Principal Scientist - Formulation Development (Remote)

Placements24; Polokwane; Hybrid; ZAR 1,400,000 - 1,900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan with match

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead formulation development for diverse drug products in a fully remote role across South Africa. The candidate will design, develop, and optimize formulations, guiding experiments from bench to potential commercial scale in collaboration with discovery, analytical development, and MSAT teams.

The role requires a PhD in a related field and at least 8 years of pharma formulation experience, with strong DoE skills and remote leadership capabilities

Qualifications

• PhD in a related discipline with extensive formulation development expertise.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive pharma formulation development experience.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage remote collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development of NCEs and existing products across therapies.
• Conduct pre-formulation studies to assess physicochemical properties.
• Develop and optimize formulations for various dosage forms with attention to bioavailability and stability.
• Apply DoE for screening and optimization of formulations.
• Collaborate with analytical development and MSAT for robust transfer.
• Provide scientific leadership to a team of formulation scientists.

Skills

Formulation development

DoE

Leadership

Remote collaboration

Analytical instrumentation

Education

PhD in Pharmaceutics / Pharmaceutical Sciences / Chemical Engineering

Tools

HPLC

Dissolution testing

Particle size analysis

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a renowned pharmaceutical company focused on delivering innovative drug products, is seeking a highly experienced Principal Scientist to lead their Formulation Development efforts. This is a fully remote position, enabling you to contribute your expertise from anywhere in South Africa . The Principal Scientist will be responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing novel drug formulations for various dosage forms, ensuring product quality, efficacy, and patient compliance. You will collaborate closely with discovery teams, analytical development, and manufacturing to translate drug candidates into viable commercial products. This role is crucial for advancing our client's pipeline and bringing life-changing medicines to patients worldwide. As a remote role, strong leadership and virtual collaboration skills are essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the formulation development of new chemical entities (NCEs) and existing drug products across various therapeutic areas.
• Design and conduct pre-formulation studies to understand drug substance physicochemical properties.
• Develop and optimize formulations for different dosage forms (e.g., oral, injectable, topical), considering factors like bioavailability, stability, and manufacturability.
• Utilize DoE (Design of Experiments) principles for efficient formulation screening and optimization.
• Characterize formulations using various analytical techniques (e.g., HPLC, dissolution testing, particle size analysis).
• Scale-up formulation processes from laboratory bench to pilot and commercial manufacturing scales.
• Collaborate with analytical development teams to establish robust analytical methods for characterization and quality control.
• Work closely with manufacturing sciences and technology (MSAT) to ensure successful technology transfer.
• Provide scientific and technical leadership to a team of formulation scientists.
• Stay current with emerging trends and technologies in pharmaceutical formulation and drug delivery.

Requirements

• PhD in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in pharmaceutical formulation development.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing various dosage forms (oral solids, liquids, injectables, etc.).
• Strong understanding of drug delivery principles, pharmacokinetics, and biopharmaceutics.
• Hands-on experience with formulation development equipment and analytical instrumentation.
• Proficiency in DoE methodologies and statistical analysis software.
• Experience with scale-up and technology transfer processes.
• Excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead and influence effectively in a remote setting.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

This fully remote position offers a highly competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a generous retirement plan with company match, and significant paid time off. Our client invests in professional growth through access to leading-edge research, virtual training programs, and opportunities to attend scientific conferences. The flexibility of this remote role promotes excellent work-life integration.