Research Expert, Early Pharmaceutics

Research Expert, Early Pharmaceutics

Evotec

Verona, Italy

Position Summary

The Research Expert leads Early Pharmaceutics projects from Discovery through Candidate Nomination and early Development. Combining expertise in analytical chemistry, physicochemical characterization, biopharmaceutics and formulation development with project leadership, the role defines formulation strategies, interprets scientific data and supports progression of innovative molecules toward clinical development.

The role also contributes to the growth of the Early Pharmaceutics group through mentoring, establishing best practices and promoting scientific excellence and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary customer projects from Discovery through Candidate Nomination and early Development, serving as the scientific lead for Early Pharmaceutics activities.
• Define formulation and biopharmaceutics strategies based on API properties, developability assessments and project objectives, including support for toxicology studies and screening of enabling technologies for early clinical formulations.
• Apply analytical, physicochemical and formulation expertise to design, evaluate and recommend formulation approaches, with particular focus on solubility-enhancing technologies.
• Collaborate closely with Medicinal Chemistry, DMPK, Analytical Development, Pharmaceutical Development to translate scientific data into robust development strategies.
• Serve as the primary scientific contact for customers, supporting technical discussions, proposal development and new business opportunities.
• Lead project execution, mentor junior scientists and contribute to scientific excellence, innovation and continuous improvement across the department.

Qualifications

• PhD (preferred), MSc or equivalent in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacy, Chemistry or a related scientific discipline.
• 8–10 years of relevant industrial experience in early pharmaceutical development.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary pharmaceutical development projects within a customer-focused environment.

Required Scientific Expertise

The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in:

• Analytical chemistry and physicochemical characterization of drug substances are good to have.
• Formulation development across multiple dosage forms and routes of administration.
• Development of formulations for multiple therapeutic modalities, including:
  • Small molecules.
  • Small proteins and peptides (preferred).
  • Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) (preferred).
• Solubility-enhancing technologies, including amorphous solid dispersions, spray drying, hot melt extrusion, lipid-based systems, particle size reduction, cyclodextrins and other enabling formulation approaches.
• Biopharmaceutics and developability assessment.
• Basic understanding of Interpretation of pharmacokinetic (PK), ADME and DMPK data to guide formulation strategy and support project decisions.
• Scientific problem-solving and risk assessment throughout early pharmaceutical development.

Core Competencies

• Scientific leadership and sound technical judgement.
• Strong customer focus and business acumen.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Outstanding communication, presentation and influencing skills.
• Ability to build effective multidisciplinary collaborations across Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development.
• Coaching and mentoring junior scientists.
• Innovative mindset with a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, customer-driven environment.

Languages

• Excellent written and spoken English is essential.
• Additional languages (Italian, German or French) are considered an advantage.