Formulation Scientist – Pharma R&D Innovator

Placements24; East London; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Retirement fund

Advanced training

State-of-the-art laboratories

Collaborative culture

Career advancement

Job summary

Placements24 in East London is seeking a highly skilled Formulation Scientist to lead development of pharmaceutical dosage forms from concept to scale-up. You will design tablets, capsules, injectables and topicals, perform pre-formulation studies, and optimise formulations for bioavailability and stability.

The role requires a Master's or PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and at least 5 years' hands-on formulation experience, with strong collaboration across analytical, process, and regulatory

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences or related field.
• Minimum 5 years hands-on experience in pharmaceutical formulation development.
• In-depth knowledge of drug delivery systems, excipients, and formulation principles.
• Experience with various analytical techniques for characterizing drug products.
• Proficiency in developing formulations for different routes of administration.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced R&D environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop pharmaceutical dosage forms (tablets, capsules, injectables, topicals).
• Conduct pre-formulation studies including solubility, stability, and compatibility assessments.
• Optimize formulations to improve bioavailability, stability, and patient compliance.
• Plan and execute bench-scale and pilot-scale formulation development studies.
• Collaborate with analytical chemists, process engineers, and regulatory specialists throughout product development.

Skills

Formulation development

Drug delivery

Analytical techniques

Project management

R&D collaboration

Education

MSc/PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Job description

Placements24 in East London is seeking a highly skilled Formulation Scientist to lead development of pharmaceutical dosage forms from concept to scale-up. You will design tablets, capsules, injectables and topicals, perform pre-formulation studies, and optimise formulations for bioavailability and stability.

The role requires a Master's or PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and at least 5 years' hands-on formulation experience, with strong collaboration across analytical, process, and regulatory