Pictured: View of San Francisco skyline/heyengel, iStock
Home to both Biotech Bay and Biotech Beach, two of the most active regions for life sciences companies nationwide, California boasts many opportunities for those searching for a new job.
Statista reported that as of 2020, there were nearly 13,000 life sciences companies in California, naming it the state with the largest life sciences industry. These companies include giants like Gilead Sciences, Amgen and Takeda, among many others.
As of 2021, California was 33% more concentrated in bioscience industry employment compared with the national average, with a total of 334,690 life sciences workers in the state, according to data from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.
Biotech Companies in California Hiring Now
Here are the top biotech companies in California hiring now on BioSpace’s life sciences–focused job board.
Amgen
Of all the California-based companies currently hiring on BioSpace’s job board, Amgen is hiring for the most positions, with over 25 roles currently open across the state. Its headquarters are based in Thousand Oaks, which is where most of its open positions are located, though some are listed in San Francisco as well.
Amgen has posted several job openings since the start of June, including postings for an executive director of inflammation research, a vice president of precision medicine, a global process owner in risk management and a principal scientist in biotransformation.
See more jobs at Amgen.
Eli Lilly and Company
Though Eli Lilly’s headquarters is based in Indianapolis, the pharma has several locations throughout the state of California. Despite being involved in a recent lawsuit with the state of California over marketing of its diabetes drug Actos, Lilly has continued to invest in its presence across the state, regularly posting new job openings since the start of 2023.
Eli Lilly’s current job openings in California include an IT lead software engineer and scientific advisor/bioinformatician in San Diego, a chief of staff of protomer operations and administration in Pasadena and a pharmaceutical sales territory manager in Santa Barbara.
See more jobs at Eli Lilly.
Coherus BioSciences
Coherus BioSciences is a mid-sized biopharma headquartered in Redwood City, CA. The company is currently hiring for over 20 positions at its headquarters, likely because it is gearing up for a big year. On June 2, Coherus announced plans to launch Yusimry (adalimumab-aqvh), its biosimilar to AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab), in July. Yusimry is expected to be the most affordable adalimumab offering in the U.S., with a list price that will be 85% cheaper.
Coherus is hiring for several positions on its quality assurance team, including a director and a manager. It is also hiring for a medical science liaison and a principal clinical scientist.
See more jobs at Coherus BioSciences.
Takeda
Takeda’s headquarters is based in Tokyo, but it has major operations in six U.S. states. In California, Takeda focuses its efforts in three primary areas: biologics manufacturing, plasma-derived therapy manufacturing and research.
Takeda’s open positions in California include a senior automation engineer, a global MES delivery specialist and a quality control analyst in microbiology, all in its Thousand Oaks location.
See more jobs at Takeda.
Annexon
Annexon is a mid-sized biotech in the south San Francisco area. Founded in 2007, the company focuses on developing treatments for patients with classical complement-mediated autoimmune, neurodegenerative and ophthalmic disorders. Its treatment portfolio includes therapies for Guillain-Barré syndrome, geographic atrophy and Huntington’s disease, among others.
Annexon has 11 job openings on BioSpace’s job board, all based out of its Brisbane, CA, office. Current job openings at Annexon include a vice president of research, an accounting manager and a director of biostatistics.
See more jobs at Annexon.
Rosemary Scott is an editor at BioSpace, focusing on the job market and career development for professionals in the life sciences. You can reach her at rosemary.scott@biospace.com and on LinkedIn.
