Job Title: Associate Scientist, Pilot

Location: Toulouse
Department: Pilot, P&PD
Reports To: Sr. Manager, Pilot

We’re excited to share this opportunity is part of the Sandoz acquisition of Just-Evotec Biologics in Toulouse. Through this opportunity you will impact the lives of hundreds of millions of people through bold ideas supported by an inclusive, agile company culture. Join us to help make healthcare fairer and faster, help us to pioneer access to medicine! Click to learn more.

What You’ll Do:

• Support pilot-scale operations bridging process development and manufacturing, including the execution of 50 L bioreactor runs and associated downstream purification processes for engineering batches and material generation.

• Assist in the setup, calibration, and operation of pilot-scale bioreactors, control systems, and related equipment (media prep systems, pumps, harvest systems, filtration units).

• Prepare, assemble, and autoclave single-use and stainless-steel bioprocess components (bioreactor parts, chromatography skids, filters, tubing assemblies).

• Participate in upstream inoculation, sampling, monitoring, and downstream unit operations such as depth filtration, chromatography, and UF/DF.

• Maintain, clean, and troubleshoot pilot-scale instruments, ensuring equipment readiness and adherence to safety and quality standards.

• Support process transfer activities by executing engineering studies, collecting process data, and documenting results according to established protocols.

• Accurately record process parameters, observations, and results in electronic lab notebooks and batch records, ensuring data integrity and traceability.

• Assist in the preparation of process documentation including SOPs, protocols, and summary reports under supervision.

• Collaborate with process development, analytical, and manufacturing teams to ensure smooth execution of pilot-scale activities.

• Participate in troubleshooting and process improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, consistency, and scalability.

• Maintain an organized and compliant workspace and adhere to all EHS and biosafety requirements.

• Weekend or off-hour work will be required during extended pilot runs.

Your profile:

• Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, or related field with relevant hands-on experience in upstream and/or downstream bioprocessing.

• Proficiency in both verbal and written English is essential.

• Hands-on experience with bioreactor operations (bench or pilot scale) and chromatography or filtration systems.

• Strong attention to detail, documentation discipline, and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks in a dynamic environment.

• Eager to learn scale-up concepts and cross-functional process integration between development and manufacturing.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with process control and data acquisition software is a plus.

• Team-oriented, proactive, and motivated to work in a collaborative, fast-paced pilot plant environment.

Pluses

• Experience with AKTA, TFF systems, single-use bioreactors, or process automation platforms.

• Knowledge of scale-up principles and technology transfer concepts.

• Familiarity with buffer/media preparation, aseptic techniques, and cleanroom practices.

• General understanding of mammalian cell culture, protein chemistry, and unit operations in bioprocessing.

• Exposure to GMP or regulated biomanufacturing environments.

Why Sandoz?

Generic and Biosimilar medicines are the backbone of the global medicines industry. Sandoz, a leader in this sector, touched the lives of almost 500 million patients last year and while we are proud of this achiev