Process Engineer II - Equipment Engineering

We’re here for one reason and one reason only – to cure cancer. Every moment is dedicated to developing treatments and every action moves us one step closer to our goal. We’ve made incredible scientific breakthroughs and our pioneering personalized CAR T-cell therapies have changed the paradigm. But we're not finished yet.

Join Kite, as we make even bigger advances in cancer therapies, and help shape where our business and medical science goes next.

We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Kite and help create more tomorrows.

Job Description

Process Engineer II – Equipment Engineering

Location: Frederick, MD
Department: Facilities & Engineering – Equipment Engineering

 

Everyone at Kite is grounded by one common goal — curing cancer. Every single day, we seek to establish a direct line between that purpose and our day-to-day work. We are seeking a motivated Process Engineer II to join the Equipment Engineering team at our Frederick, MD state-of-the-art cell therapy manufacturing facility. This role will support manufacturing, quality control, and facility equipment systems used in the production of life-saving cell therapy products. The successful candidate will work closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Validation, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and external vendors to ensure equipment reliability, compliance, and operational excellence within a GMP manufacturing environment.

 

Key Responsibilities

• Support operation and lifecycle management of manufacturing, laboratory, and facility equipment.
• Serve as Technical Owner of equipment within the Enterprise Asset Management System for repairs, maintenance, and other asset lifecycle requests.
• Serve as an engineering resource for equipment investigations, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis.
• Analyze equipment failures and performance trends to identify recurring issues and reliability opportunities.
• Support implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) and change controls.
• Assist with specification, procurement, installation, commissioning, and qualification of new equipment.
• Support equipment reliability initiatives including maintenance optimization and spare parts strategies.
• Author and review engineering documentation including: Engineering assessments, Technical reports, Change controls
• Support vendor management activities and execution of service projects.
• Participate in capital projects and facility improvement initiatives.
• Partner with Maintenance to improve work order effectiveness and equipment performance metrics.
• Utilize equipment history, maintenance records, and performance data to support reliability decision-making.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve equipment reliability, compliance, capacity, and operational efficiency.
• Support regulatory inspections and internal audits as required.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, compliance, and cost reduction.

 

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, such as Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering or similar.
• 3–5 years of engineering experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, or related regulated industry.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with GMP manufacturing environments
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work within cross-functional teams
• Experience with equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, or validation activities
• Experience with one or more asset types: cell therapy manufacturing equipment, automated manufacturing platforms, laboratory instrumentation, cryogenic storage systems, filter integrity testing systems.

 

 

Success in This Role

The ideal candidate is curious, collaborative, and motivated to learn. They can effectively balance compliance, technical rigor, and operational needs while building strong partnerships across the organization. As experience grows, the individual will take on increasing ownership of equipment systems, projects, and continuous improvement initiatives.

 

The salary range for this position is: $99,705.00 - $129,030.00. Kite considers a variety of factors when determining base compensation, including experience, qualifications, and geographic location. These considerations mean actual compensation will vary. This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role), paid time off, and a benefits package. Benefits include company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans*.

For additional benefits information, visit:

https://www.gilead.com/careers/compensation-benefits-and-wellbeing

* Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

Kite is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies with a goal of providing rapid, long-term durable response and eliminating the burden of chronic care. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T cell receptor (TCR) engineered cell therapies designed to empower the immune system's ability to recognize and kill tumors. Kite is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com. Sign up to follow @KitePharma on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kitepharma.
 

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Kite Pharma is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive work environment comprised of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Employment decisions regarding recruitment and selection will be made without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic information or characteristic, gender identity and expression, veteran status, or other non-job related characteristics or other prohibited grounds specified in applicable federal, state and local laws. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact [email protected] for assistance.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the 'Know Your Rights' poster.

NOTICE: EMPLOYEE POLYGRAPH PROTECTION ACT
YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

Kite Pharma will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, (c) consistent with the  legal duty to furnish information; or (d) otherwise protected by law.
 

Our environment respects individual differences and recognizes each employee as an integral member of our company. Our workforce reflects these values and celebrates the individuals who make up our growing team.

Kite Pharma provides a work environment free of harassment and prohibited conduct. We promote and support individual differences and diversity of thoughts and opinion.

For Current Kite Pharma Employees and Contractors:

Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.