Senior API Process Chemist: Development & Scale-Up

Placements24; Mtubatuba Local Municipality; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical aid

Provident fund

Performance-based bonuses

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Pharmaceutical Process Chemist for a Richards Bay facility in KwaZulu-Natal. The role focuses on development, optimization, and scale-up of API synthesis, ensuring safe, cost-effective production of high-quality compounds within a state-of-the-art site.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD in Organic or Process Chemistry with at least five years in pharma process development, understands GMP, and can lead cross-functional teams from lab to manufacturing while mentoring

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in pharmaceutical process development and scale-up.
• Strong foundation in synthetic organic chemistry and reaction mechanisms.
• Knowledge of GMP/regulatory requirements for API manufacturing.
• Excellent problem-solving, data analysis, and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize synthetic routes for APIs focusing on yield, cost, and impurity control.
• Design and execute lab-scale experiments to establish process parameters.
• Lead process scale-up from lab to pilot plant and manufacturing scales.
• Troubleshoot issues during process development, scale-up, and production.
• Conduct process hazard analyses and implement safety measures.
• Collaborate with analytical chemists to develop and validate analytical methods for in-process controls and release.
• Prepare process development reports and regulatory filing sections.
• Ensure all activities comply with GMP, EHS, and regulatory guidelines.
• Stay abreast of new synthesis technologies and process intensification strategies.
• Mentor junior process chemists and contribute to team growth in Richards Bay.

Skills

Synthetic organic chemistry

Process development

Scale-up

Regulatory compliance

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry

Tools

HPLC

GC

NMR

MS

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Pharmaceutical Process Chemist for a Richards Bay facility in KwaZulu-Natal. The role focuses on development, optimization, and scale-up of API synthesis, ensuring safe, cost-effective production of high-quality compounds within a state-of-the-art site.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD in Organic or Process Chemistry with at least five years in pharma process development, understands GMP, and can lead cross-functional teams from lab to manufacturing while mentoring