Sr. Scientist, Pharma Solutions R&D

Job Description

The Pharma Solutions business will be taking on its next chapter of growth as a trusted partner for the pharmaceutical industry with the announcement to sell Pharma Solutions to Roquette. This move will position Pharma Solutions to expand its industry leadership through continued investment in innovation to meet the evolving needs of pharmaceutical manufacturers and developers worldwide.

The sale is presently expected to close in the first half of 2025, pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. The Pharma Solutions business unit will remain a part of IFF until close and, at such time, it will transition to Roquette. In applying for this position, you acknowledge your awareness that the position is a part of the Pharma Solutions business unit and has been identified to transition to Roquette.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Scientist in the Colloids and Biopharma R&D group, part of IFF Pharma Solutions R&D, in Wilmington, Delaware. The R&D Scientist will lead the preparation and execution of experimental activities to support the Pharma Solutions R&D growth strategy, including developing materials and technologies for the biopharma industry.

Pharma Solutions is a material supplier to the pharmaceutical industry, and we are looking for a passionate scientist to help us grow our materials and solutions offerings for a range of biopharma applications from suspension cell culture to emerging technologies such as cell and gene therapy and tissue engineering. A successful applicant will have laboratory experience associated with the experimental methods, analytical techniques, and instrumentation troubleshooting.

Responsibilities:

⦁ Identifying, assessing and developing new scientific concepts, technologies and/or products to provide solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry, carried out in close collaboration with customers and internal stakeholders in all regions.

⦁ Demonstrating functional excellence in the application of the scientific method and design of experiments.

⦁ Managing scientific, technical, or information projects, coordinating with other professionals, such as manufacturing, marketing, sales, supply chain and support personnel to accomplish specific project objectives.

⦁ Timely documentation and generation of intellectual property.

⦁ Enabling business decisions via clear communication of results to technical teams, management and customers.

⦁ Being an active member of broader R&D community to drive growth in core market segments and transformational technology platforms across all regions.

⦁ Works as part of and leader of teams evaluating existing and developing new excipient, polymer, and ingredient technologies for use in biopharmaceutical processes and formulations.

⦁ Understands the group objectives and the business or group's value creating strategy and is an important contributor to the technical solutions that result in project and team success. Trains other work group members and contractors on specific work processes, equipment, machinery, for which the incumbent is a work group subject matter expert.

⦁ Leads the team or work group in identifying improvement opportunities in area of Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) and implements improved EH&S practices and procedures

Job Requirements

⦁ PhD or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science and Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory Medicine, or closely related field plus 1-5 years industry experience. Individuals with 1-5 years industry experience are desired but exceptional post-docs and graduate students with expected degree completion within 3 months are also encouraged to apply.

⦁ MS or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science and Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory Medicine, or closely related field plus 4-10 years' experience will also be considered.

⦁ Expertise in laboratory-scale bioreactor mammalian cell culture for production of recombinant proteins, viral vectors, tissue engineering, or cell therapies.

⦁ Expertise in aspects of bioprocess optimization such as media development, media preparation, reactor process development, ingredient selection, cell harvest, and post-culture recovery.

⦁ Experience and knowledge of materials used biopharmaceutical development and manufacture, such as recombinant protein production, viral vector development, tissue engineering, and/or cell therapies.

⦁ Strong multi-tasking, problem solving and time management skills.

⦁ Strong technical and interpersonal skills to work effectively in a team environment.

⦁ Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies with an understanding of basic chemistry and biology principles and apply understanding to make suggestions for improvements

⦁ Strong written and verbal communication skills.

⦁ A self-starter who can identify, prioritize and accomplish multiple tasks.

⦁ Demonstrate organizational skills along with a strong commitment to safety

Preferred Experience

In addition to the above qualifications, exceptional candidates will further have at least one of:

⦁ Experience with scale-down bioreactor systems such as Ambr, DasBox, PBS-Mini, or similar.

⦁ Expertise in water soluble polymers and gel-forming polymers.

⦁ Expertise in areas related to colloid and interface science, especially liquid interfaces.

⦁ Expertise in pharmaceutical dosage form preparation/characterization, pharmaceutical excipients, or polymer characterization.

⦁ Expertise in liquid solution rheology.

Additional details:

⦁ Relocation will be offered

⦁ Travel less than 5%

We are a global leader in taste, scent, nutrition, and pharmaceutical ingredients, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential.

We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more.

Nearest Major Market: Wilmington

Nearest Secondary Market: Philadelphia