Chemical Engineer - Pharmaceutical Intermediates

Placements24; Sandton; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Online courses

Virtual conferences

Remote work

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Chemical Engineer with experience in pharmaceutical intermediates to join a remote-first team. Lead development, optimization, and scale-up of chemical processes for APIs and precursors while ensuring cGMP compliance and regulatory adherence.

You will collaborate with R&D and manufacturing teams across the globe, design experiments, run simulations, and document processes to support smooth transfer to production sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in process development and scale-up in pharma or fine chemicals.
• Strong understanding of organic synthesis, reaction engineering and separation technologies.
• Experience with cGMP environments and regulatory requirements.
• Proficiency in process simulation and data analysis tools.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills for remote collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize synthesis routes for pharmaceutical intermediates.
• Design and conduct experiments in lab and pilot plant settings.
• Perform process simulations to support design and optimization.
• Analyze data, identify critical parameters, implement control strategies.
• Prepare batch records, PFDs and P&IDs with detailed documentation.
• Ensure processes comply with cGMP and regulatory standards.
• Troubleshoot and resolve development and scale-up issues.
• Collaborate with R&D chemists, analytical scientists and manufacturing remotely.
• Evaluate new technologies to improve performance and sustainability.
• Support transfer of processes to commercial manufacturing sites.

Skills

Chemical engineering

Process optimization

Data analysis

Remote collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Process simulation software

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a talented Chemical Engineer with experience in pharmaceutical intermediates to join their innovative and fully remote team. This role is essential for the development, optimization, and scale-up of chemical processes used in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their precursors. As a remote-first organization, we leverage advanced digital collaboration tools and platforms to ensure seamless teamwork and project execution across our globally distributed workforce. You will apply rigorous chemical engineering principles to enhance process efficiency, purity, and yield while ensuring strict adherence to cGMP and regulatory standards. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the advancement of pharmaceutical manufacturing from a remote location, playing a key role in bringing life-saving medications to market.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize chemical synthesis routes for pharmaceutical intermediates.
• Design and conduct experiments in laboratory and pilot plant settings.
• Perform process simulations and modeling to support design and optimization efforts.
• Analyze process data, identify critical parameters, and implement control strategies.
• Prepare detailed process documentation, including batch records, PFDs, and P&IDs.
• Ensure processes comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and regulatory requirements.
• Troubleshoot and resolve process-related issues encountered during development and scale-up.
• Collaborate closely with R&D chemists, analytical scientists, and manufacturing teams remotely.
• Evaluate and implement new technologies to improve process performance and sustainability.
• Support the transfer of developed processes to commercial manufacturing sites.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in process development and scale-up within the pharmaceutical or fine chemical industry.
• Strong understanding of organic synthesis, reaction engineering, and separation technologies.
• Experience with cGMP environments and regulatory requirements.
• Proficiency in process simulation and data analysis software.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities for effective remote collaboration.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Familiarity with process safety principles.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a remote team setting.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive salary, performance-based incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, along with retirement savings options. We are dedicated to fostering professional growth through continuous learning opportunities, access to online courses, and participation in virtual conferences. This fully remote role provides exceptional work-life balance and the flexibility to work from anywhere. Our client champions a collaborative and supportive remote work culture, focused on innovation and employee success, with links to operations in Sandton, Gauteng, ZA.