Associate Director, R&D - Process Chemistry

Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Sittingbourne; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the pharmaceutical industry seeks an Associate Director, R&D – Process Chemistry to lead the process research and development team at Kent Science Park. This pivotal role involves advancing drug candidates through early development and ensuring regulatory compliance, all while fostering innovation and collaboration within the team.

Qualifications

• PhD/MSc in chemistry or pharmaceuticals, with focus on drug development.
• Extensive experience in a Discovery/Early Development setting.
• Thorough understanding of drug development processes and lean methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Process Development Team's activities.
• Plan and execute the optimization of synthetic routes.
• Identify opportunities for intellectual property generation.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Communication

Analytical Skills

IT Skills

Innovation

Education

MSc/PhD in a chemical or pharmaceutical subject

Tools

Statistical software

Job description

This role requires you to be onsite full time based at our site on Kent Science Park in Sittingbourne.

Brief Description:

The Associate Director, R&D – Process Chemistry heads the process research and development team within the Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry group at Kent Science Park, adopting a leadership and technical role and working together with other CMC functions to advance drug candidates from lead optimisation to GLP Tox.

Essential Functions

1. Lead a group of scientists and is accountable for the development activities in the Process Development Team.
2. Analyse and evaluate medicinal chemistry synthetic procedures to redesign and/or identify scalable processes covering supply of early development activities up to GLP Tox.
3. Plan, agree, resource, and execute the optimization of a synthetic route, identifying clear deliverables and milestones in accordance with the overall molecule project plan.
4. Identify intellectual property generation opportunities and drive innovation within the team.
5. Present regularly project updates to the department and CMC teams with a focus on prioritization and delivery.
6. Act as the Drug Substance Lead and SME, working closely with other early CMC functions including analytical, preformulation, biopharmaceutics, Medicinal Chemistry, and toxicology.
7. Promote a purpose-driven team environment, with a focus on safety within the department.
8. Identify procedural and technical gaps within the department and drive implementation of optimized procedures.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Relevant pharmaceutical industry experience within a Discovery/Early Development setting with a broad understanding of early drug development and drug candidate nomination criteria.
• Good understanding of key attributes that make a potential drug suitable for IND-enabling / clinical development.
• Ability to survey scientific literature broadly beyond own discipline.
• Excellent management skills, including planning and resource allocation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including effective communication with external partners.
• Strong IT skills and ability to use key software packages for data production, presentation, and analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects from inception to completion, coordinating efforts within budget, timelines, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Pharmaceutical Development on API development approaches to mitigate risk as candidates progress.
• Display attributes aligned with Jazz’s values, encouraging their development in others.

Required/Preferred Education and Licenses

• MSc/PhD in a chemical or pharmaceutical subject, ideally with postgraduate qualification in chemical synthesis, drug substance development, or related discipline.
• Knowledge of quality and regulatory standards within the Pharmaceutical Industry in early phases and experience applying those into drug development projects.
• cGxP awareness and experience applying this within an R&D environment.
• Ideally, experience with statistical procedures and software, particularly DoE and multivariate analysis.