Process Development Associate - Career Profile |
Career OverviewA process development associate works closely with the manufacturing and development teams and engineers to assist in determining the best possible methods to optimize and enhance the production in the biotech facility.
The process development associate will actually help establish and implement the recommendations of the engineers and team members and may assist in educating and training other employees as to the correct methods and procedures to optimize the production line.
The process development associate can also assist with troubleshooting problems and issues both in the packaging and production areas as well as keeping records and requested data. The process development associate will also work closely with the manufacturing engineer and biochemical development engineer to determine the most cost effective size and scale for the production and packaging of the various biotech products.
The process development associate must have a good understanding of production, distribution and packaging as well as excellent organizational and time management skills. They should be effective team members and good communicators in both oral and written forms.
The process development associate may be required to work closely with other employees and to teach them new techniques and procedures so interpersonal skills as well as subject area knowledge are important.
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Career RequirementsA process development associate position requires a Bachelors level degree in a science related field as well as experience working in a biotech production or packaging industry or facility. The process development associate will need to have good research skills and should be familiar with the various databases and computer software needed to accurately report production efficiency.
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Job OutlookThe increasing number of pharmaceutical plants and biotech industry facilities around the world has created a steady increase in the number of biotech jobs on the market. Since process development associate positions are often an entry level position for many individuals the turn over rate is fairly high, creating a constant demand for qualified individuals.
The United States Department of Labor indicates that all biotech jobs will continue to rise steadily at least until the year 2014, if not beyond. Since a process development associate works with increasing the automation of the various production lines it is estimate that these jobs will continue to increase at a slightly higher rate than other jobs in the biotechnology sector.
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Career TrackProcess development associates with more than two to five years of experience are often placed in supervisory roles over new employees in production and packaging areas. The opportunity to continue with education and move into management or even teaching positions with a Masters or higher level of education in a biotechnology field is one option.
Many process development associates move into engineering and work as manufacturing engineers, product development engineers or biochemical development engineers within production facilities.
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CompensationProcess development associates with at least a Bachelors level education and two years of experience will earn between $38,000 and $44,000 per year. Those process development associates with several years experience often earn in excess of $76,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on the facility and the responsibilities of the job.
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