Senior Scientist – Chemical Engineer, Chemical Development
Location: Macclesfield, UK
Opening date: 22/04/2026
Closing date: 05/05/2026
Overview
In Chemical Development we design, develop and optimise synthetic routes to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients in a sustainable, commercially viable way. This role focuses on developing, scaling‑up, and ensuring the reproducibility of drug substance manufacturing processes for small molecules and complex biologic conjugates.
Accountabilities
- Lead engineering input to develop and optimise new chemical processes through laboratory experimentation and in‑silico modelling.
- Assess scale‑up and manufacturability to secure right‑first‑time manufacture, smooth technical transfers, and long‑term viability across internal and external facilities.
- Perform environmental, materials and process safety assessments to support integration of processes into the internal manufacturing facility.
- Partner with contract manufacturing organisations worldwide to provide engineering support for external scale‑up and accommodation of processes.
- Champion sustainability initiatives to improve environmental footprint, efficiency and patient access.
- Contribute to drug substance control strategies to ensure robust and consistent product quality.
- Drive improvement projects and evaluate, select, and implement new manufacturing technologies.
- Mentor and supervise junior colleagues and students, sharing knowledge and encouraging innovative thinking.
Essential Skills / Experience
- A degree and/or PhD in Chemical Engineering.
- Experience in pharmaceutical/fine chemical/food manufacturing, including batch and/or continuous operation.
- Strong understanding of unit operations such as mixing, distillation, liquid‑liquid extraction, solid‑phase synthesis, chromatography, tangential flow filtration, isolation and drying, and their dependency on scale and equipment.
- Ability to use modelling software (e.g., Aspen, DynoChem, gPROMS, Computational Fluid Dynamics) to support process understanding.
- Good collaborative skills to work effectively with chemists, analysts, and physical properties experts.
- Strong understanding of process safety and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) principles.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills.
Desirable Skills / Experience
- Significant experience in a chemical/process engineering role in industry or equivalent.
- Experience in chemical process development scale‑up and/or technical transfer.
- Experience in evaluation and implementation of new manufacturing technologies.
- Experience leading technical projects or acting as a lead process engineer.
- Awareness of AI tools and their application to chemical engineering process development and scale‑up.
- Experience collaborating with external partners.
Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments and accommodations to help all candidates perform at their best. If you have a need for adjustments, please complete the section in the application form.
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