Senior Scientist — Liposomal Formulation & Process Development

Flychem; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Flychem seeks a Senior Scientist to lead design, development and scale-up of liposomal, NLC, and encapsulated actives across its portfolio, from lab formulation through pilot and production-scale processes.

You will own method development, scale-up, and technology transfer, collaborating with QC and Production, mentoring junior scientists, and delivering robust, stable carrier systems for labile actives.

Qualifications

• M.Sc / M.Pharm / M.Tech in related discipline; Ph.D. advantageous.
• 4–7 years in formulation and process development with liposomes/NLCs/encapsulation.
• Proficient in lipid-carrier formulation and unit operations.
• Experience with GMP documentation and cosmetics/pharma compliance.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimise liposomal, NLC, and encapsulated formulations for sensitive actives with focus on stability and encapsulation efficiency.
• Develop and optimise carrier-manufacturing processes and define critical parameters.
• Select lipid systems and characterise dispersions.
• Characterise particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation, and morphology as required.
• Lead scale-up from bench to pilot to production with reproducibility and yield, document tech transfer.
• Design stability studies and define storage/packaging requirements.
• Collaborate with QC for analytical method suitability and with Production/EHS for safe scale-up.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to project planning and troubleshooting.

Skills

Liposome formulation

NLC / SLN development

encapsulation systems design

Scale-up and tech transfer

GMP documentation

Analytical method development

DoE / QbD approaches

Stability testing

Education

M.Sc in Pharmaceutics

M.Pharm

M.Tech in Chemical Engineering

Tools

HPLC/UPLC

DLS (size, PDI)

TEM / cryo-TEM

GMP documentation tools

Job description

The Senior Scientist leads the design, development, and scale-up of liposomal, nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC), and encapsulated active systems across Flychem's portfolio, including liposomal retinaldehyde/retinol, THD ascorbate, copper tripeptide, recombinant collagen, and multi-molecular-weight hyaluronic complexes. The role owns the path from lab formulation through pilot and production-scale process, delivering robust, stable, and reproducible carrier systems for labile and difficult-to-deliver actives. It combines hands-on formulation science with process engineering and technology transfer to manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and optimise liposomal, NLC, and encapsulated formulations for sensitive actives — retinol, retinaldehyde, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, bakuchiol, copper tripeptide, ceramides, azelaic and salicylic acid, arbutin, and enzyme actives — with a focus on stability, encapsulation efficiency, and payload protection.
• Develop and optimise carrier-manufacturing processes: thin-film hydration, ethanol/solvent injection, high-pressure homogenisation, microfluidisation, and extrusion; define and control critical process parameters.
• Select and justify lipid and carrier systems (lecithin, lysolecithin, phospholipids, glucosyl ceramide) and characterise the resulting dispersions.
• Characterise particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential by dynamic light scattering; determine encapsulation efficiency and drug loading via ultrafiltration/centrifugation coupled with HPLC/UPLC assay; assess morphology (TEM/cryo-TEM) where required.
• Lead scale-up from bench to pilot to production, ensuring reproducibility and yield; author process development reports, batch manufacturing records, and technology-transfer documentation.
• Design and interpret physical and chemical stability studies (including for oxidation- and light-sensitive actives) and define storage and packaging requirements.
• Partner with QC on analytical method suitability for encapsulated systems, and with Production/EHS on safe handling of solvents and hazardous inputs during scale-up.
• Provide technical guidance to junior scientists and contribute to project planning and troubleshooting.

Required Qualifications

• M.Sc / M.Pharm / M.Tech in Pharmaceutics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or a related discipline (Ph.D. in a relevant area is an advantage).
• 4–7 years of experience in formulation and process development, with demonstrable work on liposomes, NLCs/SLNs, or other encapsulation/delivery systems.

Required Technical Skills

• Liposome / lipid-carrier formulation and the associated unit operations (homogenisation, microfluidisation, thin-film hydration, extrusion).
• Colloidal characterisation: DLS (size/PDI), zeta potential, and encapsulation-efficiency determination.
• Working knowledge of HPLC/UPLC for assay of encapsulated actives, ideally in coordination with an analytical team.
• Formulation of labile actives and design of protective/encapsulated systems.
• Scale-up and technology transfer, with sound GMP documentation practice and awareness of cosmetic manufacturing requirements under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience in a cosmetic-ingredient, pharmaceutical, or nutraceutical manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with peptide and protein actives (recombinant collagen, copper tripeptide) or fermentation-derived actives.
• Exposure to Design of Experiments (DoE) / QbD approaches to process optimisation.
• Understanding of regulatory and safety considerations for nano/encapsulated cosmetic ingredients.
• Strong problem-solving and a structured, data-driven approach to development.
• Clear technical writing and communication across R&D, QC, and Production.
• Ability to manage multiple development projects and timelines.
• Mentoring instinct and collaborative working style.
• Ownership and rigour in translating lab work into reproducible manufacturing.