Senior Scientist (Expression)

Evotec, a leader in small-molecule drug discovery with sites across Europe and the US, is seeking an experienced Senior Scientist (Expression) to join its Protein Sciences team at Alderley Park. The role is full-time and onsite, based in the UK, and will suit someone who loves turning complex protein expression challenges into reliable reagents for early drug discovery. Evotec combines substantial discovery expertise with an industrialised platform aimed at driving new compounds into the clinic, with a strong focus in neuroscience, pain, oncology, inflammation and metabolic diseases.

The successful candidate will own the execution of work plans for early drug discovery projects within Protein Science, and contribute to the design and execution of agreed plans for projects in the early discovery space. This is a chance to work closely with cross-functional teams and external clients, shaping experiments and presenting results to support decision-making.

The role sits onsite at Alderley Park in Macclesfield, with standard full-time hours and a straightforward Monday-to-Friday schedule. It’s well suited to someone who thrives in a bench-focused role, enjoys scientific autonomy, and wants to contribute to multiple projects in a collaborative environment.

Daily life in the expression space

In this position you’ll design and execute work plans for early drug discovery projects, coordinating internal resources to meet agreed goals and stay aligned with client expectations. You’ll oversee data generation and interpretation to ensure results meet project specifications, and you’ll contribute to the preparation of reports and client-facing documentation. You’ll also propose experimental designs and explore novel approaches to push strategies forward, while contributing to standalone scientific services delivered to customers and supporting colleagues in personal development aligned to business needs. Additionally, you’ll have opportunities to represent the company at scientific conferences and, when appropriate, contribute to peer‑reviewed publications that raise Evotec’s scientific profile.

Your bench work will revolve around recombinant protein expression in insect cell systems, including BEVS and Drosophila S2 cells. You’ll design, clone, and optimise expression constructs for production in these platforms, generate and characterise recombinant baculoviruses, and conduct expression campaigns from small to large scale to maximise yield, quality and functionality. You’ll maintain and refine cultures such as Sf9, Sf21, S2 and High Five (Tni), and you’ll develop expression strategies for challenging targets like membrane proteins and multi‑protein complexes. You’ll assess expression and quality with SDS‑PAGE, Western blot and other analytical methods, interpret results, and offer technical recommendations to improve outcomes. You will work largely independently on routine activities while following training for equipment use and safety.

What you’ll bring to the role

Must-have requirements

• A PhD or a degree with substantial industry experience in a relevant scientific discipline
• Solid technical grounding in recombinant protein expression and protein biochemistry, with a track record of delivering high-quality protein reagents for early discovery work
• Extensive hands-on experience with insect cell expression systems, specifically BEVS and Drosophila S2 cells
• Ability to design, clone and optimise expression constructs for production in insect cell platforms
• Experience generating, amplifying and characterising recombinant baculoviruses to support production campaigns
• Proven capability to run small-scale screening and larger-scale insect cell expression experiments to maximise yield, quality and functionality
• Experience maintaining and optimising insect cell cultures (Sf9, Sf21, S2 and High Five)
• Ability to develop and troubleshoot expression strategies for challenging targets, including membrane proteins and multi-protein complexes
• Skill in assessing protein expression and quality using SDS‑PAGE, Western blot and related analytics
• Strong data interpretation skills with the ability to make informed technical recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex expression challenges using a scientific, data-driven approach
• Understanding of the scientific and technical background underpinning protein expression experiments and their drug-discovery applications
• Proven ability to execute work plans with precision and attention to detail
• Capacity to work independently on routine activities and to make day-to-day technical decisions within your area of expertise, while following training on equipment use

Nice-to-haves

• Experience leading internal resources or coordinating project activities to achieve goals
• Ability to present data and findings at conferences or contribute to peer‑reviewed publications
• Experience with scale-up, protein purification or applying expression results to ongoing discovery programs
• Comfort working with cross-functional teams and communicating results to clients

Education and qualifications A PhD or a degree with corresponding industry experience in a relevant scientific field

Pay, benefits and working details

The role offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. It is based onsite at Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, and operates on a 40-hour week from Monday to Friday. In addition to salary, Evotec provides a range of benefits, including a pension scheme with employee and employer contributions, holiday entitlement of 25 days plus bank holidays with additional days earned by length of service up to 30, private health insurance (including cover for a partner or family), 24/7 wellbeing support and counselling, permanent health insurance at 75% of base salary after the qualifying period, private dental cover after probation, eligibility for a discretionary bonus scheme, opportunities for career progression and ongoing professional development, a cycle-to-work scheme, a refer-a-friend program, and various team events and recognition schemes. Onsite facilities at Alderley Park include secure parking, an on-site restaurant and café, a gym with running, walking and cycling routes, and convenient shuttle links for public transport.

Evotec also notes its commitment to diversity, aiming to consider all applications including those from people with disabilities, and to provide equal opportunities across the recruitment process.

Advice for applicants

Start your resume with your highest relevant qualification and the strongest demonstration of insect cell expression experience, placing your BEVS and Drosophila S2 work up front if possible.

Back up each must-have skill with concrete examples from your past projects, such as a specific construct you designed and optimised for insect cells, the baculovirus you generated, the scale you reached, the yield you achieved, and the analytics you used to confirm quality.

In interviews, be ready to walk through how you plan and execute work for early discovery projects, how you manage multiple work streams, how you ensure data integrity, and how you communicate results to clients or internal stakeholders.

Ask a targeted question about the role, for example: what are the current priorities for challenging targets like membrane proteins or multi-protein complexes, and how does the team evaluate success for expression outcomes?