Subject Matter Expert – Protein Based Therapy

Role Overview

• The Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Protein Based Therapy serves as the technical authority for Lonza’s bioprocessing portfolio, playing a critical role in enabling customer success and driving commercial growth.
• This role partners closely with Business Development, Account Management, and cross-functional teams to deliver deep scientific, product, and process expertise across the sales cycle.
• Acting as a trusted advisor to both customers and internal stakeholders, the SME helps translate complex technical challenges into scalable, compliant solutions that accelerate the development and commercialization of protein-based therapies.
• Lead the technical strategy for complex sales opportunities in partnership with Account Managers and Business Development Managers to improve win rates and mitigate technical and regulatory risk.
• Serve as the technical authority in customer engagements, including workshops, troubleshooting sessions, product demonstrations, and proof-of-concept projects.
• Prioritize technical support activities based on revenue potential, strategic importance, and risk.
• Deliver advanced technical and application training to internal sales teams, distributors, and key customers.
• Coach and mentor commercial teams on technical positioning, application differentiation, and objection handling.
• Investigate and resolve escalated technical and product performance issues using root-cause-driven, sustainable solutions.
• Act as a trusted technical partner to strategic customers to support product adoption, expansion, and long-term success.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Product Management, R&D, Quality Assurance, Service, and Regulatory Affairs to ensure solutions are technically sound, compliant, and scalable.
• Translate customer feedback, application needs, and competitive intelligence into structured insights for Product Management, R&D, and Marketing.
• Support new product launches by shaping technical messaging, application positioning, and sales enablement materials.
• Review and contribute to technical documentation, white papers, application notes, and competitive analyses.
• Build and maintain relationships with key opinion leaders and regulatory authorities.
• Present technical data, application concepts, and market insights at industry conferences, customer meetings, and internal forums.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree or PhD preferred in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related life sciences discipline.
• Extensive hands-on experience working with GMP-regulated products and environments.
• Strong background in protein-based therapeutics, including development, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Demonstrated experience in mammalian cell culture process development, including upstream and/or downstream processing.
• Solid understanding of bioprocess development workflows, from early development through clinical and commercial manufacturing.
• Proven experience supporting or leading technology transfer activities, including transfer of processes from development to manufacturing or between sites and external partners.
• Ability to assess process robustness, scalability, and risk across different stages of the product lifecycle.
• Expert technical mastery of bioprocessing tools, technologies, and applications relevant to protein expression, purification, and formulation.
• Proven ability to translate complex technical and process-development concepts into clear, actionable commercial language.
• Exceptional presentation and advanced technical training delivery skills for both technical and commercial audiences.
• Ability to travel nationally and regionally up to 40–50% of the time to support sales activities, customer engagements, and training.

Benefits

• Performance-related bonus.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) matching plan.
• Life insurance, as well as short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Paid time off (PTO).