Head of Late Stage Formulation
Northern Ireland
A global veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturer with a strong international footprint is expanding its R&D leadership team and is seeking an experienced Head of Late Stage Formulation.
The organisation develops and manufactures veterinary medicines supplied to over 100 countries worldwide, with significant ongoing investment in R&D and a robust pipeline of new product launches. This role offers the opportunity to lead a critical function at the interface of development, scale up, and commercial manufacture.
As Head of Late Stage Formulation, you will be the technical authority for late stage formulation development, leading a specialist scientific team responsible for ensuring formulations are robust, scalable, and ready for commercial manufacture.
You will play a key role in managing technical risk, applying Quality by Design (QbD) principles, and working cross functionally with Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Manufacturing teams to support successful technology transfer.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and manage the Late Stage Formulation team, ensuring high technical and quality standards
Develop and optimise veterinary drug product formulations in line with (V)ICH guidelines
Transfer formulations from early development into late stage scale up and commercial manufacture
Apply QbD principles to strengthen process understanding and lock down critical process parameters
Collaborate cross functionally to support scale up, validation, and handover to manufacturing
Oversee reverse engineering, product characterisation, and stability studies
Provide technical input into patent and intellectual property strategy
Author and review technical documentation to support global regulatory submissions (FDA, EMA, VICH/ICH, Ph. Eur., BP, USP)
Drive continuous improvement within the formulation function
Train, develop, and mentor scientific staff, maintaining strong technical capability and compliance
About You
You are an experienced formulation scientist and people leader with a strong background in regulated pharmaceutical development.
Essential experience includes:
Postgraduate degree in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy, or a related discipline
5+ years’ experience in drug product formulation development, scale up, and manufacture
Strong working knowledge of GMP and global regulatory frameworks (FDA, EMA, VICH/ICH)
Experience across a range of dosage forms within human or veterinary pharmaceuticals
Proven experience leading and developing scientific teams
Strong communication skills and a track record of effective cross functional collaboration
Why Apply?
Lead a high impact formulation function within a globally active pharmaceutical manufacturer
Play a key role in bringing new veterinary medicines to market
Long term career opportunity within a growing, R&D driven organisation
Competitive benefits package including pension, healthcare support, and generous annual leave
Permanent, site based role with strong investment in facilities and people
Additional Information
This role is based on a penicillin producing site and is not suitable for individuals with a penicillin allergy
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK (visa sponsorship is not available)