Senior Scientist, Analytical Development

Join our Mission to Protect Humankind! Vaxcyte is a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases, which have serious and costly health consequences when left unchecked. Working to eradicate or treat bacterial infections such as invasive pneumococcal disease, Group A Strep, and Shigella is just the beginning. Our path to success is clear and well-defined, and Vaxcyte is set up to go the distance. WHAT we do is every bit as important as HOW we do it! Our work together is guided by four enduring core values: *RETHINK CONVENTION: We bring creative and intellectual diversity to every facet of the work we do in order to innovate and re-innovate the way vaccines are delivered. *AIM HIGH: We embody our collectively audacious goal to courageously make the most complex biologics ever attempted to protect humankind. *LEAD WITH HEART: Everyone leads at Vaxcyte with a kindness-first, inclusive approach to collaboration and vigorous debate that advances our business objectives. *MODEL EXCELLENCE: The magnitude of our challenge requires our shared commitment to demonstrating integrity, accountability, equality and clarity across communications and decision making. Summary: Vaxcyte has an exciting opportunity for an energetic and talented individual to join our Analytical Development team. The Senior Scientist, Analytical Development, is responsible for leading analytical method development activities for biologics/vaccine development programs. This role designs and drives method development, performs and oversees routine and non-routine analytical assays using modern analytical techniques, and leads method optimization, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement initiatives with minimal supervision, including mentoring and technical guidance to junior team members. The position requires demonstrated hands-on laboratory experience, deep technical expertise, and strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to independently plan and execute work, interpret complex data, and drive investigations to root cause and resolution. This role also authors, reviews, and maintains high-quality technical documentation, including method protocols, method development reports, qualification documentation, SOPs, and clear technical summaries that communicate experimental findings and conclusions to internal and external stakeholders. Essential Functions: Method Development & Troubleshooting • Provide technical leadership and strategic direction for method development, optimization and qualification/validation readiness. • Define development strategies and experimental roadmaps, identify critical method attributes, set robustness/qualification approaches, and drive alignment with program and regulatory expectations. • Lead complex troubleshooting and investigations across assays and instrumentation; establish root-cause and preventive controls, and mentor others in problem-solving. • Lead authorship and review of methods, SOPs, protocols, and technical reports; set documentation standards and ensure consistency and readiness for audits/inspections. Team Collaboration • Serve as a cross-functional technical leader, aligning analytical strategy with program objectives and driving execution against key milestones and deliverables. • Proactively identify, communicate, and manage technical risks and resourcing constraints, influence decision-making with clear options, tradeoffs, and recommendations. • Champion a culture of scientific excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement; establish best practices and drive adoption across the team. • Lead capability building through mentoring, training programs, and coaching; develop team members’ technica