Lead Formulation Scientist

Scienceabode; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 80,000 - GBP 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading scientific company in the UK is looking for a Formulation Lead to drive formulation development and lead a dedicated team. This role involves providing scientific leadership in drug product development, ensuring high-quality execution of tasks, and mentoring team members. Candidates should hold a degree in Chemistry and possess strong knowledge in Organic Chemistry, along with proven leadership experience and familiarity with various analytical techniques. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus

Other benefits

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of Organic Chemistry applicable to pharmaceutical drug design.
• Experience in leadership and people management.
• Hands-on use of analytical tools and techniques in material science.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate a team for high-quality laboratory work.
• Provide scientific leadership for drug product development.
• Document and execute small-scale manufacturing activities.

Skills

Leadership

Organic Chemistry knowledge

Analytical techniques

Problem-solving

Education

Degree in Chemistry or related discipline

Tools

Minitab

PXRD

DSC

TGA

Job description

Formulation lead

This is a permanent opportunity paying competitive salary, bonus and benefits

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the team to deliver work safely, efficiently, and to a high standard of quality, documentation, and laboratory housekeeping.
• Develop, coach, and motivate team members through regular one-to-ones, performance appraisals, and recognition of team achievements.
• Act as a key point of contact for clients and internal Eurofins stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and timely resolution of issues.
• Provide scientific leadership and practical support for formulation screening and drug product development across multiple dosage form platforms.
• Plan, execute, and document small-scale manufacturing and pre-formulation activities, including oral solid and lipid-based formulations.
• Support product and material characterisation using appropriate analytical and physical testing techniques.
• Interpret experimental data and contribute to development protocols, technical reports, and laboratory documentation.
• Support formulation design, scale-up, technology transfer, and downstream development activities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, support scientific capability development, and take ownership of laboratory equipment and instrumentation.

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree in Chemistry or a related scientific discipline.
• Strong fundamental knowledge of Organic Chemistry and its application to pharmaceutical drug design.
• Proven experience in leadership and people management.
• Relevant experience in material science with hands‑on use of analytical tools and techniques.
• Practical experience with traditional and modern analytical instrumentation, including particle size analysis, PXRD, DSC, and TGA.
• Sound understanding of analytical methods, data interpretation, and scientific reporting.
• Experience with Design of Experiments (DoE), ideally using tools such as Minitab.

Desirable

• Broader experience in formulation development and scale‑up.
• Experience working within a pharmaceutical, CRO, or regulated laboratory environment.