Formulation Development Chemist

Septodont North America; Cambridge; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company in Cambridge is seeking a Formulation Development Chemist to lead the development of complex formulations and their manufacturing processes. Candidates should hold a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and have at least 2 years of experience in pharmaceutical development. The position offers competitive compensation, professional growth opportunities, and a supportive work environment focused on safety and quality.

Benefits

Excellent compensation and benefits package

Bonus and reward programs

Discounted gym memberships

Programs supporting work-life balance

Employee recognition program

Qualifications

• 2 years working experience in a pharmaceutical formulation laboratory.
• Experience in formulation/packaging/process development.
• Proficient understanding of regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Develops complex new formulations and manufacturing processes.
• Conducts experiments on packaging components.
• Authors formulation/processing development protocol.

Skills

Project management skills

Strong communication skills

Analytical and problem-solving skills

Ability to work with minimal supervision

Education

B.Sc. Degree in biochemistry, pharmacy, or related area

Job description

Company Details

Novocol Pharma is a growing contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), specialized in sterile injectable cartridges and combination product manufacturing. We strive for excellence and customer‑centricity to deliver value to global pharmaceutical clients through contract services for drug development and commercial manufacturing. With over 40 years in operation, our team of 600 employees and modern facilities, located in Cambridge, Ontario, provide a personalized and responsive experience for our customers. We are focused on serving our strategic partners and patients with quality, integrity, and value.

Our employees are our number one asset! We offer developmental opportunities, excellent compensation and benefit programs, discounted gym memberships, work/life balance programs, employee recognition, social events and spirit days.

We are a proud member of the Septodont group of companies. Septodont is a pharmaceutical and medical device company with a global leadership position in dental pain management. The group counts over 2000+ employees worldwide and has remained a 100% family owned company for over 90 years. Our Cambridge facility serves as a significant manufacturing site within the Septodont group with high volume dental anesthetic production for a global customer base.

Job Summary

The Formulation Development Chemist is accountable to and interacts with the Pharmaceutical Development Manager. The formulation development chemist supports all activities required to develop, optimize, scale‑up and technology transfer of a stable formulation and its associated manufacturing process, to make it suitable for commercial production as well as subsequent product launch and commercialization activities. The projects include those from internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership within the pharmaceutical development team, as well as across functional project tactical team.
• Develops complex new formulations and their corresponding manufacturing processes that is scalable to commercial production setting.
• Source the excipients used in formulation and the API that meet the regulatory requirement.
• Conducts experiments with regards to various types of packaging components for product package development.
• Manufactures pharmaceutical development lab batches which may include:
  • Weighs, mixes and blends raw materials to produce experimental trials and small‑scale batches for solutions and semi‑solid formulations.
  • Records observation on product and process characteristics during experimental trials and propose changes to improve compounding procedure based on observations.
  • Testing of physical parameters for formulated and Brand Leader product for laboratory, scale‑up processes samples and others as required.
  • Design and conduct accelerated or long‑term experiments to establish the physical stability of the formulation so developed.
• Set‑up and clean all equipment including mixers, homogenisers and tanks.
• Authors the formulation/processing development protocol and report. Writes‑up and signs off various documents such as compounding batch record and demo batch study protocol.
• Assists in scale‑up and technology transfer from pharmaceutical development batch scale to commercial process and trains production operators.
• Assists with trouble shooting from process development/scale‑up to production of stability batches.
• Develops and writes SOPs related to formulation work for general lab use.
• Provides technical support and expert advice to Production during manufacturing of stability batches.
• Assists in the investigation of process deficiencies of existing formulations to determine the cause and recommends solutions for improvement.
• Attends external customer project meetings and contributes to the technical discussion.
• Follows GMP and regulatory requirements and ensures quality standards are met.
• Follows and supports all safety guidelines and regulations.
• Demonstrates the Company Mission, Vision and Values Statements, policies, and current standard business practices.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications

Education

• B.Sc. Degree in biochemistry, pharmacy, pharmaceutics, chemical engineering, or related area. Masters or Doctorate considered an asset.

Experience

• 2 years working experiences in a pharmaceutical formulation laboratory.
• Experiences in formulation/packaging/process development of liquid and/or semi‑solid dosage forms.
• Proficient understanding of regulatory requirements.
• Project management experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision.
• Proven analytical and problem‑solving skills to resolve routine and non‑routine problems.
• Experience working in a self‑directed team environment.
• Proven time management skills with the ability to balance competing priorities in a deadline driven environment.

What We Offer

• Excellent compensation/benefits package.
• Bonus and reward programs
• Discounted gym memberships
• Programs supporting work life balance
• Employee recognition program
• Professional and personal development programs
• Social events and spirit days

EEO and Diversity

We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and thank all applicants in advance; however, we will be corresponding only with those selected for an interview.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, we are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free recruitment and selection process.

Recruitment Fraud – please be aware of recruitment fraud. Novocol Pharmaceutical of Canada Inc. will never ask for banking information, money or any personal information up front. We will only respond to official applications submitted through our careers site. In addition, we will only use official corporate e‑mail addresses (septodont.com or novocolpharma.com) to communicate with applicants. Should you be contacted without submitting an application, please delete the message and advise your e‑mail provider.

Internal Posting Details

Internal Job Posting Grade 9. The due date for internal applicants to apply for this role is November 18, 2025.

Contract type: Permanent. Position location: North America, Canada, Cambridge.

Address: 25 Wolseley Court N1R 6X3 Cambridge.