Consider joining Eurofins, where people are the most important element in our business. Eurofins is a leading contract research organization providing testing and research services in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sciences to clients worldwide.

Our innovative Professional Scientific Services (PSS) programme engages full-time scientists, technicians and technical support personnel managed by Eurofins directly at the client facility, to provide long term service needs while maintaining the same services, expertise and cGMP compliance available at the Eurofins facility. This multi award-winning programme offers excellent career opportunities for people who have a proven track record in combining excellent technical ability, with first class interpersonal and communication skills.

We are currently recruiting for an enthusiastic and innovative Particle & Powder Characterisation Scientist.  The successful candidate will be engaged in characterising Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API’s) and drug products with a focus on pharmaceutical product and process development.  This is a new and exciting opportunity based at our client’s facility, a top tier Pharmaceutical company in Sandwich, Kent, UK. The opportunity is for a graduate, ideally with a minimum of 1 - 3 year’s relevant industrial experience.

The purpose of this role is to participate in the analysis of particle and powder attributes of APIs and/or formulations to enable formulation and process design.  We are looking for a scientist with experience across a range of powder and particle characterisation techniques as well as tableting/compaction understanding, and ideally familiarization with both batch and continuous drug product processing.  The scientist will be primarily lab based utilizing a suite of physical, mechanical particle and bulk powder characterization techniques.  In addition, experience of tablet manufacture or use of compaction simulation would be a benefit.

Job Responsibilities

May include but will not be exclusive to the following and will be based on the applicants’ experience and client’s requirements.

• To perform hands-on analysis of API, powder formulation and composite samples for key physical properties such as particle size, surface area, particle shape, bulk density, true density, powder flow, powder rheology, microscopy, compaction simulation, using techniques such as, laser diffraction particle size analysis, surface area by BET, shear cell testing to determine powder flow function and wall friction, optical and scanning electron microscopy and image analysis.
• To understand the impact of API, and blend or granule properties on tablet properties within a formulation through compaction simulation and use of a compaction simulator or equivalent technology to understand lubrication sensitivity.
• To perform routine and non-routine analysis using traditional and modern analytical techniques, as required by the Group Leader or client representative.
• To relate measured or computationally determined material properties to drug product performance, in collaboration with formulation and materials scientists, through established science of scale and computational approaches to expedite understanding of drug product manufacturability.
• Ability to compile large datasets into a precise format and apply data analysis tools to support visualization and trending of data (e.g. multi-variate analysis approaches).
• To interpret scientific data to derive clear conclusions and provide direction for future work.
• To communicate effectively to the project team and present data at team meetings.
• To maintain high quality documentation of all activities in electronic notebooks, reports as required, documenting observations and findings.
• Ability to plan and review work schedules to meet deadlines, communicate results clearly.
• Ability to work as both part of a team or independently, as required.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential:

• Degree in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science, Pharmacy or similar, plus a minimum of 1 - 3 years’ relevant industry experience is essential.
• A sound, fundamental knowledge of Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science and Pharmaceutical Solid Oral Formulation Drug Product Design and processing/manufacturing. 
• A good understanding of relevant theoretical and hands-on experience of bulk powder and/or particle characterisation techniques in a development laboratory within the pharmaceutical industry.
• A good foundation and experience with traditional physical property analytical techniques, as well as modern instrumental equipment (e.g., optical microscopy, laser diffraction particle size analysis, electron microscopy, shear cell testing, compaction simulation, etc.).  Must possess basic knowledge of data analysis methods, software packages (e.g. Matlab) and approaches.
• A sound understanding of the use of tools to aid formulation design and development, including compaction simulation, powder flow, particle size, particle shape, density, rheology, compact mechanical properties and porosity across a diverse range of sample types including APIs, excipients, blends, granules, multi-particulates and tablets.
• Good understanding of requirements for working in a GLP or GMP environment.

Preferable:

• Experience of experimental design planning e.g. use of Design Expert.
• Good foundational knowledge across multiple solid oral dosage forms, e.g. tablets, capsules, multi-particulates.
• An understanding of drug product intermediate or final dosage form characterisation techniques (e.g. x-ray tomography) and their application to process understanding.
• Exposure to and application of modelling pharmaceutical processes.
• Experience in the use of statistical analysis software packages, for example JMP or Design-Expert, and some experience in one or more of the following areas would be highly beneficial: R, Python, programming in R (Shiny), database design and development. If these are not currently part of your skillset, then we would still welcome your application, provided you have the capability and desire to grow into the role.

Eurofins Scientific is an international life sciences company, which provides a unique range of analytical testing services to clients across multiple industries. The Group believes it is the world leader in food, environment, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products testing and in agroscience CRO services. It is also one of the global independent market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for genomics, discovery pharmacology, forensics, CDMO, advanced material sciences and for supporting clinical studies. In addition, Eurofins is one of the leading global emerging players in specialty clinical diagnostic testing.

In 2018, Eurofins generated 4.2 billion Euro proforma turnover in 800 laboratories across 47 countries, employing about 45.000 staff.