Quality Control Manager jobs in Oakland, CA

Kyverna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage cell therapy company with the mission of engineering a new class of therapies for autoimmune diseases. The Kyverna therapeutic platform combines advanced T cell engineering and synthetic biology technologies to suppress and eliminate the autoreactive immune cells at the origin of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Be at the forefront of cell therapy innovation by joining scientists, industry veterans and healthcare visionaries and help transform how autoimmune diseases are treated.

Kyverna is recruiting a highly motivated Senior Manager of Quality Control in its Technical Operations organization to help advance its mission to free patients from the siege of autoimmune disease.  The ideal candidate will contribute to our goals of navigating what is next in synthetic biology, immunology and cell engineering while living our core values: Bring Intellectual Rigor, Elevate Each Other, and Stay True To Why.    

The Senior Manager will be responsible for providing sponsor oversight of CMO QC labs in support of clinical manufacturing, establishment of internal QC processes, and maintenance of the control strategy for investigational products.  

Reporting to the Associate Director, Quality Control, the candidate will: 

• In collaboration with Analytical Development and other groups, support analytical control strategies for Kyverna’s clinical products including ownership of product specifications. 
• Develop and maintain Kyverna’s stability program, including establishment of trend monitoring and statistical evaluation practices. 
• Manage Validation/Qualification of Analytical methods as needed, to support multi-phase clinical trials. 
• Provide subject matter expertise in the investigation of laboratory deviations, out of trend (OOT) and out of specification (OOS) events. 
• Maintain Kyverna’s internal Quality Control data management and review process, and Certificate of Analysis (COA) generation. 
• Support Manufacturing to develop and monitor key performance indicators and risk registry to ensure effective oversight of contract/external laboratories. 
• Ensure QC issues are identified and managed through to resolution in a timely manner and deliverables are met as required. 
• Work with functional leadership to design, implement and maintain Risk Based Quality Management strategies in support of Kyverna’s clinical programs. 
• Support business development due diligence projects as needed to support analysis and assessment of internal/external laboratory capabilities.

• Degree (bachelor's or higher) or equivalent experience in life sciences, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology. 
• 8 years of pharmaceutical manufacturing and/or Quality Assurance experience, with at least 2 years' experience in the field of overseeing cell therapies contract labs preferred. 
• Experience with method transfer from Analytical Development to QC and to/from external labs. 
• Expertise with cGMP analytical requirements, including regulatory regulations and requirements for biopharmaceutical products and ATMPs.
• Demonstrated ability to manage laboratory personnel in a GMP setting, including training, establishment of laboratory procedures, and stability program maintenance. 
• Experience in statistical evaluation of analytical trend data. 
• Deep knowledge and experience in various analytical methods employed for cell therapy products, including flow cytometry, molecular/PCR-based assays, cell-based potency assays, and safety testing. 
• Must be willing to travel periodically, as needed, no more than 25% of the time. 
• Ability to think critically, and demonstrated troubleshooting, problem-solving, and risk assessment skills.
• Strategic thinking and high emotional intelligence. 
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. 
• Ability to function efficiently and independently in a changing environment. 
• Manage and advance multiple projects simultaneously and dynamically reprioritize as needed. 
• Demonstrated capacity to think creatively when addressing complex situations.   
• Ability to communicate effectively with Kyverna Leadership, clinical, biomarker, biostatistical, and pre-clinical scientists, and with external business partners and Regulatory Authorities.   

The salary range for this position is from $165,000 - $195,000 USD annually. This salary range is an estimate of what we reasonably expect to pay for this posted position, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation individual education, experience, tenure, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.  This position is also eligible for bonus, benefits, and participation in Company’s stock option plan.

Kyverna is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Kyverna is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other legally protected status. EOE/AA/Vets