Denali Therapeutics

Principal Scientist, Commercial & Late-Stage Cell Culture Process Development

Denali Therapeutics$159K — $207K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • PhD in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related scientific discipline with 10+ years of relevant experience.
  • Strong background in commercial process support and technology transfers.
  • Experience managing post-approval changes as a technical subject matter expert (SME).
  • Proficiency in reviewing batch records and supporting deviation investigations.
  • Demonstrated ability in cross-functional teams and collaboration with Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs).
  • Extensive experience in process characterization, design of experiments, and analytical techniques.
  • In-depth knowledge of CHO-based fed-batch processes and scaling principles.

Responsibilities

  • Lead upstream cell culture technical operations for commercial manufacturing.
  • Support lifecycle management activities for existing commercial products.
  • Ensure technical continuity across internal and external manufacturing sites.
  • Conduct small-scale process development studies for large-scale decisions and root-cause investigations.
  • Create and maintain technical risk assessments and process history files.
  • Apply best practices to support incoming late-stage process development and commercial programs.
  • Contribute to the standardization of lifecycle management practices.

Benefits

  • 401k plan with employer matching
  • Comprehensive healthcare coverage
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
  • Additional benefits and perks as part of a competitive total rewards package
Full Job Description
This position is responsible for driving upstream technical activities for commercial and late-stage process development for Denali’s commercial and near-commercial biologics portfolio. Key Accountabilities/ Core Job Responsibilities: • Serve as upstream cell culture technical lead for commercial manufacturing including continued process verification, investigations, deviation support, and cross-site alignment. • Support lifecycle management activities for commercial products, including process improvements, tech transfer validation activities, local and cross-site change management, regulatory filing updates (CBE, PAS, Ex-US expansion), and responses to health authority questions. • Drive technical continuity and alignment across CDMO and internal manufacturing sites by ensuring process understanding, lessons learned and ensuring technical decisions are consistently captured and applied. • Design, oversee, and interpret small-scale process development studies that inform large-scale manufacturing decisions, support root-cause investigations, and enable lifecycle improvements. • Build and maintain technical risk assessments (e.g., FMEA) and process history files to support robust commercial manufacturing and future late-stage programs. • Support the incoming late-stage process development pipeline and commercial programs by applying best practices, platform knowledge, and prior manufacturing experience while contributing to standardization of lifecycle management practices. Qualifications/Skills: • Typically requires a PhD in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related scientific discipline, plus 10+ years of related work experience. • Strong experience with commercial process support and technology transfers, upstream cell culture characterization, and process validation.  • Experience managing post-approval changes as a technical SME in collaboration with manufacturing site, regulatory, supply chain and quality. • Experience reviewing batch records, supporting deviation investigations and assessing process performance during manufacturing campaigns. • Proven track record of representing bioprocess functions in cross-functional teams and working effectively with CDMOs. • Broad experience in process characterization, design of experiments and analytics. • Experience developing upstream cell culture processes to support early or late-stage clinical production. • In-depth understanding of CHO-based fed-batch processes, scale-up/scale-down principles and statistical tools. • Excellent critical thinking, scientific problem-solving and communication skills • Familiarity with BLA authoring and post-approval regulatory support is preferred Salary Range: $159,000.00 to $207,000.00 .  Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Denali offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k, healthcare coverage, ESPP and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at https://www.denalitherapeutics.com/careers This compensation and benefits information is based on Denali’s good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.

About Denali Therapeutics

Denali Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. The company's pipeline includes treatments for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Denali Therapeutics uses a proprietary technology platform to develop drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier, which is a major challenge in treating neurological disorders. The company was founded by a team of scientists with extensive experience in drug development and neuroscience research.
Learn more about Denali Therapeutics
Size
380 employees
Market Cap
$3.7 billion
Industry
Net Income
$71.1 million
Founded
2015
Revenue
$335.6 million
NASDAQ

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