AstraZeneca Posted November 6, 2026

Associate Quality Control Quality Microbiology, Cell Therapy

Rockville, Maryland, United States of America Full time
Quality Associate
Notify me about similar jobs

AstraZeneca 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

This role ensures the safety, sterility, and compliance of raw materials, in-process samples, and final products through environmental monitoring, microbial testing, and aseptic processing support. The role focuses on learning and performing routine activities with high quality and data integrity, assisting with lab maintenance and inventory, and supporting QC operations to meet timelines. The position plays a critical role in maintaining regulatory compliance and ensuring product quality for clinical and commercial manufacturing.

Role Responsibilities:

• Complete Environmental Monitoring sampling in various classification suites within the GMP Space (non-viable and viable air sampling, Surface Viable sampling).

• Ability to be gown certified for Grade D, C and B environments to support EM sampling.

• Conduct incubation and enumeration of media plates and samples.

• Processing and Sending out media plates for identification to outside testing laboratory.

• Operate assigned instruments per SOPs including daily checks, calibrations, and routine maintenance.

• Assist in Routine Testing under supervision (e.g., Rapid Sterility, Mycoplasma, Bioburden, Endotoxin, Growth promotion and Cell Aliquoting) following approved methods and cGMP/GDP expectations.

• Record data contemporaneously in relevant electronic systems; ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance with ALCOA+ principles.

• Maintain inventory of consumables and reagents; perform lab housekeeping, 5S, and equipment cleaning; support sample logistics and courier/chain-of-custody processes.

• Assist in documenting deviations and events; provide data and observations for investigations (e.g., OOS/OOT); follow implemented CAPAs and change controls.

• Communicate testing status, material needs, and issues to the team; support scheduling and sample coordination to meet lot release timelines.

Requirements:

• Associate’s degree in Biological Sciences, biology, microbiology, or related discipline with two years of experience or Bachelor’s degree with minimum three months experience.

• Experience in a pharmaceutical/biotech or related academic setting. Exposure to QC, cGMP environments, or regulated documentation is a plus.

• Experience with LIMS system (MODA, 1Lab etc..) is a plus but not a requirement.

• Understanding of core cGMP concepts, Good Documentation Practices, and laboratory compliance; ability to follow SOPs precisely and ask clarifying questions.

• Strong focus on right-first-time execution, accurate record-keeping, and timely escalation of discrepancies.

• Demonstrates effective cross-functional collaboration, embraces flexibility in a constantly evolving environment, and maintains a positive, solutions oriented attitude to drive outcomes.

• Enthusiasm to develop new technical skills and expand responsibilities with experience.

• Ability to work on-site in a lab-based role or withing cleanroom space

• This role will support the schedule of 4/10 hour days, from Sunday thru Wednesday.

The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from $55,920.80 - $83,881.20. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives, an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Date Posted

06-Nov-2026

Closing Date

12-Nov-2026 Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.

Job details

Seniority
Associate
Function
Quality
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Quality role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 385 comparable Associate Quality roles across 90 biopharma companies.

385Comparable roles tracked
347Currently active
90Companies hiring similar roles
37Countries represented

Salary context

44 of 385 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 I, Quality Control, Raw Materials · ModernaTX, Inc. $53,500/yr – $85,600/yr
Peer group range $69,550 – $190,750 (median $156,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 385 comparable roles

United States123
Germany40
France38
India28
China24
Ireland22

+ 31 more countries

Seniority mix

385 of 385 peers have a known seniority level

Manager223
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc98
Associate64

Therapeutic area mix

1 of 385 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Respiratory1

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
Merck KGaA Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
CSL Behring L.L.C. Seqirus USA - MA - Waltham, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Devens Devens, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
ModernaTX, Inc. Norwood, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Quality job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

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%
Associate Quality Control Chemist (Laboratory) - 2nd Shift
Merck KGaA · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Engineer, Quality Systems
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Validation Associate III
Abbott · Madison, Wisconsin, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Quality Control Chemist (Laboratory)
Merck KGaA · Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, 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.