Associate Director, Process Development, Cell Therapy
Santa Monica, CA - USA
Job Summary
Position Summary
The Associate DirectorLate-StageCell TherapyProcessDevelopmentwill provide scientific and technical leadership for the development characterization and transfer of manufacturing processes for cell therapy products. This roleis responsible forleading a team of scientists and engineers supporting process development activities from clinical development through commercialization including BLA and global regulatory submissions. The successful candidate will partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing Quality Regulatory Affairs Analytical Development and CMC teams to ensure robust compliant and scalable manufacturing processes.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
Lead the late-stage process development for cell therapies within the Process Engineering function managing multiple development projects
Direct and guide engineers/scientists to deliver high-quality technical documentation for the study design laboratory execution and report authoring activities
Perform risk assessment data analysiswritetechnical reports and present outcome of the studies to crossfunctional teams and governance forums
Conduct batch record review deviation assessment and data trending to ensure robustness of cell therapy manufacturing processes
Apply AIenabled tools and digital analytics to accelerate data review trend analysis batch record evaluation and process understanding
Team Leadership and Management
Build develop and manage a high-performing team of process development scientists and engineers
Establish project priorities resource allocation and departmental objectives
Foster a collaborative and innovation-driven culture
PPQ&TechnologyTransfer
SupportPPQactivitiesincluding but not limited toprotocol authoring batch recordauthoringandplanning
Support technology transfer of cell therapy processes to internal manufacturing sites including make-a-batch assessments and drafting manufacturing batchrecords
Lifecycle Management
Lead lifecycle management activities for commercial cell therapy products including process monitoring continuous improvement post-approval changes comparability assessments and regulatory commitments.
Partner with Manufacturing Quality Regulatory Affairs and Technical Operations to implement process improvementsmaintainprocess control and support ongoing commercial readiness.
Manufacturing Support & Scientific Deviation Management
Serve as the Process Development and Engineering SME for manufacturing operations providing scientific support for deviations investigations atypical events and process-related issues.
Lead root cause analyses impact assessments and CAPA development using data-driven and risk-based approaches to ensure product quality compliance and uninterrupted manufacturing operations.
Regulatory Support
Contributesto authoring and reviewing CMC documentation including cell therapy process descriptions characterization summaries PPQ protocols and reports and control strategy elements.
Support preparation of BLA/MAA submissions and responses to regulatory questions related to cell therapy manufacturing.
CrossFunctional Collaboration
Work closely with analytical sciences quality regulatory and manufacturing teams to ensure endtoend process alignment.
Represent cell therapy characterization activities in technical meetings reviews and governance discussions.
Required Qualifications
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering Biochemical Engineering Biological Sciences Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline with6 years of industry experience; or M.S. with 10 years of relevant experience; or B.S. with 12 years of relevant experience.
Strong technicalexpertiseincell therapyprocess developmentGMP operations and latestage / commercial readiness.
Experience with latestage development and PPQ for cell therapy processes.
Demonstratedproficiencyin applying AI tools and digital solutions to data analysis documentation and workflow automation.
Strong technical writing data analysis and problemsolving skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with commercial-stage cell therapyorbiologicsproducts.
Experience supporting PPQ process validation and post-approval changes.
Familiarity with global regulatory requirements and lifecycle management strategies.
Experience designing and executing DOE and multivariate data analysis for cell therapy processes.
Key Competencies
Strong teammanagement and talent development experience
Excellent crossfunctional communication and collaboration.
Ability tooperateeffectively in fastpaced latestage development environments.
Scientific curiosity ownership mindset and willingness to support manufacturing operations.
The annual base pay for this position ranges from $138K to $207K. Our positions offer eligibility for multiple incentives an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs paid time off (i.e. vacation holiday and leaves) as well as health dental and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.
# Hybrid # Cell Therapy
Date Posted
10-Aug-2026Closing Date
30-Aug-2026Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and furtherance of that mission we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation please complete the corresponding section in the application form.
Required Experience:
Director
About Company
AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer. AstraZeneca will consider all qualified applicants for employment without discrimination on grounds of disability, sex or sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity leave status, race or national or ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, ... View more