Research Associate, Process Development (I,II,III)

Cellares

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South San Francisco, CA on site Until 8/21/2026 0+ years exp H-1B sponsor history First posted June 13, 2026 Last posted June 13, 2026
Job description

Position Summary

Cellares is seeking an innovative and highly motivated Research Associate to join the Process Development team. This individual will interface across many parts of the company and contribute significantly to the development of our advanced cell therapy manufacturing platform.  

The primary focus of this position is to support the design and execution of experiments, as well as development of standard processes using the Cellares platform. The ideal candidate will be multidisciplinary and have hands-on experience in process development. 

Candidates should also enjoy working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment, and be prepared to tackle a broad selection of challenges as the company grows.

Responsibilities

  • Under supervision of scientists, the candidate is expected to provide hands-on support to small-scale and scale-up experiments and overall development of the Cellares advanced cell therapy manufacturing platform 

  • Support cell line maintenance and leukopak processing, including isolation, activation, gene modification, expansion and cryopreservation

  • Contribute to high-quality technical documents, procedures, reports

  • Contribute to analysis and presentation of technical results at departmental meetings

  • Support technology characterization experiments informing internal equipment and consumables performance evaluation

  • Perform routine laboratory activities including ordering and equipment qualification/maintenance

Requirements

  • BS/MS or equivalent in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry, or related field

  • 0-4 years of process development or cGMP manufacturing experience in the cell therapy or bioprocessing field

  • Hands-on experience in aseptic technique; experience in primary immune cell culture or bioreactors preferred

  • Hands-on experience with semi-automated instruments for cell therapy manufacturing

  • Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail

  • Strong technical writing skills and experience authoring SOPs and reports

  • Creative, self-motivated, eager to take on a wide variety of tasks and grow with evolving technology

  • Self-awareness, integrity, authenticity, and a growth mindset

This is Cellares

Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) and takes an Industry 4.0 approach to mass manufacturing the living drugs of the 21st century. The company is both developing and operating integrated technologies for cell therapy manufacturing to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies. The company’s Cell Shuttle integrates all the technologies required for the entire manufacturing process in a flexible and high-throughput platform that delivers true walk-away, end-to-end automation. Cell Shuttles will be deployed in Cellares’ Smart Factories around the world to meet total patient demand for cell therapies at global scale. Partnering with Cellares enables academics, biotechs, and pharma companies to accelerate drug development and scale out manufacturing, lower process failure rates, lower manufacturing costs, and meet global patient demand.
The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California with its commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The company is backed by world-class investors and has raised over $355 million in financing.

Leveling will be based on overall experience, education, and demonstration of knowledge throughout the interview process.

Compensation (from employer):
20–50 USD per-hour-wage

About this role

Summary

Support cell therapy process development, experiments, documentation, and routine lab activities

Job title

Research Associate, Process Development (I,II,III)

Experience level

0-4 years

Minimum experience

0+ years exp

Industry

biotech

Location requirements

South San Francisco, CA; no remote work allowed

Salary

20–50 USD per-hour-wage

Visa sponsorship

H-1B sponsor history

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

BS/MS in bioengineering, chemical engineering, biology, biochemistryprocess development experienceaseptic techniquecell culturebioreactors

Preferred skills

primary immune cell culturesemi-automated instrumentstechnical writing

Specializations

cell therapyprocess developmentbioprocessingcGMP aseptic technique
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

South San Francisco, CA, USA

On-site City