Sr. Associate Scientist, Polysaccharide Analytical Development

Company Profile:

Vaxcyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCVX) is a vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases. The Company is developing broad-spectrum conjugate and novel protein vaccines to prevent or treat bacterial infectious diseases. Vaxcyte’s lead candidate, VAX-24, is a 24-valent, broad-spectrum pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) being developed for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The Company is re-engineering the way highly complex immunizations are made through modern synthetic techniques, including advanced chemistry and our exclusively licensed XpressCFTM cell-free protein synthesis platform. Unlike conventional cell-based approaches, the Company’s system for producing difficult-to-make proteins and antigens is intended to accelerate its ability to efficiently create and deliver high-fidelity vaccines with enhanced immunological benefits. Vaxcyte’s pipeline also includes VAX-XP, a PCV with coverage of 31 strains; VAX-A1, a prophylactic vaccine candidate designed to prevent Group A Strep infections; and VAX-PG, a therapeutic vaccine candidate designed to slow or stop the progression of periodontal disease. The Company is driven to eradicate or treat invasive bacterial infections, which have serious and costly health consequences when left unchecked. For more information, visit www.vaxcyte.com.
 
Vaxcyte, headquartered in San Carlos, CA, went public in June 2020 and currently has a team of approximately 150 employees and anticipates continued, significant growth. Following the October 2022 follow-on equity offering, which generated approximately $651 million in net proceeds, the Company’s balance sheet is further strengthened to advance its pipeline of novel vaccines, including VAX-24. On October 24, 2022, the Company announced positive topline safety, tolerability and immunogenicity data from the Phase 1/2 proof-of-concept study evaluating VAX-24 in adults aged 18-64. The Company believes these results support a best-in-class potential for VAX-24, which was designed to replace the current standard-of-care in adults and children. VAX-24 is being investigated for the prevention of IPD, which can be most serious for infants, young children, older adults and those with immune deficiencies or certain chronic health conditions. Given the global impact of pneumococcal disease remains significant, the public health community continues to advocate for vaccines that can offer broader protection to prevent IPD. Vaxcyte’s PCV franchise, consisting of VAX-24 and VAX-XP, is designed specifically to address this need and has the potential to deliver the broadest protection for this very serious disease. We believe that our PCVs could receive regulatory approval based on successful completion of clinical studies utilizing well-defined surrogate immune endpoints, consistent with how other PCVs have obtained regulatory approval in the past, rather than requiring clinical field efficacy studies.

Summary:

Looking for an energetic and talented individual to join our Analytical Development team. Primary responsibility for the incumbent will be to support the developmental activities currently on going in the laboratory as assigned.
Requirements:

• B.S. in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry preferred, Organic / Biochemistry considered.
• Minimum of 4 year of relevant experience;
• Ideal candidate will have a background in analytical chemistry principles and hands-on experience with modern analytical instrumentations commonly used in the analysis and characterization of drug candidates. Candidates with other scientific disciplines may be considered based on relevant experience.
• Experience in chemical/biological/immunological assays such as HPLC/UV and other spectrometric methodology, ELISA, and CE.
• Experience in carbohydrate analysis desired, for example in HPAEC-PAD, colorimetric methods, HPLC, SEC-MALS, and LC-MS.
• Experience in Analytical method development/qualification concepts. 
• Attention to detail and excellent skills in record keeping / documentation. Critical thinking and ability to analyze data. Experience in lab information management systems (LIMS) preferred. 
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in written formats.
• Ability to work under supervision in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment and collaborate effectively with other team members. Eagerness and ability to learn and understand new concepts with ease.
• All Vaxcyte employees require vaccination against COVID-19.

Reports to: Associate Director, Polysaccharide Analytical Development
 
Location: San Carlos, CA
 
Compensation:
The compensation package will be competitive and includes comprehensive benefits and an equity component.

Salary Range: $107,000 - $117,000