Senior Scientist

Senior Scientist, Research & Development

Location: Lincoln, Nebraska (Onsite)

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Flexible core hours)

Salary Range: $79,000 – $123,000 annually depending on directly relevant experience and skills

Reports To: Biological Development Manager

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist to join our Research & Development team in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is a hands‑on, individual contributor role focused on the development, scale‑up, and technical transfer of veterinary biologics for food‑producing animals.

The ideal candidate will bring industry experience in animal health, biologics, vaccines, or related biotechnology fields and possess a strong understanding of biological systems, process development, and manufacturing scale‑up. This position will play a key role in advancing bacterial and viral vaccine programs from early development through commercial manufacturing.

Approximately 50–60% of the role will be laboratory‑based, with the remainder dedicated to project planning, technical documentation, data analysis, and cross‑functional collaboration.

• Lead and execute development activities for bacterial and viral biologics intended for poultry, swine, and cattle applications.
• Design, perform, and troubleshoot laboratory experiments supporting process development, optimization, and scale‑up.
• Support technology transfer activities from R&D into manufacturing environments.
• Develop scalable upstream and downstream processes involving microorganisms, cells, and biological substrates.
• Collaborate closely with Production, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Regulatory Affairs, and Manufacturing teams.
• Generate, analyze, and communicate experimental results to project teams and leadership.
• Author and maintain technical documentation, protocols, reports, batch records, and SOPs.
• Support regulatory submissions and compliance efforts involving FDA and USDA requirements for veterinary biologics.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and scientific problem‑solving across development programs.
• Participate in occasional weekend activities when project timelines or biological processes require support.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or a related life sciences discipline.
• Industry experience in biologics, vaccines, bioprocessing, fermentation, cell culture, or related biotechnology environments.
• Experience working with biological systems such as bacteria, viruses, mammalian cells, microbial cultures, parasites, or other biological substrates.
• Knowledge of process development principles, including scale‑up and technology transfer.
• Strong laboratory troubleshooting, data interpretation, and technical writing skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred

• Experience with in the animal health, veterinary biologics, vaccine, or agricultural biotechnology industries.
• Familiarity with FDA and/or USDA regulatory requirements related to biologics or vaccine manufacturing.
• Experience with fermentation, bioreactors, upstream processing, downstream processing, and manufacturing scale‑up.
• Experience supporting commercial manufacturing or process transfer activities.
• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in a related scientific field.
• Experience working in highly regulated environments.

Beyond technical expertise, we’re looking for someone who:

• Has a strong work ethic and ownership mentality.
• Communicates effectively and collaborates well with diverse teams.
• Thrives in a fast‑paced development environment.
• Is open to giving and receiving constructive feedback.
• Demonstrates scientific curiosity and practical problem‑solving skills.
• Brings a positive attitude and contributes to a strong team culture.

You’ll join a collaborative R&D organization with approximately 45–50 professionals across analytical, clinical, regulatory, and development functions. The Lincoln‑based development team consists of five scientists focused on advancing innovative veterinary biologics that support animal health and food…