Principal Engineer (Spray Drying) in Macclesfield

We have an open position within our Pharmaceutical Technology and Development (PT&D) department located in Durham, NC. PT&D is the bridge that turns brilliant science into actual medicines that help millions of people. We work across the entire value chain, designing and delivering active ingredients, formulations, and devices required to support new medicines – from supplies for use in early toxicology studies and clinical trials to developing the technology to ensure drugs can be scaled up for commercial manufacture.

Summary: Accountable for performance and results across multiple teams within Pharmaceutical Science, this role provides strategic, tactical, and scientific leadership with a primary focus on Spray Drying for solid dose. It leads technology transfer and scale-up of spray-dried dispersions from lab to pilot and commercial manufacture, sets departmental objectives and plans, ensures robust process development and validation, and serves as a subject-matter expert. The role drives innovation and execution excellence, trains and develops others, and influences strategic direction while ensuring compliance and business delivery.

As Principal Engineer (Spray Drying), you will be responsible for coordinating and leading spray drying process design, development and optimization on late-stage oral solid dose and inhaled drug product development projects. Building manufacturing process robustness, scale up, modelling and simulation capability to progress the development of both small and large molecules within a dynamic team environment will be your key focus. To deliver these goals, you will work and coordinate collaboratively across boundaries with colleagues with diverse scientific expertise including analysts, formulators, engineers, data scientists, materials scientists and other disciplines such as clinical supply chain, project leadership, regulatory, and outsourcing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead our engineering capability in spray drying, to design and develop robust manufacturing processes for new pharmaceutical formulations, ensuring scalability and compliance with industry standards.
• Evaluate, select, and specify spray drying equipment and technologies that best meet project and production requirements.
• Work effectively with colleagues across Global Product Development, and at our manufacturing partners, to define critical process parameters (CPPs) that influence product quality, in consideration of the wider product control strategy.
• Take the lead in defining the regulatory strategy for spray drying in drug products.
• Drive effective technical risk management to ensure that appropriate activities are conducted throughout development to deliver robust commercial manufacture.
• Expedite adoption and advancement of in silico process modelling and control in spray drying.
• Lead technology transfer, scale up and process validation approaches in spray drying.
• Provide leadership and coaching to other scientists and engineers within the group, supporting their development to build capability essential to the delivery of the present and future project portfolio.
• Demonstrate creativity and innovation, driving and supporting a culture of scientific excellence in projects.
• Stay updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in spray drying to foster innovation within the organization.

Essential Requirements:

• BSc/PhD level education in a relevant Engineering field (Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering), or in Pharmaceutical Sciences with related experience in the device and biopharmaceutical industry is essential.
• Solid Dose Spray Drying experience.
• Minimum 5 years experience.
• Industrial experience in pharmaceutical spray drying with a degree in chemical engineering or a closely related scientific discipline.
• Experience and thorough understanding of the overall pharmaceutical drug product development and commercialization process, particularly in oral solid dose.
• Proven track record of delivering multiple and/or complex late stage spray drying drug product development projects, including technology transfer, scale up and validation.
• Experience of using predictive science / digital tools.
• Experience in development of drug product control strategies, bringing together different aspects of pharmaceutical sciences.
• Strong collaborative working and communication skills, including ability to work effectively with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and different skill areas.
• Good organizational and planning skills with the ability to deliver to agreed time and quality.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Skills & Knowledge:

• Experience in development, scale up and technology transfer of a range of other drug product manufacturing processes, e.g. tablet compression, coating.
• Experience in clinical and commercial regulatory authoring and defense.
• Experience of working with external suppliers (such as CMO/CRO for outsourced development and supply) and managing productive relationships.
• Experience with inputting user requirements into capital projects.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace, and challenge perceptions. That’s why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn’t mean we’re not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

Why AstraZeneca: Be part of shaping the future of Operations here at AstraZeneca. Be part of shaping the next phase of Operations' journey towards the 2025 strategy. Build on our foundations of high performance through agility, responsiveness, reliability, and efficiency to deliver our new modalities and complex pipeline to market at speed. Backed by a supportive team, be part of accelerating our operational excellence with innovations in cutting-edge science, Lean ways of working, and fast-changing digital technologies.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $175,572 to $263,538 Annual USD. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles). Benefits offered include a qualified retirement program (401(k) plan); paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Date Posted: 07-Jan-2026. Closing Date: 30-Jan-2026. Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.