Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Process Engineer Technical Operations Small Molecule Drug Product (Spray Drying) to join our growing team.

At our company we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company using the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. We are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals.

Join a purpose-built agile small molecule manufacturing site where your work will help bring important medicines to patients in the U.S. This facility is designed to move quickly and reliably receiving technology transfers from commercialization sites and fast-following into production with a focus on quality safety and operational excellence.

At our site youll be part of a team committed to creating a safe environmentally responsible and compliant workplace where people can do their best work. We are building deep small molecule expertise in the U.S. and we want team members who are excited to grow their skills help improve how we operate and contribute to a site positioned for future growth.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership and process ownership supporting facility design commissioning qualification and startup through to technology transfer validation and ongoing commercial manufacture of OSD and drug product intermediates including spray dried materials.

In this role you will work as a key member of a cross-functional team initially supporting the capital project and transitioning into process lead responsibilities across technology transfer and commercial manufacturing driving technical excellence and operational performance.

Key Responsibilities

Technical & Process Leadership

• Provide technical leadership for drug product intermediate manufacturing processes including:

  • Spray drying (solution and suspension systems)

  • Particle engineering and solid-state control

  • Powder handling isolation and post-processing

  • Downstream processing into dosage forms (e.g. blending compaction as required)

• Act as process owner / SME for spray drying and associated unit operations and equipment

• Lead technical input to the Capital Project Team supporting:

  • Equipment selection (e.g. spray dryers atomization systems powder handling systems)

  • Process design and control strategy development

  • Commissioning qualification and startup readiness

• Lead or coordinate process scale-up technology transfer and validation activities (e.g. PPQ)

• Interpret process and material data (e.g. PSD morphology residual solvent solid-state properties) to drive data-driven decision-making and performance improvements

• Provide advanced troubleshooting support for spray drying and powder handling challenges (e.g. yield losses sticking fouling variability in particle attributes)

Technology Transfer & Commercialization

• Lead or play a key role in execution of technology transfers for Spray Dried Intermediates

• Partner with global R&D and network sites to ensure robust transfer of formulation and particle engineering knowledge

• Drive:

  • Process fit and scalability assessments

  • Spray dryer scale-up strategy (lab pilot commercial)

  • Equipment capability and process comparability evaluations

• Own or guide development and optimization of:

  • Batch documentation

  • Process descriptions and control strategies

• Support integration and industrialization of new particle engineering and enabled formulation technologies

Process Optimization & Operational Excellence

• Partner with Manufacturing to ensure safe efficient and reliable spray drying and intermediate processing operations

• Identify prioritize and implement improvements in:

  • Particle consistency (PSD morphology solid-state form)

  • Process robustness and yield

  • Throughput and cycle time

• Lead or drive continuous improvement initiatives aligned with operational excellence

• Use structured problem-solving approaches (e.g. RCA DoE) to resolve:

  • Spray drying variability (e.g. outlet temperature control atomization efficiency)

  • Powder handling challenges (e.g. flowability electrostatics losses)

  • Downstream processing impacts (e.g. blend uniformity compaction behavior where relevant)

• Monitor process trends and critical quality attributes to proactively identify risks and optimization opportunities

• Contribute to debottlenecking cleaning optimization and campaign efficiency improvements

Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure all activities are conducted in compliance with cGMP safety (including ATEX/containment where applicable) and environmental standards

• Provide technical leadership in campaign preparation execution and post-campaign review

• Own or approve key:

  • Batch records

  • Process specifications and control strategies for intermediates

• Support regulatory inspections and audits ensuring inspection-ready processes and documentation

• Ensure high standards of data integrity particularly for materials characterization and process data

Cross-functional Collaboration & Influence

• Act as a technical representative across Manufacturing Quality Engineering Supply Chain and R&D

• Provide clear technical direction and influence decision-making for product introduction and lifecycle management

• Lead or contribute to cross-functional initiatives driving alignment and execution

• Support knowledge sharing and best practice transfer across internal and external networks

Qualifications

To excel in this role you will have:

• Degree in Chemical Engineering Pharmaceutics Pharmaceutical Sciences or related discipline

• Typically 5 years experience in drug product intermediate spray drying or pharmaceutical process development/manufacturing
  (PhD may offset experience)

• Strong experience in spray drying and/or particle engineering processes

• Understanding of scale-up principles for spray dryers (lab to commercial scale)

• Experience in solid-state characterization and material science (e.g. PSD morphology amorphous/crystalline control)

• Demonstrated involvement in:

  • Technology transfer

  • Process validation (PPQ)

  • Commercial manufacturing support

• Working knowledge of cGMP and regulatory expectations

• Experience with downstream processing into drug product (e.g. blending compaction) is desirable

Key Skills:

• Strong analytical capability with ability to interpret process and material science data

• Demonstrated ability to lead technical workstreams or process-focused projects

• Excellent problem-solving skills with structured science-based approach

• Effective communicator with ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders

• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic manufacturing environment

• Proactive self-driven mindset with strong focus on ownership and continuous improvement

Our Culture

We keep the patient at the heart of everything we do and strive to deliver solutions for some of the worlds most challenging healthcare needs. We believe innovation happens when empowered individuals collaborate in an inclusive high-performing environment.

So if you are ready to:

• Play a key role in delivering spray drying and drug product intermediate capability

• Take ownership of particle engineering and intermediate process performance at scale

• Develop as a technical leader in a high-impact technology-driven environment

we encourage you to apply.

#ELKVACOE

Required Skills:

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The salary range for this role is

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employees position within the salary range will be based on several factors including but not limited to relevant education qualifications certifications experience skills geographic location government requirements and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical dental vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family) retirement benefits including 401(k) paid holidays vacation and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only:We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only:We will consider for employment all qualified applicants including those with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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