Pharma Purification Applications Engineer

Ingevity; North Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingevity seeks a Pharma/Biopharma Technology Leader to advance our activated carbon solutions for pharmaceutical purification in the U.S. market.

You will partner across commercial, regulatory, quality, and operations teams to generate data, support adoption, and position Ingevity as a trusted supplier to pharmaceutical manufacturers and CDMOs. The role focuses on leadership in application development, data packages, and regulatory alignment, with direct engagement with pharma companies and

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, or related field preferred; Master’s with significant experience considered.
• 5+ years (Ph.D.) or 8+ years (M.S.) of pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry experience.
• Hands-on experience in pharmaceutical purification, process development, impurity removal, or separation technologies.
• Strong analytical chemistry expertise, including HPLC/UPLC, mass spectrometry, ICP-MS, or related methods.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical regulatory and quality requirements.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to customers and internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead application development and performance testing for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical purification applications.
• Design and execute laboratory studies focused on impurity removal, process optimization, and adsorption performance.
• Develop technical data packages supporting customer qualification and commercialization efforts.
• Drive pharmacopoeial and regulatory compliance initiatives, including USP and European Pharmacopoeia requirements.
• Engage directly with pharmaceutical companies, biopharma organizations, and CDMOs to understand needs and provide technical support.
• Present scientific findings at customer meetings, industry conferences, and technical forums.
• Collaborate with R&D, Operations, Quality, and Commercial teams to develop pharmaceutical-grade product specifications and support scale-up activities.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive technologies, and emerging regulatory requirements.

Skills

Analytical chemistry

Customer communication

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences or related field

Master's degree with significant relevant experience

Tools

HPLC/UPLC

Mass spectrometry

ICP-MS

Job description

Job Family Group:

Sales and Business Development

Are you ready to do something remarkable? Ready to collaborate with an incredible team to solve problems that improve people's lives? Meet Ingevity.

At Ingevity, we develop innovations that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Our products enable oil to flow better, crops to grow fuller, roads to last longer and ensure that the air we all breathe is cleaner.

Our people come from all different backgrounds and help reimagine new possibilities daily. We understand there is no challenge too big and no contribution too small. We seek out new ideas for tackling complex problems and celebrate achieving the improbable. We value each person's unique talents and synergize them to create meaningful impact and sustainable solutions for our customers and our world.

Bold. Energetic. Ingenious. Genuine. If these qualities describe you, we'd love for you to join Ingevity!

Ingevity is seeking an experienced Pharma / Biopharma Technology Leader to help establish and grow our presence in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical purification market.

This is a highly visible, entrepreneurial individual contributor role will be the platform technology leader for our High Putity Liquid Purification platform and will work hand in hand with a commercial leader for the platform to build the book of business. Ingevity is an emerging participant in this market, and this leader will play a critical role in building technical credibility, developing strategic customer relationships, generating application data, and creating new pathways for adoption across pharmaceutical manufacturers, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), and purification technology providers.

The successful candidate will combine deep expertise in downstream bioprocessing, pharmaceutical purification, filtration, adsorption, or separation technologies with a proven ability to independently develop customer relationships, support qualification programs, and drive commercialization in highly regulated environments.

This role is ideal for a technically strong "player-coach" who enjoys building new opportunities from the ground up and is energized by operating in a highly autonomous, market-creation environment.

What You'll Do

Technical Leadership & Application Development

• Lead application development and performance evaluation of activated carbon technologies for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical purification processes.
• Design and execute laboratory studies focused on impurity removal, decolorization, endotoxin reduction, host cell protein (HCP) removal, aggregate reduction, and overall process optimization.
• Generate technical data packages supporting customer evaluations, qualification efforts, and commercialization activities.
• Assess adsorption performance, filtration performance, process economics, and scale-up considerations across pharmaceutical applications.
• Serve as the company's technical subject matter expert for pharmaceutical purification and downstream processing applications.

Customer & Market Development

• Build and maintain relationships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, biopharma companies, CDMOs, and purification technology providers.
• Partner with commercial teams to identify and develop new business opportunities, customer trials, and strategic partnerships.
• Provide technical leadership during customer evaluations, qualification programs, and implementation projects.
• Translate customer challenges into practical purification solutions and support the development of differentiated offerings.
• Represent Ingevity at customer meetings, scientific conferences, industry forums, and technical workshops.

Regulatory, Quality & Commercialization Support

• Drive compliance initiatives related to USP, European Pharmacopoeia, GMP, ICH, and other pharmaceutical quality standards.
• Support development of pharmaceutical-grade product specifications, technical dossiers, validation documentation, and qualification packages.
• Collaborate with Quality, Regulatory, Operations, R&D, and Commercial teams to support successful commercialization and scale-up activities.
• Contribute to strategies involving Drug Master Files (DMFs), extractables and leachables programs, change control requirements, and other qualification activities.

Market Intelligence & Strategic Development

• Monitor trends in bioprocessing, downstream purification, filtration, chromatography, adsorption science, and emerging pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies.
• Evaluate competitive technologies and identify opportunities for Ingevity to establish market leadership.
• Help shape the long-term strategy for pharmaceutical purification solutions and market expansion.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, or a related field preferred. Master's degree with substantial relevant industry experience will be considered.
• Minimum 5+ years of relevant industry experience with a Ph.D. or 8+ years with a Master's degree.
• Hands-on experience in pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical purification, downstream processing, filtration, adsorption, chromatography, or separation technologies.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical qualification and validation requirements within GMP-regulated environments.
• Experience interfacing directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers, biopharma organizations, CDMOs, or life sciences technology providers.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both scientific and commercial audiences.
• Proven success working independently in highly visible technical roles.

Ingevity is a company made up of extraordinary people of every race, religion and background, all worthy of the same dignity. Our differences are one of our great strengths. Join us in building a culture of increasing diversity and respect - a culture where everyone belongs.

Ingevity is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled.

Recruiting Agencies: Ingevity does not accept unsolicited resumes and therefore, will not be responsible for any fees associated with unsolicited resumes.