Among all the gloomy news about a contracting economy and layoffs, Seattle has several rays of light. For profit and nonprofit firms alike are providing jobs in biotech. Some of the firms hiring now include the Gates Foundation (fueled by Warren Buffet’s infusion), an R&D center of the Sunnyvale based Cepheid,  and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. An article by xconomy.com today provides some additional details about the hiring plans of these and other biotech firms in Seattle.

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Biotech companies focusing on healthcare applications have an organization structure similar to that in pharmaceutical companies, with departments such as Research & Development (R&D), Clinical Development and Quality Control, besides the regular units, like Finance, Administration, Engineering/Operations, Human Resources, Legal and Business Development. Given the majority of biotechnology firms are small, the following list of departments offering biotech jobs is typical of a smaller firm.

The basic function of an Research & Development department is to seek promising drug candidates by gathering information, conducting experiments and making use of discovery research, animal sciences and bioinformatics. The focus of the bioinformatics function is analyze the finding using the extensive data collected in the research activity.

The Process and Product Development departments work closely with the R&D unit to ensure the establishment of effective production processes and testing methods. They work closely with the Operations department. Operations is in charge of facility planning to prepare of the eventual higher production levels. The goal in production is to operate at the highest efficiency level and when the products are produced in large quantities.

The responsibilities of the Clinical Research department begin after a drug candidate has been identified by the R&D department. It undertakes the necessary clinical trials for obtaining the regulatory approvals.

The Quality Control department works closely with Process Development and Operations and is responsible for ensuring the safety, efficacy and stability of products being developed by the company. When the clinical trial efforts are underway, it ensures that all regulatory norms are followed in the development of various products and processes.

The administration departments include Finance, Legal and Information Technology. The Legal department is a critical division and is responsible for advising the biotechnology firm on matters related to patenting, intellectual property, licensing, sales and marketing agreements and business development tie-ups. Although the Finance area may not be consider the sexiest area in a biotech firm, they hold purse strings and ensure the firm doesn’t run out of cash before licensing or producing an acceptable product.

The functioning of a biotechnology company comprises several operations, which in turn results in varied career options and biotech jobs for scientists, agricultural experts, veterinarians, clinical researchers, sales and marketing professionals, law and patenting experts as well as engineers.

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A report from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center reported that NC increased the number of biotech jobs by 18.5% from 2001 to 2006. The increase came as a result of $1.2 billion in biotech investments. It seems these investment have provided solid return for North Carolina, as it enjoyed the highest 5 year growth rate in biotechnology jobs of any state in the union and is now the third largest center for biotech jobs in the country.

According to newsobserver.com, 180,000 in NC are now employed in biotech research and development, manufacturing or for companies supplying the biotech industry. These biotechnology jobs earn North Carolinians over $9 million per year.

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The business outlook in New York is a bit dim as the financial markets continue to work themselves out. The New York Times published an article describing the effort to drive biotech jobs as part of a larger plan to attract non-financial services business. The article describes the plan to repurpose the Brooklyn Army Terminal, a military supply depot used during World War I, as a center for biotechnology research companies. The first biotechnology tenant is scheduled to open their lab this week. The biotech complex has been renamed the East river Science Park and will include more than 1 million square feet of biotechnology office and laboratory space. New York is getting aggressive in the fight for biotechnology jobs. The problem is, they are a bit late to the game and those biotech job hubs such as the Biotech Bay and Biotech Beach won’t give up biotechnology companies without fight.

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Riding the Obama and Democratic wave, Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment on stem cell research that could fuel the growth of biotech jobs in the state.

According to BioRegion News,  Michigan life-science leaders have be pushing for ways to grow human embryonic stem-cell research in the state.  Sources are quoted as questioning the benefit to Michigan, however, as many states already have fairly liberal stem cell research policies. Of course, job growth was a key driver in swaying the vote. This on the same day the Wall Street Journal published articles about Michigan’s struggling auto industry seeking Federal bailout funds.

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Are you an experienced PhD in Biochemistry? Do you have experience with enzymes? Do you want to call San Diego home? If so, you should take a close look at this role.

A biochemist with enzyme purification experience. Bioprocess development role. Troubleshoot methods and bioprocesses for how to purify enzymes and get more yield. Room to grow to Principal Scientist or Research Fellow. PhD in Biochemistry absolutely required.

You must have PhD in biochemistry plus 5 years of relevant experience in protein purification. Requires experience in downstream process development as it relates to protein recovery and purification. Prior experience in chromatrography procedures to remove product related impurities.

If you are a talented Biochemistry professional and you are interested in joining a reputable, growing firm, please e-mail your resume ALONG WITH A DETAILED COVER LETTER that explains why your background matches this position to btsan081010b@jobsearchdigest.com.

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Robin Ryan has developed a career counseling practice where she offers both in-person and telephone consultations to assist clients nationwide. She has over 15 years of expertise helping people in finance advance their careers. A trusted adviser, Robin offers resume writing and career consulting services helping with resumes, interviews, salary negotiation, career changes, and promotions.

Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah, Dr Phil, NBC Nightly News, CNN, CNBC, and Fox News. Robin’s advice and articles have appeared in Money, Newsweek, Fortune, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, and many others. She is the best selling author of: 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!; Winning Resumes; Winning Cover Letters; Soaring On Your Strengths; and What to Do with the Rest of Your Life.

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Although States like to put the marketing spin on their Biotech Jobs activity, there is still one major hub when it comes to Biotechnology - Northern California.

San Francisco, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and other cities are home to many young Biotech firms that are raking in the angel and venture capital investments. In 2006, according to a CONNECT and San Diego Institute for Policy Research study, Northern California pulled in 36% of the Nation’s VC in 2006 and 2007 ($9.6 billion and $11 billion, respectively).  In the first 6 months of 2008, “Nor Cal” took 41% of the venture capital raised ($5.6 billion) in the US.

It is interesting to note that, despite massive amounts of venture capital, the ratio of life science start ups in Northern California is much smaller than San Diego/Southern California. When it comes to start ups, San Francisco sees a whopping 90% of its new tech firm activity in communications, software and computers/electronics.

So, where is all this VC going if not to biotech start ups? The answer is found in investing strategy. The vast majority of US venture capital, in fact 78%, went to companies in expansion stage or later. It seems, although considered a sexy investment, seed round and early stage companies garner much less attention and money from the investment community.

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A recent study released by CONNECT and the San Diego Institute for Policy Research revealed the life science venture capital flow in 2008 so far.

In Q2, 76 new tech start-up were created (13% of California’s health tech activity). A hefty 27.6% of all San Diego’s start-up technology companies were in Pharma, Biotech or Medical. These industries tied with software for the biggest number of new starts.

From a venture capital standpoint, Biotech Beach is raking in the cash. While California took over 50% of the Nation’s venture capital investment in Q2 (3.9  billion), San Diego took in about 10% of that money. And Biotechnology accounted for 32% of dollars invested in San Diego based companies, with the average deal exceeding $10 million.

An interesting finding of the study is that typically the number of start-up in California increases dramatically in the second half of the year - with Q4 tripling Q1 activity. Now, that is something to look forward to.

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A pure biochemist with industry experience, including experience with enzymes, not just antibodies.  Bioprocess development role. Troubleshoot methods and bioprocesses for how to purify enzymes and get more yield. Room to grow to Principal Scientist or Research Fellow. PhD in Biochemistry absolutely required.

If you are a talented PhD in Biochemistry professional and you are interested in joining a reputable, growing firm, please check out the biotechnology job listings on Biotech Jobs Digest.

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