Associate Principal Scientist – External Capabilities

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom, +2 more countries.

📋 Description

• Provide scientific leadership and oversee day-to-day technical aspects of process chemistry activities at external partners.

• Guide the design of synthetic routes, route scouting, process optimization, understanding of reactions, impurity-control strategies, process robustness, and the preparation of intermediates and APIs.

• Act as the scientific liaison between external partners and internal project teams.

• Evaluate experimental plans, data packages, development reports, and technical proposals.

• Identify scientific, operational, quality, and delivery risks while establishing mitigation strategies.

• Employ rigorous problem-solving methods to tackle challenges in synthetic chemistry and process development.

• Collaborate with Process Chemistry, Discovery Process Chemistry, Enabling Technologies, Chemical Engineering R&D, Analytical R&D, Quality, and other relevant functions.

• Provide data-driven recommendations for technical and strategic project decisions.

• Build relationships with scientists and management at external partner organizations.

• Facilitate knowledge transfer between external partners and internal teams.

• Advocate for scientific rigor, documentation, quality, data integrity, safety, and compliance.

• Contribute to strategies for external capabilities, working practices, scientific standards, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Mentor colleagues and scientists from external partners as appropriate.

• Communicate project developments, technical risks, decisions, and suggested actions to stakeholders.

⛳️ Requirements

• Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry or a closely related discipline.

• Relevant experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, focusing on synthetic chemistry, process chemistry, or related drug development activities.

• Proven ability to independently lead complex scientific projects and guide multidisciplinary or external project teams.

• Strong expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, route design, process development, reaction optimization, impurity control, and scale-up considerations.

• A demonstrated history of delivering high-quality scientific outcomes through innovation, sound judgment, and proactive problem-solving.

• Capability to analyze complex experimental data, identify technical risks, and suggest practical development strategies.

• Experience in cross-functional collaboration across scientific and operational domains.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

• Strong negotiation, influencing, collaboration, and relationship management abilities.

• Ability to operate across organizational boundaries, cultures, geographies, and time zones.

• Commitment to scientific excellence, data integrity, quality, safety, compliance, and ethical decision-making.

• Evidence of scientific contributions through publications, presentations, patents, internal technical reports, process-development achievements, or other relevant impacts in science.

• Willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time.

• Preferred: experience supervising work at contract development and manufacturing organizations or external R&D partners.

• Preferred: expertise in synthetic route development and process scale-up from laboratory studies to multikilogram or manufacturing-scale execution.

• Preferred: knowledge in API delivery, technology transfer, external manufacturing, analytical control strategies, process safety, quality systems, regulatory expectations, managing multiple competing projects, mentoring, and external relationship management.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote work arrangement.

• Opportunity to collaborate with a diverse, talented, and dedicated team in an inclusive environment.

• Travel approximately 25% of the time based on business requirements.