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Downstream Process Development Scientist 12-month maternity cover | Darlington | £32,500 – £40,500 per annum + attractive benefits About the Role: We are seeking a hands-on Downstream Process Development Scientist to join a bioprocessing team in Darlington on a 12-month maternity cover. This is a practical, lab-based role focused on the design, development, and optimisation of downstream purification processes for advanced biologics. You will play a key role in delivering DSP activities across a range of modalities, including viral vectors and nucleic acid-based products, in a fast-moving and highly experimental environment. Reporting into the DSP leadership team, you will be expected to hit the ground running in the lab — running experiments, solving problems, and adapting processes, as projects evolve. This role suits someone who enjoys flexibility and scientific creativity rather than rigid, highly constrained environments. The role is based on-site in Darlington, working as part of an established DSP team of approximately 11 scientists. What You’ll Be Responsible For: Downstream Process Development • Design, develop, and optimise downstream purification processes for biopharmaceutical products, • Carry out hands-on laboratory experimentation and pilot-scale DSP runs, • Apply chromatography and filtration techniques to improve yield, purity, and robustness Chromatography & Filtration • Operate and develop chromatography methods using ÄKTA systems, • Design and optimise chromatographic purification strategies, • Apply tangential flow filtration (TFF) and related DSP technologies Analytical & Data Interpretation • Analyse and interpret experimental data using appropriate techniques, • Maintain high-quality experimental records using ELN and document management systems, • Present experimental conclusions clearly for internal and external stakeholders Collaboration & Laboratory Operations • Work closely with upstream, analytical, and project teams to deliver customer programmes, • Contribute to the efficient operation of the DSP laboratory, including equipment care and maintenance, • Support scale-up, knowledge transfer, and process troubleshooting activities About You: You are a practical downstream processing scientist who enjoys being in the lab and is comfortable working in an evolving, sometimes ambiguous research and development environment. You bring curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to try different approaches — and you’re not phased by processes that aren’t fully defined from day one. You’ll bring: • Hands-on experience in downstream processing gained in industry or academia, • Strong, practical experience using ÄKTA chromatography systems, • Experience designing and optimising chromatography-based purification processes, • Familiarity with purification techniques including primary separation, clarification and TFF, • Flexibility to adjust working hours around experimental needs Desirable (but not essential): • Experience working with a variety of recombinant proteins, viral vectors, DNA/RNA-based products, • Experience in early-stage, development-focused or non-rigid GMP environments Applicants from academia are welcome, provided you have strong hands-on ÄKTA and purification experience. Why Join? • A genuinely hands-on laboratory role with real scientific ownership, • Exposure to emerging modalities and advanced bioprocessing technologies, • A collaborative team that values experimentation and problem-solving, • Opportunity for the role to convert to permanent, • Competitive salary (£32.5k–£40.5k) Location & Working Pattern • Based on-site in Darlington, • Flexible working hours aligned to experimental requirements

Salary: Up to 40,000 depending on experience, plus competitive packageWork hours: Office Hours Monday to Friday, Full Time ABOUT THE ROLE To be part of an exciting collaboration between Northumbria University and Identity Consult, we are looking for self-motivated and innovative Software Engineering Associate who is passionate about developing impactful digital solutions and working at the intersection of academia and industry. The ideal candidate will hold a degree in software engineering or design (preferably at postgraduate level) and bring strong software and database development skills, combined with the ability to manage their own work and deliver high-quality outcomes to deadlines. They will be curious, adaptable, and enthusiastic about technology, with an interest in applying their expertise to real-world challenges within an industry setting in this case the built environment. Experience with agile development, UX/UI design, data structures, and data visualisation would be highly beneficial, alongside an ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams and communicate complex ideas through clear reports and publications. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates who enjoy problem-solving, learning new tools and concepts quickly, and building productive relationships between academic researchers, industry partners, and wider stakeholders to deliver meaningful innovation. You will be delivering an ambitious innovation project to develop a sector-leading multi-modal platform that integrates proprietary carbon and cost data into a centralised, client-facing system. The project will demand enhanced expertise in software development, database architecture, carbon-cost modelling, and user design. Critical supporting capabilities include data governance, cybersecurity, and AI-driven analytics for managing proprietary datasets and extracting new value. You will be joining Identity Consult, an award winning, independent development and construction consultancy who deliver innovation to the built environment, working with them at their base in Quay West Business Village in Sunderland. You will lead a transformation project a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). Based at Identity Consult, you will also work with an academic team from Northumbria University. The opportunities available to you: • Leading and delivering a challenging and strategic R&D project on decarbonisation of the Built Environmentthat directly impacts the business and their clients, • Support from an academic team with specialist knowledge and experience relevant to the project, • Potential to be retained in a permanent position within the company at the end of the project Start date: estimating August 2026 (to be agreed) Contract duration: 18 months Interview date: The interview will take place approximately 2-3 weeks after the application closing date ABOUT THE TEAM Please note that this job is located at the company premises inQuay West Business Village in Sunderland. Sunderland is a vibrant place to work and is currently undergoing an ambitious 2billion investment, development and urban regeneration programme. Riverside Sunderland's ten-year growth plan, adjacent to Quay West Business Village, is now well underway, aiming to boost the business, tourist and cultural economies, whilst helping to improve, reimagine and build attractive and sustainable homes and communities for generations to come. More information can be found here: Findout more about Identity Consult at the following link: Find out more about the School of Architecture and Built Environmentat Northumbria University at the following link: To arrange an informal phone conversation with one of the project team, please contact: Dr Kevin Muldoon-Smith: To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now ', and submit a covering letter, CV including research /education statements, and publications list. ABOUT US Join Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's___in 2022 and___in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power.Discover more___. With over 37,000 students from 140+ countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and___. Our Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behavioursshape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation and offer flexible hours and location where the role allows. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holdingnumerousawards for gender and race equality, disability confidence, and research excellence.We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the___initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process. Apply now and join a community committed to transforming society and the economy.Explore "" page to learn more about our commitments and seeour___for further details