Scientist

New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science Ltd; Kenepuru Head; On-site; NZD 89,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Four weeks annual leave

Volunteer day

Free annual flu vaccinations

Life insurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

PHF Science is seeking a Scientist for a permanent, full‑time position based at our Kenepuru Science Centre in Wellington. You will conduct chemical and physical analyses of pharmaceutical samples, develop and validate methods, and support daily operations within the Forensic Specialised Analytical Services Group of over 40 professionals.

We value strong problem‑solving, teamwork and the ability to work on one‑off projects.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or qualification in chemistry / biochemistry / pharmacology / toxicology or related discipline; or appropriate qualification coupled with extensive postgraduate sector experience.
• 5+years relevant pharmaceutical laboratory experience
• Competent in the analysis and characterisation and testing of pharmaceutical compounds or similar analysis, including the use of HPLC and/or GC and/or LCMS instrumentation.
• Relevant experience in a GMP environment
• Relevant experience in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory
• Able to research and review relevant scientific literature
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Computer skills required e.g. MS Office, Chromeleon, LabSolutions
• Attention to detail is essential
• Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
• Awareness of Te Tiriti obligations
• Able to work as a member of a team, supportive of other team members and focussed on achieving team objectives.

Responsibilities

• Administrative duties
• Quality assurance activities
• Technical support for day‑to‑day operations

Skills

HPLC/GC/LCMS

GMP experience

ISO 17025

Literature review

Excellent communication

Team player

MS Office

Chromeleon

LabSolutions

Attention to detail

Te Tiriti awareness

Education

Chemistry/biochemistry/pharmacology/toxicology degree

Tools

MS Office

Chromeleon

LabSolutions

Job description

Scientist Pharmaceutical Programme – Full-Time (40 Hours/Week)

The role

We are seeking a skilled Scientist for a permanent, full‑time position based at our forensic laboratories at the Kenepuru Science Centre in Pōneke, Wellington. This role involves conducting chemical and physical analyses of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical‑like samples, drawing on your expertise in method development and validation. Experience in or understanding of microbiological analyses is beneficial but not essential to this role. In addition to laboratory work, you will contribute to a range of supporting tasks including:

• Administrative duties
• Quality assurance activities
• Technical support for day‑to‑day operations

You’ll be part of a small team within the Forensic Specialised Analytical Services Group, which comprises over 40 professionals. This team delivers critical services to the Ministry of Health and other clients. Given the bespoke nature of our work, we’re looking for flexible individuals who excel in one‑off project work, demonstrate strong problem‑solving and troubleshooting skills, and can work efficiently across a range of simultaneous tasks.

About you

• Undergraduate degree or qualification in chemistry / biochemistry / pharmacology / toxicology or related discipline; or appropriate qualification coupled with extensive postgraduate sector experience.
• 5+years relevant pharmaceutical laboratory experience
• Competent in the analysis and characterisation and testing of pharmaceutical compounds or similar analysis, including the use of HPLC and/or GC and/or LCMS instrumentation.
• Relevant experience in a GMP environment
• Relevant experience in an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory
• Able to research and review relevant scientific literature
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Computer skills required e.g. MS Office, Chromeleon, LabSolutions
• Attention to detail is essential
• Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
• Awareness of Te Tiriti obligations
• Able to work as a member of a team, supportive of other team members and focussed on achieving team objectives.

Benefits

• Flexible working options to support balancing work and non‑work commitments.
• Four weeks annual leave, plus two additional annual leave days and three additional PHF Science days (usually the three days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve)
• 15 days sick leave and service leave provisions after five years
• Annual volunteer day to support an organisation or issue you care about in the community.
• Free annual flu vaccinations
• Life insurance and physical loss benefit
• Subsidised Southern Cross insurance & access to special retail discounts.
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a confidential and free counselling service.

Salary

Salary starts at gross $89,387 and with multiple years of experience can be up to $96,634/annum

About Us

Established in 2025, formerly ESR, PHF Science is a New Zealand Government‑owned research organisation dedicated to the health, wellbeing and safety of our communities. Specialising in public health and forensic sciences, we monitor disease, help ensure safe food and water, reduce harm from drugs, support the justice system and more. Our science powers innovations and solutions to help New Zealand prosper and grow. With 4 locations across Aotearoa NewZealand from Auckland to Christchurch and Wellington (Kenepuru and Wallaceville), we use world‑leading science to monitor disease, test food, and products, safeguard our water and support the justice sector. By joining forces with experts and iwi, we’re tackling critical issues to ensure a betterAotearoa NewZealand for all.
PHF Science's Pharmaceutical Programme provides independent analytical services to clients from a range of sectors including local manufacturers and importers, biotechnology companies and government clients. We perform chemical, physical and microbiological testing of medicines, cosmetics, natural health and other pharmaceutical‑like products, and we provide a secure, dedicated Stability Facility for product stability storage and testing of expiration dates. We are the primary provider of therapeutic product testing for the Ministry of Health (Medsafe) as part of its role in the continuous monitoring of the safety of medicines on the NewZealand market.
PHF Science's Pharmaceutical Programme is certified by the Ministry of Health (Medsafe) in compliance with the NewZealand Codeof Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the international Pharmaceutical Inspection Co‑operation Scheme (PIC/S), and operates laboratories accredited by International Accreditation NewZealand to ISO/IEC17025. We are an accredited Living Wage employer and value our people, providing excellent environment for fostering and developing our people in a values‑driven, flexible and ever‑evolving landscape. We are committed to sustainability and are proud to have received our Toitū Carbon reduce Certification. PHF Science is an Accredited Employer, able to obtain the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).
We are New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute specialising in science for communities. We use world‑leading science to safeguard our health, keep our communities safer, protect our food‑based economy and improve the health of our water and natural environment. Keeping people safe and healthy through science is our focus and our staff bring a wealth of different experience and backgrounds to deliver this expertise. If you have the skills, initiative and commitment for protecting people through science, we’d like to hear from you.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

At PHF Science, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is our highest priority. Depending on the role and exposure risks, mandatory vaccinations may include Tetanus, Typhoid, Meningococcal, HepatitisA and HepatitisB, and Polio. In some roles you may need to confirm your vaccination status in accordance with health and safety advice before you commence employment. Participation in PHF Science’s vaccination programme is a condition of employment for new staff. We choose to share this information early in our hiring process so candidates can make an informed choice and are happy to discuss further at interview stage if you have any questions.

Equal opportunities and diversity

PHF Science is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. Your unique talents and experience will help us deliver exceptional services to NewZealand. We look forward to your application. If you don’t meet every requirement in this position description, please don’t exclude yourself. Studies indicate that women and other individuals from under‑represented groups often only apply when they satisfy all the criteria. We focus on recruiting individuals who share our core values of MahiRangatira (Our quality counts), Mahitahi (our team spirit), MahiAuaha (we push boundaries), MahiPono (we do the right thing). If these values resonate with you, we encourage you to submit your application. PHF Science is committed to developing a diverse, inclusive, equitable workplace where people feel they belong. We believe this is the right thing to do, but we also believe it is a worthwhile commitment that makes our organisation stronger and more capable through building on our diversity of thinking, enabling us to better understand the needs of our stakeholders and people and respond effectively. An inclusive environment means the diverse perspectives we have are more likely to be expressed, heard and acted on.

Legal & Compliance

The successful applicant will be required to complete a pre‑employment drug‑screen, ID verification, and police records check as well as a colour‑blindness declaration as conditions of employment.

Applications close

Applications close 8am Tuesday 22 September 2026

Find out more

PHF Science - Careers
PHF Science - Website
PHF Science - LinkedIn