Peptide Synthesis Specialist

Job Title: Peptide Synthesis Specialist 
Annual Base Salary: DOE, $87,000-$115,000 along with bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits package
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Our Mission
Formerly known as the Ellison Institute of Technology Los Angeles, the Ellison Medical Institute strives to spark innovation, leverage technology, and drive interdisciplinary, patient-centered research to continually enhance health, reimagine and redefine cancer care, and transform lives.
 
Established in 2016 as a medical research and development center, the Institute features innovation labs for artificial intelligence and molecular analytics and was among the first organizations to vertically integrate the interdisciplinary study and treatment of disease. We offer multifaceted programs, including a preventative medicine and cancer clinic, cross-disciplinary research laboratories, a health policy think-tank, and community outreach and educational programs.

Please visit emila.org for more details.

Job Summary
The Ellison Medical Institute is seeking a Peptide Synthesis Specialist to design, execute, and optimize peptide synthesis workflows, including solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), purification, and analytical characterization.

The role will involve hands-on peptide production, collaboration with cross-functional teams, and continuous process improvement to deliver high-quality, reproducible peptides that support preclinical research and therapeutic development efforts. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in peptide synthesis chemistry, HPLC-based purification methods, and peptide analysis techniques.

Why You Should Join Us

• Build a New Capability from the Ground Up: Help establish high-throughput peptide and protein synthesis and purification operations within an organization expanding its therapeutic discovery capabilities.
• Direct Scientific Impact: Drive the production and optimization of peptides synthesis to support drug discovery, lead optimization, and preclinical testing.
• Collaborative Environment: Work closely with design, biological evaluation, and analytical teams to translate synthetic peptides into therapeutic development projects.
• Technical Ownership: Play a key role in shaping technical standards, designing workflows, and selecting synthesis and characterization methodologies.
• Innovation and Quality: Contribute to continuous improvement of peptide synthesis optimization, quality and efficiency.

Job Accountabilities:

• Peptide Synthesis: Perform and optimize peptide synthesis using solid-phase and Fmoc and Boc chemistries; manage automated peptide synthesizer operations and workflows.
• Purification & Characterization: Execute peptide purification using chromatographic techniques and perform analytical characterization (e.g., LC-MS, UPLC/HPLC) to ensure material meets defined quality standards. Support recombinant protein expression and purification for select targets as required.
• Quality, Documentation & Compliance: Maintain accurate and complete documentation of synthesis procedures, analytical data, and standard operating procedures, while ensuring adherence to laboratory safety protocols and consistent quality standards across synthesis, purification, and characterization processes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with design, discovery, analytical, and biology teams to align synthesis outputs with experimental needs, and provide scientific insights to support downstream evaluation. Communicate findings clearly with scientific teams.
• Culture & Leadership: Promote and uphold a team  culture of efficient time management, transparency, innovation, collaboration, and accountability, while maintaining high scientific and technical standards.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Required Education:

• Bachelor’s in Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Peptide Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or a closely related discipline
• Master’s of Science preferred

Required Experience:

• Hands-on experience planning  and executing peptide synthesis using SPPS and related methodologies.
• Strong experience with purification and analytical characterization techniques (e.g., HPLC, LC-MS).
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot synthesis challenges and optimize peptide workflows.
• Solid understanding of peptide chemistry principles, including protecting group strategies and coupling methods.
• Excellent time management, teamwork, documentation, and communication abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Experience with recombinant protein expression and purification
• Familiarity with biophysical techniques for characterizing biomolecular interactions (e.g., SPR)

For the safety and health of employees, guests, and patients, the Ellison Medical Institute may mandate vaccination requirements for employment. The Ellison Medical Institute's policies are always subject to review and change to ensure they are appropriate under the circumstances.

The Ellison Medical Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that an inclusive, collaborative team environment is just as important to our mission as stethoscopes and microscopes. We strive to always provide employees a supportive atmosphere, so they feel confident taking creative risks toward innovation. The Ellison Medical Institute values emotional intelligence and communication with empathy and respect for others. We seek to build a diverse group of people who are curious, have a deep sense of responsibility, and the grit needed to achieve excellence.