Associate to Senior level Scientists, Discovery

ABOUT ARCELLX:  is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, adaptive and controllable cell therapies for the treatment of patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. The Company's vision is to expand access to cell therapies to millions of patients under the care of academic and community practices. The company is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland and has assembled a team of biotechnology professionals with expertise in biologics discovery, characterization, and development.

Primary Objective

 Arcellx is seeking Scientists (levels Associate Scientist to Senior Scientist, depending on skill and experience) to collaborate in the innovation, discovery and development of protein and cell-based therapies. The successful candidate will work closely with a dedicated team of protein engineers and more broadly with scientists in other departmental groups (e.g. immunology, translation and manufacturing) to identify, produce, characterize and optimize recombinant proteins for use as therapeutic agents in a variety of oncology indications. The candidate will bring to the role expertise in protein engineering as well as a strong track record of innovation and creativity.

Main Accountabilities:

Responsibilities will depend, in part, on hiring level, but are likely to include some or all of the following:

• Collaborate with other scientists to design, generate and characterize recombinant proteins, including biopharmaceutical products.
• Develop and execute selection and screening strategies using phage, yeast and mammalian display.

• Evaluate existing and emerging technologies, techniques and tools enhance products and streamline discovery workflows.
• Independently plan, design, execute, record and analyze experiments.

• Summarize and present data in internal meetings and discussions.
• Write and review technical protocols and reports. Coauthor scientific abstracts,  manuscripts and presentations.
• Manage and drive the advancement of internal projects, products or technology initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred qualification will depend, in part, on hiring level, but are likely to include some or all of the following:

• PhD in the life sciences (e.g. Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, immuno-oncology), with minimum of 2 years post-degree experience in protein engineering.
• Extensive experience in the design, construction, expression, characterization and optimization of recombinant proteins. Experience with biopharmaceutical product design and lead optimization is ideal.
• Experience in the design and execution of selection and screening strategies, utilizing phage display (or a related display method).
• Proficiency with high throughput screening, sequencing and characterization of bacterial clones.
• Experience with optimizing expression yield and quality. Experience with multiple protein expression systems (e.g. bacterial, yeast or mammalian systems) is preferred.
• Experience utilizing and developing appropriate methods for assessment of protein-protein interactions (e.g. ELISA, Octet BLI, Biacore SPR, MSD)
• Experience with sequence analysis software (e.g. SnapGene, Sequencher, Lasergene, BLAST, etc.), including construct and primer design and sequence confirmation. Programming experience with Python and/or R (R Studio) is ideal.
• Experience in oncology, immunology, and translational research is ideal.

Competencies:

• Commitment to ethical scientific investigations and rigorous experimental methods.
• Ability and desire to multitask and function in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.
• Sense of urgency in performance of duties.
• Interpersonal skills that promote a collaborative and productive lab environment.
• Effective and efficient written and oral communication skills.

Without exception, applicants must submit both a cover letter and resume to be considered for these positions and must have experience in one of the fields listed above.