King's College London

About us

​​​​The King’s College London Gene Therapy Vector Facility (GTVF) provides comprehensive GMP-grade viral vector manufacturing services. This includes Lentiviral Vector (LV), Retroviral Vector (RV) and Adeno-Associated Viral Vector (AAV) production for early-phase clinical trials, alongside substantial programmes in process innovation, knowledge transfer and training to address critical skills shortages.

In partnership with the Network of Innovation Hubs, our vision is to ensure that the UK capitalises on its outstanding academic medical research to deliver novel gene therapies to patients, providing transformative treatments for currently intractable conditions, and generating a vibrant economic landscape.

The GTVF is run by a large, industry-leading team of >50 people who have extensive experience in delivering end-to-end viral vector manufacture for both academic and commercial clients, with a focus on early-stage clinical trials.  Please note this is a full-time lab-based position.

About the role

The Cell and Gene Therapy, King's (CGT-K) group manufactures a variety of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) and starting materials, in state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities for treatment of cancer and rare diseases. This post supports the translation of cutting-edge medical research into clinical application. The position is based in a team with an excellent track record in both basic and translational research.

The Quality Control Scientist will be responsible for the carrying out in-house quality control (QC) testing of cell and gene therapy products manufactured by CGT-K group for clinical trials or as starting materials for use in the further manufacturing of ATMPs. Assays will include but not be limited to; flow cytometry-based assays, cell proliferation assays, protein assays and western blots and molecular based methods e.g., qPCR. The role holder will also support the development, validation and establishment of a broad range of state-of-the-art new in-house QC assays and will work with external collaborators on the technical transfer of QC assays into the CGT-K group. The QC Scientist will be responsible for maintaining an inventory of QC samples and will assist with the sending QC samples to external laboratories for testing and ensuring the testing results are received in a timely manner.

The role holder will also play a critical role in conducting immune monitoring studies as part of in-house early phase clinical trials of cell-based immunotherapies.

Testing of in-coming materials and participating in the routine environmental monitoring of the GMP facilities will also form part of the day-to-day activities of the role.

The work carried out by the QC Scientist must be undertaken in compliance with regulatory requirements and quality standards including those of ICH, ISO, GMP and Good Laboratory Practice.

The Quality Control Scientist will be an integral member of the QC team and work with team members across the whole of the Cell and Gene Therapy group including R&D, Production, Technical and Quality Assurance.  The QC Scientist will be responsible to the Head of Quality Control.

This position provides an opportunity to develop a good understanding of a wide range of cell and gene therapy product analytical assays and QC testing within the medicines manufacturing field. The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Please note this is a full-time lab-based position.

This is a full-time (35 hours per week) post, offered on an indefinite contract

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience: 

Essential criteria 

1.      ​Degree in one of the Biological Sciences or related discipline.  

2.      ​Knowledge and understanding of a wide range of analytical assays including Enzyme-linked- Immunosorbent-Assay (ELISA), Protein Assays, Cell-based Flow Cytometry and qPCR. 

3.      ​Demonstrated Quality Control (QC) experience (sample preparation, sample analysis/testing, data entry and review). 

4.      ​On-hands laboratory-based experience of Flow Cytometry, qPCR, mammalian cell culture. 

5.      ​Ability to prioritise workloads in response to changing demands and requirements. Able to take initiative and work without direct supervision. 

6.      ​Experience of working to GMP or Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) in an academic setting biotechnology/pharmaceutical company or Hospital. Ability to follow detailed written standard operation procedures and verbal instructions.  Good attention to detail 

Desirable criteria

1.      ​Ability to write unambiguous comprehensive experimental protocols.  

2.      ​Hands-on experience of microbiological environmental monitoring   

Downloading a copy of our Job Description 

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. 

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.