Principal Technologist

Bespak; England; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A pharmaceutical contract development organization in the United Kingdom is recruiting for a Principal Technologist to lead technical projects within the Drug Product Development function. This role involves providing hands-on problem-solving and guidance to ensure high-quality development of inhalation products. Candidates should possess a degree in Science or Engineering, with at least 6 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The position offers an attractive salary and benefits, including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

25 days annual holiday + bank holiday + Buy/Sell Scheme

Generous pension contribution

Private medical insurance

Private dental insurance

Life insurance

Free parking

Active well-being programme

Qualifications

• At least 6 years’ experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing or development.
• Strong understanding of cGMP and pharmaceutical validation requirements.
• Proven problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and expert guidance within Drug Product Development.
• Lead delivery of complex inhalation product development projects.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) projects and ensure compliance.

Skills

Problem-solving

Decision-making

Technical knowledge of inhalation product manufacturing

Data analysis and statistical evaluation

Strong communication skills

Education

Degree in Science or Engineering

Job description

About The Role

Bespak are looking for a Principal Technologist for a permanent role for the Holmes Chapel site, CW4 8BE. The salary for this role is £44,820 to £52,730 plus a discretionary annual bonus. Other benefits you will receive are 25 days leave plus bank holidays, a generous 10% pension contribution, onsite free parking, and medical / dental / health / life insurance.

Shift Pattern

Days shift Pattern – Monday to Friday (8.30am to 9am start / 4.30pm - 5pm finish. 4pm finish on Friday possible) There is some flexibility on start and finish times.

Role Overview

As a Principal Technologist, you will provide technical leadership, expert guidance, and hands‑on problem solving within the Drug Product Development function and across the wider organisation. You will lead the delivery of complex inhalation product development projects, scaling processes from early clinical manufacture to robust, commercially viable products. The role involves providing technical input to support new business opportunities, contributing to customer proposals and the quotation process. In addition, you will identify, lead, and deliver process improvements and technical investigations, ensuring operations consistently meet the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Understand site processes, equipment, and materials to design cost‑effective, scalable manufacturing solutions and enable efficient technical transfer from development to commercial manufacture.
• Provide technical input into customer quotations, translating enquiries into viable and competitive proposals in collaboration with cross‑functional teams.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) projects, delivering defined activities to agreed budgets and timelines across multiple projects.
• Apply expert technical knowledge to investigate and resolve complex manufacturing and process issues, including deviations, and implement preventative actions.
• Maintain responsibility for equipment, process, and facility validation, executing validation activities in compliance with GMP and manufacturing schedules.
• Ensure robust process and product development through effective technical transfer, statistical study design, and analysis, producing compliant GMP documentation as required.

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree (or equivalent) in a Science or Engineering discipline.
• At least 6 years’ experience in a technical role within pharmaceutical manufacturing or development, or 9 years’ experience in manufacturing or quality operations.
• Strong technical knowledge of inhalation product manufacturing processes, equipment, and systems.
• Proven problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Good understanding of cGMP and pharmaceutical validation requirements.
• Ability to analyse and statistically evaluate data to support process development and issue resolution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of technical reports and protocols.

Benefits

25 days annual holiday + bank holiday + Buy/Sell Scheme | A generous employer pension contribution | Private medical insurance | Private dental Insurance | Permanent Health Insurance | Group life insurance | Free parking | Free will service | Active well‑being programme | Recognition awards

About the Company

Bespak Holmes Chapel is an Investors in People silver award winner who employs over 300 people and is a pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) that offers development and manufacturing solutions for a variety of medical products. Our products include medical devices such as pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDI), soft mist inhalers (SMI), dry powder inhalers (DPI), nasal sprays and medical check valves.

Holmes Chapel is a beautiful village in Cheshire with excellent transport links via its railway station on the Crewe‑Manchester Line. The village has a population of nearly 7,000 and offers various amenities, including supermarkets, shops, restaurants, schools, and a GP practice.

As an ethical employer we align our BZero sustainability initiative to the SBTi certification which means we are on a road to carbon reduction targeting net zero and are proud to be ISO certified in 14001, 45001 and 13485.

Our core values are Customer Focussed, Respectful, Collaborative, and Agile, these are woven into the fabric of our business and the values we measure ourselves by.

We are flexible. We understand that there is a life outside of work, so we aim to support you in attaining a happy work/life balance. To cater for employees’ individual circumstances, and where possible, we agree flexible working arrangements.

We value our inclusivity as we believe diversity should be embraced and celebrated. We live and work by these values and that’s what makes our company a great place to work.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. We will support you throughout the recruitment process with any adjustments you require therefore please contact the Recruitment Team if you require support.

Please be advised that we are working with our trusted recruitment partner Kinetic PLC to manage this recruitment process. As such, a consultant from their team may screen your application and contact you directly on our behalf to progress your application.