Lead Formulation & Drug Delivery Scientist

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Continuing education support

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Pharmaceutical Development Scientist in Klerksdorp, North West to lead formulation development from concept to clinical material. The role requires spearheading studies, scaling processes, and coordinating with analytical and process teams to advance drug candidates.

You will mentor junior scientists, design robust experiments, and contribute to regulatory documentation while shaping the strategic direction of the product pipeline.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical formulation and drug product development.
• Strong understanding of physical chemistry, polymer science, and drug delivery principles.
• Hands-on experience with solid dosage forms, sterile products, and controlled-release systems.
• Proficiency in formulation development techniques and analytical characterization methods (HPLC, DSC, XRD).
• Experience with process development and scale-up of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
• Ability to design experiments and interpret complex data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for regulatory documents.
• Proven ability to lead projects and mentor junior scientists.
• Familiarity with QbD and risk assessment tools desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development of new pharmaceutical products including various dosage forms.
• Design pre-formulation studies, solubility enhancement, and stability assessments.
• Develop and optimize manufacturing processes for drug candidates with scalability.
• Characterize drug delivery systems and evaluate performance using analytical methods.
• Collaborate with analytical teams to establish release and stability testing methods.
• Plan and execute formulation studies for early-phase clinical trials.
• Troubleshoot formulation and process issues with effective solutions.
• Prepare technical reports, development summaries, and regulatory submission documents.
• Mentor junior scientists and participate in cross-functional project teams.
• Manage CRO collaborations and stay updated on regulatory guidelines.

Skills

Pharmaceutics

Drug delivery

Formulation development

Analytical methods

HPLC

DSC

XRD

Scale-up

QbD

Project leadership

Mentoring

Education

PhD or Master’s in Pharmaceutics or related field

Tools

HPLC

DSC

XRD

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Pharmaceutical Development Scientist in Klerksdorp, North West to lead formulation development from concept to clinical material. The role requires spearheading studies, scaling processes, and coordinating with analytical and process teams to advance drug candidates.

You will mentor junior scientists, design robust experiments, and contribute to regulatory documentation while shaping the strategic direction of the product pipeline.