Lead Chemical Process R&D Scientist

Coopers Group; Basel; Hybrid; CHF 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Coopers Group in Basel, Switzerland is seeking a senior leader for Internal & External Chemical Process R&D. The role directs a team of chemists or leads CDMO activities, coordinating workflows from route scouting to scale-up and supply support for APIs and intermediates.

The candidate should have a PhD or postdoctoral background in synthetic organic chemistry, 5+ years in pharmaceutical process R&D, and proven leadership with external partnerships at CDMOs.

Qualifications

• PhD or Postdoctoral background in Synthetic Organic Chemistry.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in pharmaceutical chemical process R&D, with late-stage development and scale-up.
• Leadership & Project Management: proven track record of guiding project deliverables.
• CDMO Management: direct experience managing external chemical development and manufacturing at CDMOs.
• Technical & Software Proficiency: strong office tools, chemistry software, DoE, and data analysis packages.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal and external chemical process R&D activities with a team of 1–5 chemists or oversee CDMO-led work.
• Manage end-to-end process chemistry workflows: scouting, optimization, scale-up, and supply support.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery with CDMO timelines to ensure safe, on-time API production.
• Ensure quality and compliance with internal standards, safety, and sustainability objectives.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

CDMO management

Communication

Education

PhD or Postdoctoral in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Job description

Location: Basel

Home office: Yes, 2 days a week

Location: Basel

Duration: 1 year/possible extension

Travel: Yes. 4 times a year - Europe or Asia (China, India)

Responsibilities:

• Lead Internal & External Chemical Process R&D activities: Direct chemical process research and development work, managing an internal team of 1–5 process chemists and/or leading external activities at contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs).
• Oversee end-to-end process chemistry workflows, including synthetic route scouting, process optimization, scale-up, and support for supply activities.
• Coordinate Cross-Functional Delivery: Synchronize internal laboratory efforts with CDMO timelines to guarantee the timely, safe, and cost-effective production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and advanced intermediates
• Ensure Quality & Compliance: Deliver the target compounds following internal quality processes and according to specifications, safety standards and sustainability objectives.

Must Haves:

• PhD or Postdoctoral background in Synthetic Organic Chemistry.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in pharmaceutical chemical process R&D, with demonstrated expertise in late-stage process development and scale-up.
• Leadership & Project Management: Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and driving project deliverables within internal process chemistry teams.
• CDMO Management: Direct experience managing external chemical development, technology transfers, and manufacturing activities at CDMOs.
• Technical & Software Proficiency: High proficiency with standard office applications alongside core chemistry tools, including chemical drawing tools, literature/patent search engines, Design of Experiments (DoE) applications, analytical software, and project planning platforms. Proficiency in the use of kinetic modeling or scale-up simulation software is a plus.