Senior Scientist – Microbial Upstream Process Development

About the role

SRG is looking for a Senior Scientist with proven experience in microbial upstream process development to join its growing bioprocessing team in Darlington. The role provides technical leadership on customer‑facing biologics projects, focusing on design, optimisation and scale‑up of microbial production processes.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, optimisation and scale‑up of microbial upstream processes for recombinant proteins, antibodies and other therapeutic molecules.
• Act as the technical lead for small‑ to medium‑sized development projects, coordinating scientific, project‑management and commercial activities.
• Develop and scale bioprocesses from high‑throughput screening through laboratory and pilot‑scale bioreactors.
• Apply experimental design and statistical methods to optimise processes and translate data into practical solutions.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for customers and collaborators, presenting data and building strong stakeholder relationships.
• Contribute technical expertise to proposal development and business‑development activities.

Required profile

• Significant experience in microbial upstream process development and scale‑up.
• Strong expertise in microbial fermentation, strain development and bioreactor operation.
• Ability to work across functions and engage confidently with external stakeholders.
• Proven track record of technical project leadership without line‑management responsibilities.

Required skills

• Microbial fermentation
• Strain development
• Bioreactor operation (lab and pilot scale)
• Experimental design
• Statistical analysis
• Data evaluation and interpretation
• Process scale‑up
• High‑throughput screening systems