Senior Scientist, Oral Formulation Sciences (On-site)

Merck; New Jersey; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck’s Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply organization seeks a Scientist to advance formulation development from early designs to robust manufacturing processes. The role focuses on translating bench-top science into market-ready products through experimental planning, data interpretation, and collaboration across disciplines.

The candidate will contribute to scaling-up formulations, evaluating new technologies, and supporting clinical supply manufacturing with a matrix team.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline (with expected graduation no later than March 2027).
• Bachelor or Master degree in Engineering/Pharmaceutical Sciences with minimum 5 years' industrial experience.

Responsibilities

• Propose new, innovative approaches for product development and design experiments.
• Support internal capability development by evaluating new technologies.
• Coordinate development activities with cross-functional groups and external CMOs.
• Facilitate manufacturing, packaging, and release of clinical supplies for studies.

Skills

Design of Experiments

Data analysis

Team collaboration

Written communication

Pharmaceutical development

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering or related field

Tools

Process modeling

Job description

Job Description

Our company's Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply organization translates molecules to medicines, working from the discovery interface through registration stability manufacturing by designing, developing and scaling-up the formulation, device, and manufacturing process. Driving drug product design from the bench top to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing facilities, our Scientists use cutting edge science to transform drug delivery and manufacturing technology to positively impact patients.

The successful candidate will be a passionate Scientist with strong academic fundamentals and a drive to develop new medicines to improve human health. In this role, the individual will be responsible for supporting the formulation development of new chemical entities as part of a matrix team from initial first in human formulations (suspensions, solutions, capsules, tablets) through final market formulation definition and manufacturing process robustness assessment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Propose new, innovative approaches for product development, generate experimental designs, execute experimental plans, and interpret data.
• Support internal capability development by evaluating new technologies and deploying them to pipeline assets.
• Collaborate effectively within and across functional areas and possess advanced knowledge or experience in a specialized scientific area. The desired individual is someone who will bring knowledge and creativity to the position as well as have the discipline to drive results.
• Execute formulation and process development activities using Design of Experiments for new chemical entities or life cycle management opportunities.
• Coordinate development activities with process chemistry, preformulation, analytical, and physical characterization groups.
• Outsource/coordinate formulation development or clinical manufacturing at Contract Development or Manufacturing Organizations.
• Facilitate manufacturing, packaging, and release of clinical supplies for clinical studies, assist in scale up activities at pilot and commercial scale, and summarize results in technical reports and presentations.
• Enhance our professional image and competitive advantage through patents, presentations, publications, and professional activities and advance areas such as science and technology development, technical and business strategic improvements, business process innovations.
• Maintain awareness of relevant new and current technologies, capabilities, and effectively share this knowledge with others.

Education Minimum Requirements

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline (with expected graduation no later than March 2027). Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline with minimum of 5 years' relevant industrial experience.

Required Experience and Skills

• Proven ability to identify and develop innovative ideas.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design and execute complex experiments and data analysis.
• Ability to work effectively with team members of different skill sets and backgrounds.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Pharmaceutical development experience.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, fundamentally characterize, and address manufacturing challenges through the development and optimization of novel production technologies.
• Experience with advanced drug product manufacturing technologies, including: continuous manufacturing, three dimensional (3D) printing, controlled release, and/or oral delivery of large molecules.
• Experience with process modeling, simulation, and automation integration in the pharmaceutical and/or industrial manufacturing sector.
• Desire to build new capabilities through the evaluation of new technologies and hands-on optimization of existing technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to apply the principles of physical/organic chemistry, physical pharmacy, and materials science to solving practical pharmaceutical development problems.
• Hands-on experience in pharmaceutical pilot plants.

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we "follow the science" and that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. And we believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe.

We are driven by our purpose to develop and deliver innovative products that save and improve lives. With 69,000 employees operating in more than 140 countries, we offer state of the art laboratories, plants and offices that are designed to Inspire our employees as we learn, develop and grow in our careers. We are proud of our 125 years of service to humanity and continue to be one of the world's biggest inv