How To Become An Upstream Biomanufacturing Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is an upstream biomanufacturing technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

David Baum

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an upstream biomanufacturing technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.46 an hour? That's $50,881 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 7,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an upstream biomanufacturing technician?

David Baum

Professor, Department of Botany Fellow, Wisconsin Institute for DIscovery, University of Wisconsin

Remember that despite their importance in providing all our food, oxygen, and other key resources, most people know very little about plants so, with a degree in Botany, you can stand out from the crowd. With a strong science and all the other skills you will have acquired as a student; you will have many directions to go in. Use all contacts and career services from your university to help you decide how best to parlay your scientific knowledge and skills into a career that excites you.

ScoreUpstream Biomanufacturing TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $50,881

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.22%

Asian 13.55%

Black or African American 9.11%

Hispanic or Latino 10.59%

Unknown 5.91%

White 58.62%

Gender

female 50.00%

male 50.00%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an upstream biomanufacturing technician

Explore upstream biomanufacturing technician education requirements

Most common upstream biomanufacturing technician degrees

Bachelor's

72.7 %

High School Diploma

18.2 %

Associate

9.1 %

Start to develop specific upstream biomanufacturing technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Cell Culture	43.59%
Harvest	24.15%
CIP	20.74%
Clean Rooms	6.68%
Bioreactors	4.84%

Complete relevant upstream biomanufacturing technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New upstream biomanufacturing technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an upstream biomanufacturing technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real upstream biomanufacturing technician resumes.

Research upstream biomanufacturing technician duties and responsibilities

Assist in managing technical and regulatory site visits to the laboratory and interface with QA and RA on all vendor/regulatory audits.
Assist senior level manufacturing technicians within a cGMP facility in the fermentation and harvest of proprietary biopharmaceuticals for purification and packaging.
Participate in regulatory inspections and FDA tours.

Prepare your upstream biomanufacturing technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your upstream biomanufacturing technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an upstream biomanufacturing technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable upstream biomanufacturing technician resume templates

Build a professional upstream biomanufacturing technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your upstream biomanufacturing technician resume.