowledge to troubleshoot assays
• Demonstrate deep understanding of a wide variety of stem cell culture methods, and able to apply learnings from one method to other areas.
• Independently perform and optimize stem cell differentiation in 2D and/or 3D culture systems.
• Execution of routine technical and non-technical tasks with high level of competency and minimal supervision.
• Owns workload to meet agreed deliverables with awareness of how this impacts the immediate and wider team.
• Adherence to safe lab working policies, with some ability to suggest new ideas and provide solutions for immediate workspace.
• Accountable for accurate reporting of billable time, aware of financial impact across projects portfolio and division.
• Stay up to date with sector insights relevant to the scientific field, sharing knowledge within the group.
• Recognise and identify solutions for technical problems of varying complexity, escalate to appropriate manager/project leader to agree and implement appropriate solution/s.
Skills & Qualifications
• Educated to MSc level at a minimum in a Biological Sciences discipline, any degree with stem cell/cell culture focus is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience in isolation and culturing of primary cells, recombinant cell lines for high throughput screening in industry ideally from another CRO or Biotech company.
• Significant hands-on experience in culturing and differentiation of hES and iPS cells, able to execute outstanding aseptic technique.
• Additional experience of working on drug discovery focused projects is highly advantageous.
• Excellent communication skills, able to liaise with internal and external stakeholders as needed and able to collate and present complex scientific datasets.
• Candidates must be able to travel to our Chesterford Park site on a daily basis.
What We Offer You:
• A very comprehensive benefits package from day one, including a large pension contribution, private medical for you (and can add family members), private dental care, critical illness cover, bonus and more!
• Global opportunities and strong career progression.
• The chance to work on several varied projects and liaise globally and nationally with other business areas.
• To be able make a difference to health and wellbeing of people.
• To continue your own career growth.
• Flexible and hybrid working.
• Parental leave.
• Group Life Assurance and Group Income Protection.
• Remote GP access 24/7.
• Well-being support and initiatives.
• Cycle to work scheme.
About Discovery
Discovery from Charles River is industry-proven in the successful development of novel therapies, with over 350 patents and 80 preclinical drug candidates delivered to our sponsors in the past 17 years. Backed by more than 650 scientists, our comprehensive, integrated portfolio employs the latest technology and platforms to provide chemistry, biology, and pharmacology services that support clients from the earliest stages of hit identification all the way through to IND. Our client-focused, collaborative approach creates true partnerships that anticipate challenges, overcome obstacles, and move us forward together on the journey of getting new drugs to market.
About Charles River
Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.
With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.
At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly supported the development of 86% of the drugs approved by the FDA in 2021.
At Charles River Laboratories, we recognize and recruit all talent. We are a company committed to the principle of diversity and inclusion and work daily in this direction.
