Sr. Scientist, Pharmaceutical Development

Neurocrine Continental; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Neurocrine Biosciences seeks a senior technical leader in Pharmaceutical Development to guide CMC programs from early discovery through commercialization and lifecycle management.

You will provide strategic direction on process development, material characterization, and analytical strategies to enable phase-appropriate development and regulatory success, while managing CRO/CMO/CDMO partnerships and manufacturing readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level/advanced degree with pharmaceutical industry exposure.
• Experience leading drug product development programs.
• Strong knowledge of cGMP requirements and compliance.
• Proven ability to design, scale, and transfer processes.
• Experience with regulatory submissions and lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific and technical leadership across drug product development programs from discovery to commercial launch.
• Lead and communicate program progress, risks, and timelines across teams.
• Design, develop, and scale robust formulations and manufacturing processes using QbD and DoE principles.
• Lead process development activities including DoE, process modeling, scale-up, validation, and tech transfer.
• Act as SME to resolve complex issues across preformulation, formulation, analytical, and manufacturing activities.

Skills

DoE & statistics

QbD formulation development

CMC project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory submissions (IND/IMPD/NDA)

Education

BS/BA in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related field

MS/MA in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related field

PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related field

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:

Serve as a senior technical leader within Pharmaceutical Development, representing CMC project teams across the product lifecycle from early discovery through commercialization and lifecycle management. Provide strategic and scientific leadership in process development, material characterization, and analytical strategies to enable phase-appropriate development, manage developability risks, and support intellectual property and commercial objectives. Establish and oversee CRO/CMO/CDMO partnerships, supporting technical transfer and manufacturing readiness. Represent CMC on cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality drug products that address molecule-specific challenges and meet regulatory and commercial objectives.

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

• Provide scientific and technical leadership across drug product development programs from early discovery through commercial launch, ensuring alignment with program goals, timelines, and regulatory expectations
• Lead weekly or bi-weekly internal and NBI-CMO/CDMO project team meetings; clearly communicate program progress, risks, resource gaps, and timelines up and down the organization
• Design, develop, and scale robust, phase-appropriate formulations and manufacturing processes using Quality by Design (QbD) principles, statistical analysis, and sound scientific methodologies, with a clear path to commercialization
• Lead and contribute to process development activities including experimental design (DoE), process modeling, scale-up, validation, and technology transfer to internal and external manufacturing sites
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) to investigate and resolve complex technical issues across preformulation, formulation, analytical, and manufacturing activities; drive root cause analysis and implement effective solutions
• Oversee and collaborate with external partners, including CDMOs and vendors, to ensure appropriate technical capabilities, quality, compliance, and supply of clinical and commercial materials
• Act as technical lead and company representative during manufacturing campaigns and on-site activities ("person-in-plant"), providing oversight and ensuring successful execution
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams (e.g., Discovery, Chemical Development, Analytical, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, and Supply Chain) to advance programs and ensure effective knowledge transfer across development stages
• Lead or support CMC strategy and execution, including authorship and review of regulatory submissions (e.g., IND, IMPD, NDA, MAA) and development documentation, ensuring scientific rigor and compliance with global regulatory requirements (ICH, FDA, EMA, cGMP)
• Drive continuous process verification (CPV) and continuous improvement (CPI) activities through data analysis and monitoring of critical process parameters (CPPs) and critical quality attributes (CQAs)
• Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and leadership to team members
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• BS/BA degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field AND 6+ 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 4+ years of similar experience noted above OR
• PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field AND 2+ years of similar experience noted above; may include postdoc experience
• Advanced and comprehensive understanding of cGMP requirements across early- and late-stage drug product manufacturing, with a strong quality and compliance mindset
• Deep technical expertise in product development, including process design, optimization, scale-up, validation, and lifecycle management
• Stro