Associate Expert R&D Automation (m/f/d)

Job Description

Become part of a vital chain and contribute to our common goal of making people's lives better. Octapharma is one of the largest human protein manufacturers in the world, developing and producing medicines sourced from human plasma and human cell lines. We are a privately-owned company, where the warmth of family meets the scale of a global organisation.

Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals GmbH with more than 200 employees is a subsidiary of the Octapharma group founded in 1997 and successfully expanding. Our core business is the development of recombinant proteins produced in human cell lines for therapeutic use in humans. We strive for effective treatments with an improved tolerability and convenience for our patients.

Join us in shaping our vision to provide new health solutions advancing human life.

We are looking for an Associate Expert R&D Automation (m/f/d) to join the Automation and Data Management group in the Research & Development Department at Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals. The group is responsible for developing, evaluating and maintaining lab automation processes as well as custom data management solutions across projects within R&D.

The successful candidate will take on a stimulating and multifaceted position in the automation team and will be responsible for operating our state-of-the-art fleet of liquid handlers, supporting other scientific groups within the department.

Tasks will include the supervision and maintenance of automated workflows covering a wide variety of biotechnological and analytical methods, streamlining of these workflows, and facilitating data acquisition and data processing via the in-house data management systems and LIMS. Coordination with the project teams and the identification and implementation of new screening approaches will add another exciting focus to the position.


  • Development, adaptation and maintenance of automated workflows in direct cooperation with scientists from all R&D groups
  • First-line technical support and troubleshooting for in-house automation systems
  • Expansion of the existing systems and technical adaptation to changing requirements
  • Coordination of external maintenance tasks
  • Internal user training for automated systems
  • Documentation of method protocols (non-GxP)
  • Linking automated workflows with in-house data management and LIMS systems


  • M. Sc. in Life Sciences with relevant experience, or comparably qualified early-career professional
  • Cooperative and communicative behavior, especially in an interdisciplinary environment
  • Practical experience with liquid handling platforms (preferably Tecan Freedom EVOware®), including scripting logic; experience with scheduling software (e.g. ThermoFisher Momentum®) is considered a plus
  • Ability and willingness to adapt to changing requirements of automated systems in a dynamic R&D department
  • Programming experience in Python; additional knowledge in VBA or VBS is considered a plus
  • Openness to continuous learning and to developing new screening approaches
  • Experience with data management or LIMS tools is considered a plus
  • Fluent English skills; good German knowledge is considered a plus


  • A permanent position in full-time (40 hrs./week) in a dynamically growing company
  • A modern, "state of the art" working environment
  • Flexible working hours
  • Regular opportunities for further training
  • 30 days vacation
  • Own company restaurant with subsidies
  • Free drinks such as coffee, tea and water
  • Job ticket or parking space for bicycle or car
  • An international team in an international corporate environment
  • A collegial environment with many opportunities for activities

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