Senior API Process Chemist: Scale-Up & Innovation

Placements24; Bloemfontein; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Medical aid

Retirement fund

Life insurance

Job summary

Placements24 in Bloemfontein is seeking a Senior Process Development Chemist to drive development, optimization, and scale-up of API production processes. The role emphasizes robust, safe, cost-effective processes aligned with regulatory standards and hands-on laboratory work across multiple departments.

The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of pharmaceutical process development experience, with strong expertise in organic synthesis, process chemistry, and engineering principles.

Qualifications

• MSc or Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Process Chemistry, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical process development.
• Strong knowledge of organic synthesis, reaction mechanisms, and purification techniques.
• Experience with process scale-up, pilot plant operations, and technology transfer.
• Familiarity with Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and Quality by Design (QbD) principles.
• Proficiency in analytical techniques such as HPLC, GC, NMR, and MS.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize synthetic routes for APIs, focusing on scalability, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
• Conduct process hazard analyses and implement appropriate safety measures.
• Perform reaction kinetics studies and thermodynamic analysis to understand process behavior.
• Develop analytical methods for monitoring reaction progress and product quality.
• Scale-up chemical processes from laboratory to pilot plant and commercial manufacturing.
• Troubleshoot process deviations and implement corrective actions.
• Collaborate with engineers, analytical chemists, and regulatory affairs specialists.
• Ensure all activities comply with cGMP and other relevant regulatory requirements.

Skills

Organic synthesis

Process chemistry

Chemical engineering

Education

MSc or PhD in Organic Chemistry/Process Chemistry

Tools

HPLC

GC

NMR

MS

Job description

Placements24 in Bloemfontein is seeking a Senior Process Development Chemist to drive development, optimization, and scale-up of API production processes. The role emphasizes robust, safe, cost-effective processes aligned with regulatory standards and hands-on laboratory work across multiple departments.

The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of pharmaceutical process development experience, with strong expertise in organic synthesis, process chemistry, and engineering principles.