Amgen Inc. Posted August 11, 2026

Associate Scientist Discovery Proteomics

South San Francisco, United States Full time
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Associate

Amgen Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Career Category

Scientific

Job Description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission, to serve patients living with serious illnesses, drives all that we do.

Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas –Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease– we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity-related conditions. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you’ll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Associate Scientist Discovery Proteomics

What you will do

Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. In this vital role you will expand your experience in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based proteomics to work in South San Francisco. The team develops and applies proteomic technologies to support Amgen’s early discovery pipeline programs and technology platforms. In this role, the Associate Scientist will execute and optimize quantitative proteomic workflows supporting cell-surface target discovery, proximity-labeling studies, preclinical biomarker discovery, and mechanism-of-action investigations. The successful candidate will work closely with proteomics, functional genomics, biology, automation, and bioinformatics colleagues to generate high-quality, reproducible data and communicate results to project teams.

This lab-based role will support Amgen’s preclinical pipeline through high-quality experimental execution and collaborative problem solving. Responsibilities will include:

Execute and optimize established proteomics workflows, including sample preparation, peptide fractionation, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry acquisition for discovery and targeted approaches such as DIA, TMT, label-free DDA and PRM.

Prepare samples from cell lines and other biological matrices using workflows such as cell-surface protein enrichment and proximity labeling.

Operate LC-MS systems across several vendor platforms, assess instrument and data quality, perform routine maintenance, and troubleshoot common workflow or instrument issues with guidance from senior staff.

Process and evaluate proteomic data using software such as Proteome Discoverer, Spectronaut, and DIA-NN, and work with bioinformatics and senior colleagues to support data analysis and sharing.

Analyze results and identify technical issues in collaboration with project scientists.

Communicate experimental plans, progress, and results to immediate team members and cross-functional collaborators.

Maintain detailed and accurate records of experiments, protocols, instrument performance, and analyses in accordance with laboratory and data-integrity practices.

What we expect of you

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The] professional we seek is a scientist with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications:

Master’s degree

OR

Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of scientific experience

OR

Associate’s degree and 4 years of scientific experience

OR

High school diploma / GED and 6 years of scientific experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, molecular or cell biology, or related discipline.

Hands-on experience with proteomic sample preparation.

Familiarity with Proteome Discoverer, Spectronaut, DIA-NN, or similar proteomics software and the ability to assess data quality and interpret results.

Experience with protein enrichment methods is desirable.

Ability to evaluate LC-MS performance and troubleshoot routine sample-preparation, chromatography, or instrument issues.

Experience with automated sample-preparation platforms, such as Tecan, Hamilton, Opentrons, or KingFisher, is a plus.

Experience working with diverse biological sample types, including cell lines, tissues, biofluids, and FFPE specimens, is also preferred.

Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with attention to detail and a commitment to reliable, reproducible results.

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well-being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts

A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan

Stock-based long-term incentives

Award-winning time-off plans

Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

Apply now and make a lasting impact with the Amgen team.

careers.amgen.com

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Amgen will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. Salary Range

USD - USD

Job details

Seniority
Associate
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
South San Francisco, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 61 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 18 biopharma companies.

61Comparable roles tracked
60Currently active
18Companies hiring similar roles
7Countries represented

Salary context

19 of 61 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Associate Scientist I/II, In Vivo Pharmacology · AbbVie $58,656/yr – $99,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Advisor – In Vivo CAR Discovery · Lilly $138,000/yr – $224,400/yr
Peer group range $78,828 – $181,200 (median $90,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 61 comparable roles

United States51
Germany3
India2
Canada2
Switzerland1
Ireland1

+ 1 more countries

Seniority mix

61 of 61 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc34
Associate22
Manager5

Therapeutic area mix

9 of 61 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Neuroscience3
Cardiovascular / CVRM2
Oncology2
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Immunology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck West Point, Pennsylvania, United States of America Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Pfizer Cambridge, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Advisor – In Vivo CAR Discovery
Lilly · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientist I/II, In Vivo Pharmacology
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Process Development Associate Scientist - Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientist, Gene Engineering and Delivery
JuN - Seattle Dexter · Seattle 400 Dexter, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.