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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Industrial Biologist

💰 $60,000 - $120,000 per year

Industrial BiotechnologyBioprocessingBiomanufacturingBiologyLife Sciences

🎯 Role Definition

The Industrial Biologist is a scientist working in biotechnology, manufacturing, process development or industrial research settings who applies biological and biochemical methods to design, optimise and scale processes, products or systems. You will integrate biological science with engineering and manufacturing, support pilot and production operations, drive quality and regulatory compliance, collaborate cross‑functionally across R&D, manufacturing, QA/QC and supply chain, and deliver data‑driven improvements. The role suits an individual with laboratory experience, process understanding, strong analytical skills, and comfort navigating manufacturing or industrial environments.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Biologist or Biotechnology Associate in R&D
  • Process Development Technician – Bioprocessing
  • Quality Control / Analytical Biologist – Industrial Setting

Advancement To:

  • Senior Industrial Biologist or Process Development Scientist
  • Lead Bioprocess Scientist, Manufacturing Scientist – Biotechnology/Pharma
  • Manager, Industrial Biosciences / Production Biology

Lateral Moves:

  • Bioprocess Engineer
  • Analytical Scientist – Biomanufacturing
  • Quality Assurance Specialist – Biologics Production

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  1. Design, execute and document biological and biochemical experiments to support product/process development in an industrial manufacturing context—e.g., strain improvement, fermentation optimisation, enzyme‑process integration.
  2. Develop and optimise cell‑culture, microbial fermentation or enzyme‑catalysis systems for scale‑up, ensuring biological systems meet performance, yield and quality criteria.
  3. Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to transfer laboratory‑scale biological processes into pilot or full‑scale production, monitor performance, and troubleshoot scale‑up issues.
  4. Develop and maintain SOPs, work instructions and process documentation for biological operations in line with GMP, GLP or industrial quality standards.
  5. Perform and interpret analytical testing of biological systems, monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as yield, productivity, contamination rates, and propose improvements.
  6. Manage biological sample inventory including cell stocks, microbial cultures, enzyme preparations, reagents and consumables, ensuring traceability, quality and compliance.
  7. Coordinate with QA/QC, regulatory, and validation teams to ensure biological processes meet compliance requirements and pass audits or inspections.
  8. Use data science, statistical tools and process monitoring systems to analyse biological process performance, identify trends, root causes of issues and implement corrective actions.
  9. Work on cross‑functional projects involving R&D, manufacturing, supply chain and product development to integrate biological solutions into product pipelines or manufacturing flows.
  10. Maintain and optimise laboratory instrumentation and bioprocess equipment (e.g., bioreactors, fermenters, chromatography systems) including calibration, maintenance logs and operator training.
  11. Facilitate technical transfer of biological processes from R&D to production—prepare documentation, train operators and support initial production runs.
  12. Conduct risk assessments, hazard analyses, biosafety evaluations and environmental monitoring for biological operations in an industrial setting.
  13. Lead (or support) method development and validation for biological assays, microbial testing or fermentation analytics, including documentation of performance, process control and reproducibility.
  14. Oversee continuous improvement initiatives—lean manufacturing, 5S practices, process capability improvements and reduction of downtime in biological operations.
  15. Provide mentoring or training to junior biologists, technicians or operators on biological techniques, process controls and manufacturing best practices.
  16. Prepare technical reports, presentations and documentation of biological process results, performance improvements or deviations, to communicate to stakeholders and leadership.
  17. Stay current with advances in industrial biotechnology, biosciences, bioprocess tools and regulatory requirements, and advise on adoption of new technologies or methodologies.
  18. Support pilot plant operations, sample collection, process monitoring, scale‑up trials and ensure safe execution of biological manufacturing activities.
  19. Interface with external vendors, contract research organisations (CROs), equipment suppliers or partners to evaluate biological technologies, negotiate specifications and manage technical scopes.
  20. Collaborate with supply‑chain, quality and regulatory teams to support product release, stability testing, microbial control strategies and biologics manufacturing lifecycle management.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad‑hoc data requests and exploratory analysis of biological process data or operational metrics to inform decision‑making and process roadmap.
  • Contribute to the organisation’s industrial biosciences strategy and roadmap, identifying future technology needs, and collaborating with engineering or product teams to translate biology requirements into manufacturing features.
  • Participate in cross‑functional agile teams or sprint planning when biological process development is aligned with product delivery or manufacturing milestones.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expertise in bioprocess development: fermentation, cell culture, enzyme catalysis, microbial cultures, scale‑up biology.
  • Proficiency in analytical techniques and instrumentation common in industrial biology and manufacturing (e.g., chromatography, spectroscopy, microbial assays, bioreactor operation).
  • Strong experience with process transfer, scale‑up, pilot plant biology and manufacturing support.
  • Familiarity with GMP, GLP, environmental health & safety (EHS), biosafety and quality systems relevant to industrial biological operations.
  • Skilled in statistical data analysis, process monitoring, KPI tracking, root‑cause analysis and continuous improvement tools.
  • Competent in technical documentation: SOPs, work instructions, validation protocols, risk assessments, change controls.
  • Ability to operate and maintain laboratory and manufacturing equipment, coordinate instrumentation calibration and service, monitor equipment performance.
  • Proficiency in sample management, inventory control, biological reagent tracking, microbial quality control and traceability.
  • Experience in cross‑functional collaboration: working with engineering, manufacturing, R&D, QA/QC and process teams to integrate biological solutions.
  • Skilled in presenting technical results, preparing reports and working with stakeholders, both internal and external (vendors, CROs, regulators).

Soft Skills

  • Excellent written and verbal communication: able to present complex biological‑engineering concepts to manufacturing, R&D and leadership audiences.
  • Strong organisational and time‑management skills: able to prioritise tasks, manage multiple process development timelines and meet manufacturing deadlines.
  • Analytical and problem‑solving mindset: adept at interpreting process data, identifying issues and implementing improvements.
  • Attention to detail and accuracy: essential when working within regulated manufacturing environments and producing high‑integrity biological data.
  • Team‑oriented and collaborative: comfortable working in multidisciplinary teams across biology, engineering, manufacturing and quality.
  • Adaptable and flexible: capable of responding to evolving production demands, process changes or scale‑up challenges.
  • Mentorship and leadership: able to guide junior team members, motivate colleagues and support knowledge transfer across teams.
  • Strategic thinker: able to align biological operations with broader business goals, identify opportunities for innovation and contribute to manufacturing strategy.
  • Integrity and accountability: committed to regulatory compliance, data integrity and professional ethics in industrial biological operations.
  • Continuous‑learning mindset: eager to stay current with emerging industrial biotechnology trends, manufacturing methods and regulatory requirements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree (or above) in Industrial Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Biotechnology, or related field; experience in manufacturing or process development is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Industrial Biotechnology
  • Bioprocess Engineering
  • Biotechnology
  • Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Chemical Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3‑5 years of experience in industrial biology, manufacturing support, process development or biotechnology operations.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of experience in process development, scale‑up, manufacturing biology, regulatory environments or cross‑functional industrial bioprocess settings.
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