Principal Scientist, Pharmaceutical Development

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. in San Diego seeks an experienced Principal Scientist, Preformulation & Pharmaceutical Development, to provide scientific expertise, technical oversight, and strategic guidance across multiple drug development programs.

The Principal Scientist will act as a senior technical leader within Pharmaceutical Development, collaborating with Discovery, Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, Analytical Development, and other Technical Operations functions to anticipate

Qualifications

• BS/BA in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 8+ years pharma experience
• MS/MA in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 6+ years experience
• PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of experience; postdoc accepted
• Strong cross-functional understanding related to molecule selection and drug development preferred

Responsibilities

• Serve as scientific SME in preformulation and developability across multiple programs
• Design and develop phase-appropriate analytical methods (HPLC-UV, LC-MS, MS-MS, SEC-HPLC)
• Lead preformulation and developability studies including physicochemical characterization, solubility, stability
• Identify developability risks and recommend strategies for candidate selection and formulation development
• Provide independent scientific review of experimental designs, data, reports, and regulatory documentation
• Mentor scientists on experimental approaches, troubleshooting, data interpretation, and scientific writing
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary R&D teams to communicate findings and influence strategy
• Evaluate and implement new analytical technologies and process improvements
• Author and review technical reports and regulatory submissions
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Preformulation

Developability

Analytical methods

HPLC-UV

LC-MS

MS-MS

SEC-HPLC

CMC knowledge

Regulatory documentation

Mentoring

Education

BS/BA in Chemistry/related

MS/MA in Chemistry/related

PhD in Chemistry/related

Tools

HPLC-UV

LC-MS

MS-MS

SEC-HPLC

Job description

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit neurocrine.com , and follow the company on LinkedIn , X , Facebook and YouTube . ( *in collaboration with AbbVie )

About the Role:

Neurocrine Biosciences is seeking an experienced Principal Scientist, Preformulation & Pharmaceutical Development, to provide scientific expertise, technical oversight, and strategic guidance across multiple drug development programs.

Serve as a senior technical leader within Pharmaceutical Development, representing Technical Operations in project teams across the product lifecycle from early discovery into clinical development. The successful candidate will collaborate with Discovery, Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Development, Analytical Development, and other Technical Operations functions to anticipate downstream development challenges and support the advancement of safe, effective, and developable drug candidates. The Principal Scientist will apply broad pharmaceutical industry experience to develop fit-for purpose analytical methods, guide preformulation strategies, assess developability risks, critically evaluate scientific data, and provide recommendations that inform candidate selection, formulation development, and CMC decision-making across process development, material characterization, and analytical strategies to enable phase-appropriate development, manage developability risks, and support intellectual property and commercial objectives.

Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

• Serve as a scientific subject matter expert in preformulation and pharmaceutical developability, providing technical guidance and strategic recommendations across multiple drug development programs, primarily supporting pre-FIH activities
• Design and develop fit-for-purpose phase-appropriate analytical methods (HPLC-UV, LC-MS, MS-MS, SEC-HPLC, etc.) studies in support of early pharmaceutical development activities
• Design, execute, and oversee phase-appropriate preformulation and developability studies, including physicochemical characterization, solubility, stability, formulation feasibility, and analytical method development
• Apply broad pharmaceutical development experience to identify developability risks, evaluate experimental findings, and recommend strategies that support candidate selection, formulation development, and CMC decision-making
• Provide independent scientific review of experimental designs, analytical data, electronic laboratory notebooks, technical reports, developability assessments, and regulatory documentation to ensure scientific rigor and quality
• Serve as a technical mentor to scientists, providing guidance on experimental approaches, troubleshooting, data interpretation, scientific writing, and development best practices
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary R&D and Technical Operations teams to communicate scientific findings, anticipate downstream development challenges, and influence program strategy and advancement
• Evaluate and implement innovative analytical technologies, scientific approaches, and process improvements to enhance preformulation capabilities and development efficiency
• Author and review technical reports, scientific presentations, and relevant regulatory submissions while supporting knowledge sharing and scientific excellence across the organization
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• BS/BA degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field and 8+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience, specifically in a chemistry, analytical, or characterization laboratory setting OR
• MS/MA degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of similar experience noted above OR
• PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of similar experience noted above; may include postdoc experience
• Strong cross-functional understanding related to molecule selection and drug development is strongly preferredMust ha