Role Summary

The Senior Principal Scientist serves as an Upstream Process Development Group Leader within Bioprocess R&D in Andover, MA. The role leads scientists and engineers while providing sustained scientific and organizational leadership across a broader portfolio, cross-site, or enterprise scope. The Group Leader shapes strategy beyond the immediate group, influences major cross-functional decisions, develops other leaders, and establishes capabilities adopted more broadly across the organization.

The role connects cell-culture and seed-train development, media and feed strategy, bioreactor development, process characterization, scale-up, and technology transfer with high-throughput experimentation, automation, advanced analytics, and model-informed development. Success requires recognized judgment in ambiguous, high-impact situations and the ability to translate emerging scientific and digital capabilities into organization-wide value.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of scientists and engineers while building leadership depth and succession capability across the upstream organization.
• Shape priorities, resource choices, and scientific direction across a broader portfolio; resolve competing demands and align group, cross-functional, and cross-site outcomes.
• Provide recognized scientific leadership for the design, optimization, scale-up, characterization, and transfer of complex or precedent-setting upstream processes, particularly where decisions are ambiguous or high impact.
• Shape strategy across Bioprocess R&D, project leadership, analytical functions, pilot facilities, manufacturing, regulatory, quality, digital disciplines, and external organizations; influence major cross-functional and cross-site decisions.
• Set direction for data-rich and model-informed development across multiple groups or programs, establishing how statistical, mechanistic, machine-learning, and other computational approaches are used to improve decisions.
• Sponsor and scale automation of experimentation, data capture, analysis, and routine workflows; remove organizational barriers and ensure solutions become sustainable shared capabilities.
• Establish expectations for structured, contextualized, reusable process data and align scientific, automation, data science, modeling, and digital partners around advanced analytics and future AI applications.
• Provide strategic leadership for high-risk or high-value technology transfers and manufacturing-readiness decisions across internal and external networks.
• Define and advance broader upstream innovation strategy, translating emerging experimental, automation, measurement, digital, modeling, and AI-enabled approaches into capabilities adopted across groups or sites.
• Provide authoritative scientific rationale and technical leadership for significant regulatory submissions, responses, technical positions, development plans, and senior-management decisions.
• Set and model high standards for scientific rigor, data integrity, documentation, safety, inclusion, collaboration, compliance, and continuous improvement across the organization.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree with 12+ years, or a Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in mammalian upstream bioprocess development, including scalable process development, bioreactor operation, media and feed optimization, and relationships among process conditions, productivity, and product quality.
• Strong knowledge of cell physiology, mass transfer, mixing, gas delivery, metabolite control, scale-up and scale-down, process characterization, technology transfer, and pilot, clinical, or commercial manufacturing support.
• Demonstrated use of quantitative methods, statistical experimental design, multivariate analysis, and mechanistic or data-driven modeling to guide process-development decisions.
• Experience with laboratory automation, high-throughput experimentation, advanced monitoring, machine learning, or digitally enabled development workflows, with the ability to partner effectively with specialists in these areas.
• Working knowledge of applicable GMP, CMC, quality-by-design, quality-risk-management, and biotechnology regulatory expectations, including experience contributing to regulatory and technical documentation.
• Sustained people and organizational leadership, exceptional scientific judgment in ambiguous situations, enterprise-level influence, change leadership, and effective communication with senior leaders and broad technical audiences.

Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.

Level Expectations

Operates with sustained impact beyond the immediate group. Shapes scientific and technology strategy, influences major cross-functional or cross-site decisions, establishes capabilities adopted broadly, develops other leaders, and is recognized for judgment in ambiguous, high-impact upstream or digitally enabled scientific challenges.

Organizational Relationships and Resources

Builds alignment across upstream and downstream process development, analytical and cell-line development, formulation, project and portfolio leadership, pilot operations, manufacturing, regulatory, quality, automation, digital, data science, modeling, and external partners. The role supervises scientists and engineers and provides matrix leadership across larger portfolio, technology, or transformation efforts. Financial accountability is assigned based on program, laboratory, and technology responsibilities.

Work Environment and Travel

Work is performed in development laboratories, offices, and pilot or manufacturing environments. Travel may be required to company sites and external partners to support collaboration, scale-up, technology transfer, manufacturing, and commercial readiness.

Work Location Assignment: On Premise

Last day to apply : November 17th 2026

 

 

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $124,400.00 to $207,400.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 17.5% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

 

 

 

 

EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status.  Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA.  Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.  This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

Pfizer endeavors to make www.pfizer.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com. This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.

 

 

To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers.

 

 

Research and Development