Bayer Posted October 20, 2026

Principal Scientist (all geneders) - Antibody Lead Discovery (Wuppertal-Aprath, North Rhine Westfalia, DE)

Wuppertal-Aprath, Germany Type not listed
Notify me about similar jobs

Bayer 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

At Bayer we’re visionaries, driven to solve the world’s toughest challenges and striving for a world where ,Health for all, Hunger for none’ is no longer a dream, but a real possibility. We’re doing it with energy, curiosity and sheer dedication, always learning from unique perspectives of those around us, expanding our thinking, growing our capabilities and redefining ‘impossible’. There are so many reasons to join us. If you’re hungry to build a varied and meaningful career in a community of brilliant and diverse minds to make a real difference, there’s only one choice.

Principal Scientist (all geneders) - Antibody Lead Discovery

Do you feel inspired by pushing the boundaries of drug discovery to develop transformative medicines for patients ? In this role, you drive the discovery and optimization of innovative antibody drug candidates and take shared ownership for project goals across the discovery process. As a scientific and project leader, you collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and apply modern technologies such as AI/machine learning and structural biology. If you thrive in self-organized teams and enjoy accountability across the value chain, we look forward to your application.

YOUR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Share responsibility and ownership for project and development candidate goals throughout the discovery process as a cross-functional team member and project leader

Provide innovative biologics solutions to address unmet needs and act as an expert for project teams to design differentiated drugs

Lead and guide antibody generation and optimization to develop new, potent, innovative leads aligned with the target product profile, and initiate drug discovery projects

Apply fit-for-purpose AI/machine learning and structural biology tools for lead generation and optimization

Bring state-of-the-art approaches to antibody lead discovery, design, and optimization using internal capabilities and/or CROs

Manage CRO work packages and external collaborations

Collaborate efficiently with other research units (e.g., disease area discovery units) on screening, characterization, selection, and structured data exchange for effective decision-making

Communicate results to cross-functional stakeholders through concise reports, visualizations, and presentations; generate and secure intellectual property and ensure safety/compliance and efficient resource management

WHO YOU ARE

Hold a PhD in biochemistry, immunology, biotechnology, or a related field

Bring long-term professional experience in biologics drug discovery with strong knowledge of the field and industry practices

Demonstrate a solid understanding of hit-to-lead and lead optimization up to a preclinical development candidate, including bispecific antibody development

Proven scientific and project leadership skills in cross-functional research environments

Experience developing biologics in one or more of the following areas: cardiovascular/renal, oncology, or immunology

Sound understanding of the research landscape and market understanding

Strong knowledge of antibody discovery processes and cutting edge technologies including innovative tools such as Ai/Machine Learning and large dataset analysis

Excellent problem-solving skills; strong communication and negotiation abilities; intercultural skills and team orientation

Fluency in English, both written and spoken; German language skills are a plus

WHAT WE OFFER

Our benefits package is flexible, appreciative, and tailored to your lifestyle, because: What matters to you, matters to us!

We ensure your financial stability with a competitive salary between 104.300€ and 126.500€ per year (full-time) plus a variable component. Your compensation is based on your qualifications, skills, and professional experience.

Whether it’s hybrid work models or part-time arrangements: Whenever it is possible, you will have the flexibility to work how, when and where it is best for you.

Your family is a top priority. We offer loving company daycare centers at multiple locations, support in finding childcare, time off for the care of elderly or dependent family members, summer camps for children, and much more.

We support your professional growth by providing access to learning and development opportunities, training programs through the Bayer Learning Academy, development dialogues, as well as coaching and mentoring programs.

We promote health awareness and opportunities for selfcare through various measures, such as free health checks with the company doctor.

We embrace diversity by providing an inclusive work environment in which you are welcomed, supported, and encouraged to bring your whole self to work.

YOUR APPLICATION

This is your opportunity to tackle the world’s biggest challenges with us: Maintaining our health, feeding growing populations and slowing the rate of climate change. You have a voice, ideas and perspectives and we want to hear them. Because our success begins with you. Be part of something big. Be Bayer.

Bayer welcomes applications from all individuals, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, social origin, disability, union membership, religion, family status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any unlawful criterion under applicable law. We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and avoiding discrimination.

Location:            ​ ​  ​   Germany : North Rhine Westfalia : Wuppertal-Aprath || Germany : Berlin : Berlin ​

​ ​ Division: ​               Pharmaceuticals ​

Reference Code:  891289 ​

]]>

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Wuppertal-Aprath, Germany
Employment type
Not listed

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 458 comparable Principal Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 54 biopharma companies.

458Comparable roles tracked
425Currently active
54Companies hiring similar roles
21Countries represented

Salary context

227 of 458 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 · Senior Animal Behaviorist - Primate · Labcorp $70,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Peer group range $75,000 – $322,000 (median $169,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 458 comparable roles

United States340
China22
India16
United Kingdom11
Switzerland10
Belgium9

+ 15 more countries

Seniority mix

458 of 458 peers have a known seniority level

Senior227
Principal170
Director61

Therapeutic area mix

59 of 458 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology19
Oncology18
Neuroscience15
Cardiovascular / CVRM3
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Respiratory1
Gastroenterology1
Dermatology & Aesthetics1

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 Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Boehringer Ingelheim Biberach, Germany Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Boehringer Ingelheim Biberach, Germany Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Bayer Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Bayer Wuppertal-Aprath, Germany Principal
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 Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research job in Germany, 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%
Principal Scientist Visual Inspection Steward
Lilly · Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist (Biberach, Germany, Baden-Württemberg)
Boehringer Ingelheim · Biberach, Germany · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Director, Team Lead, Computational Pathology Products (m/f/d)
AstraZeneca · Munich, Germany · Director
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Sr. Scientist / Principal Scientist, Global Sample Management
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
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.