Cell Line Development Scientist
| Posting date: | 11 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 25 March 2026 |
| Location: | Slough, Berkshire, SL1 3WE |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Hays Specialist Recruitment |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 4778804_1773245118 |
Summary
Your new company
You'll be joining a well-established global biopharmaceutical organisation advancing next‑generation antibody and therapeutic technologies. You'll be part of an innovative team focused on developing high‑quality, manufacturable mammalian cell lines.
Your new role
You'll be joining an experienced team who drive a lot of the mammalian cell line development behind the company's entire portfolio, where you will contribute to the creation and optimisation of stable host cell lines to support therapeutic manufacturing.
This is initially a 12 month contract that is likely to extend to at least 18 months and potentially run for 2 years.
The role will mainly involve working regular hours Monday-Friday but there may be occasional weekend work.
Key responsibilities include:
- Establishing, developing, and optimising stable mammalian cell lines for protein and antibody expression
- Working extensively with CHO cells, while applying experience with other mammalian lines where relevant
- Ensuring host systems meet manufacturing and molecule‑format requirements, with documentation aligned to high‑quality standards
- Applying and supporting cell engineering methods (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9) where needed
- Analysing expression and engineering data to support decision‑making
- Maintaining high‑quality documentation, reports, and records
- Collaborating across molecular biology and engineering teams to drive successful outcomes
- Communicating progress, challenges, and solutions to multidisciplinary stakeholders
What you'll need to succeed
A strong candidate will bring hands‑on experience with cell line development for manufacturing and a keen eye for scientific detail and also have:
- Strong experience of generating stable mammalian cell lines, ideally for antibody production
- Strong preference for candidates with CHO cell experience; experience with other cell lines (eg HEK) also considered
- Experience with cell engineering technologies (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9) is beneficial but not essential
- Proficiency in molecular biology techniques such as cloning, ddPCR, and plasmid construction
- Hands‑on experience with flow cytometry / FACS and/or cloning workflows
- Excellent documentation, organisational, and scientific writing skills
- Strong communication abilities and experience working cross‑functionally
- Familiarity with lab IT systems and molecular biology software (e.g., SnapGene, Geneious)
What you'll get in return
You'll have the opportunity to impact the production of the company's therapeutics across a significant majority of their portfolio, working within a collaborative and friendly team with plenty of opportunities for professional development and training.
What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.
Keywords: CHO, Mammalian, Cell, Line, Development, Scientist, Expression, Antibody, Protein, Stable, Clonal, Engineering, CRISPR, Cas9, Genome, Cloning, Plasmid, ddPCR, Cytometry, FACS, Culture, Biotech, Fermentation, Molecular, Biology, Manufacturing, Host, Screening, Optimisation, Therapeutics, pharmaceutical, research