Lead Chemical Process R&D Scientist

Elan Personal AG; Basel-Landschaft; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Central Basel location

Professional training opportunities

Dynamic team

Job summary

F. -La AG in Basel seeks a Lead Chemical Process R&D Scientist to lead late‑stage process development for APIs and advanced intermediates, delivering safe, scalable and sustainable processes while coordinating internal teams and CDMOs.

You will hold a PhD or postdoc in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 5+ years in pharmaceutical process R&D, and proven leadership with DoE tools, literature/patent searches, and scale‑up expertise; English fluency is required.

Qualifications

• PhD or Postdoctoral background in Synthetic Organic Chemistry.
• 5+ years of hands-on pharmaceutical chemical process R&D with late-stage development and scale-up.
• Leadership and Project management experience.
• CDMO management experience in external chemical development and manufacturing.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken).

Responsibilities

• Lead internal & external Chemical Process R&D activities: direct research and development, managing an internal team of 1–5 chemists and/or external CDMO partners.
• Oversee end-to-end process chemistry workflows: route scouting, optimization, scale-up, and support for supply activities.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery: align lab efforts with CDMO timelines for timely, safe API production.
• Ensure quality & compliance: follow internal quality processes and safety/sustainability standards.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

CDMO management

Team mentoring

English fluency

Education

PhD or Postdoctoral in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Tools

DoE tools

Literature/patent search engines

Analytical software

Scale-up simulation software

Chemical drawing tools

Job description

Lead Chemical Process R&D Scientist

Switzerland bridges the gap between pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Important research and development functions are located here. For our long-term client, F. -La AG in Basel, we are looking for a

Background:

In this function you will lead chemical process R&D activities to deliver safe, scalable, efficient and sustainable processes as well as drug substance material for projects in clinical development, with a focus on late stage development, leveraging internal and external CDMO capabilities.

Tasks & 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.
• Professional fluency in spoken and written English is required

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity or prior experience working within Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environments is an advantage, though not strictly required.
• Professional working proficiency or fluency in is a plus.

What you will be offered:

• An opportunity to work in one of the world's most important pharmaceutical companies
• Modern campus with plenty of green spaces and meeting areas
• Central location in Basel
• Varied job profile
• Further training opportunities through temptraining
• Working in a dynamic and motivated team