Senior Scientist – Protein Engineering

ABOUT RXCELERATE
The RxCelerate group is an out-sourced drug development platform, and is one of the fastest growing companies in the UK. Our client base ranges from virtual biotech companies all the way up to 3 of the top 15 global pharmaceutical giants. We design and deliver complete drug development programs and project management for our clients spanning from an idea up and including Phase II clinical studies.

RxCelerate currently has an excellent opportunity for an experienced scientist to help build our new protein engineering and display technology capabilities, working at the Babraham Research Campus, a leading site within the Cambridge biotechnology hub.

This is an exciting time to join our team as we scale up to support our growing global footprint and client base. Our numerous success stories speak for themselves as we have become the drug developer of choice for many of the UK’s top venture backed biotech start-ups.

THE ROLE
The successful candidate is to have proven track record in the design and execution of strategies for the generation of new biologic therapeutics. They will have strong organisation skills, be an exceptional team-worker and have the ability to prioritise work within a busy and demanding scientific environment to meet challenging deadlines. The role is predominantly lab based with the expectation of the candidate assuming line management and mentoring responsibilities in line with expansion of the team.

Main Responsibilities
• Design and construction of display libraries.
• Antigen characterisation and QC.
• Planning and execution of selections using in vitro display technologies to identify leads with desired properties.
• Design and implementation of library output screens.
• Production of candidate molecules using bacterial and mammalian systems.
• Characterisation of molecules using different methodologies (e.g. ELISA, SPR, SDS-PAGE)
• Engineering of novel protein formats.
• Presentation and reporting of work to internal project teams and external clients.
• Maintenance of accurate experimental records and delivery of high quality reports.

Skills/Requirements
• MSc/PhD in Biochemistry/Mol Bio/Mol Microbiology or related discipline.
• Extensive molecular biology expertise with a minimum of 3 years experience in protein engineering and display technologies (phage display essential, yeast display beneficial).
• Significant experience of different expression systems and protein purification techniques.
• Practical knowledge of technologies used for screening and characterising biologics.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills with the ability to prioritise multiple tasks.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team, with a proactive approach to resolving technical challenges.
• Outstanding attention to detail and ability to high quality data and reports to tight deadlines.
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.

RxCelerate offers a competitive salary with an annual bonus scheme and company benefit package.