Materials Characterisation & Formulation Scientist

Are you looking to make an impact with your innovation? We are working with a well-established pharmaceutical company to recruit for a driven scientist!

Proclinical is working alongside a leading global pharmaceutical organisation is seeking an experienced Materials Characterisation & Formulation Scientist to support drug product development, material change assessments, and manufacturing process performance prediction activities.

This is an excellent opportunity for a pharmaceutical scientist with expertise in oral solid dosage forms (OSD), formulation development, process development, manufacturing science, material characterisation, and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.

You will play a key role in understanding how raw material, excipient, and API variability can impact product quality, manufacturability, and process robustness, using a combination of laboratory experimentation, process understanding, and scientific data analysis.

• Design and execute formulation and process development studies.
• Evaluate the impact of API and excipient variability on manufacturing performance and product quality.
• Assess supplier changes and material variability through laboratory experimentation and risk assessment activities.
• Develop representative small-scale models of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
• Investigate relationships between material attributes, process parameters, and critical quality attributes (CQAs).
• Conduct studies involving:
  • Powder blending
  • Content uniformity
  • Wet granulation
  • Dry granulation
  • Powder flow and feeding behaviour
  • Tablet compression
  • Compaction analysis
  • Tablet sticking investigations
  • Film coating
  • Stability and robustness assessments
• Support process understanding, scale‑up activities, and manufacturability assessments.
• Analyse experimental data and provide scientific recommendations.
• Prepare technical reports, presentations, and project updates.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including formulation, process, analytical, and manufacturing scientists.

• Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
• Proven years' experience within pharmaceutical development, pharmaceutical manufacturing, MSAT, process development, or formulation development environments.
• Strong knowledge of oral solid dosage forms (OSD) including tablets and capsules.
• Experience with pharmaceutical manufacturing unit operations including:
  • Blending
  • Granulation
  • Compression
  • Film coating
• Understanding of material attributes and their impact on product and process performance.
• Experience designing experimental studies and interpreting scientific data.
• Knowledge of process robustness, scale‑up principles, and manufacturing performance assessment.
• Strong technical writing and scientific reporting experience.
• Excellent problem‑solving and stakeholder communication skills.

• Experience supporting technology transfer, scale‑up, or commercial manufacturing.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DoE), process modelling, simulation tools, or predictive modelling.
• Experience investigating manufacturing challenges and process performance issues.
• Familiarity with material characterisation techniques and risk‑based decision making.

• Opportunity to join a highly respected global pharmaceutical organisation.
• Complex and scientifically challenging development projects.
• Exposure to commercial manufacturing and product lifecycle activities.
• Collaborative multidisciplinary environment.
• Long-term 18-month contract opportunity.

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