Senior Process Chemist: R&D, Scale-Up & CDMO Leadership

Randstad Switzerland; Basel; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Randstad Switzerland is assisting a global pharmaceutical leader in Basel to hire a Lead Chemical Process R&D Scientist. You will lead internal and external process chemistry efforts, guide a small team, and ensure scalable, compliant development of APIs and intermediates.

The role requires a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 5+ years in pharma process R&D, strong leadership and CDMO management skills, and fluency in English. GMP familiarity and German are a plus.

Qualifications

• PhD or postdoctoral background in Synthetic Organic Chemistry.
• 5+ years in pharmaceutical chemical process R&D with scale-up.
• Leadership and project management experience.
• CDMO management experience in external development/tech transfers.
• Proficiency with chemistry tools, DoE, analytics, and planning software.
• Fluent English (spoken and written).

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 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 timely, safe, and cost-effective production of APIs and intermediates.
• Ensure Quality & Compliance: Deliver target compounds following internal quality processes and specifications, safety standards and sustainability objectives.

Skills

Leadership

English

Process R&D

CDMO management

Scale-up

Education

PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Tools

Chemistry drawing tools

Literature search tools

DoE software

Analytical software

Project planning tools

Job description

Randstad Switzerland is assisting a global pharmaceutical leader in Basel to hire a Lead Chemical Process R&D Scientist. You will lead internal and external process chemistry efforts, guide a small team, and ensure scalable, compliant development of APIs and intermediates.

The role requires a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 5+ years in pharma process R&D, strong leadership and CDMO management skills, and fluency in English. GMP familiarity and German are a plus.