R&D Chemical Engineer (Senior Associate Scientist/Scientist) in Maidstone

Company overview: Founded in 1999, Asymchem has grown into a leading global integrated Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), renowned for its innovative solutions and commitment to excellence. Our mission is to drive smarter, greener, and more cost-effective manufacturing to support pharmaceutical and biotech research and commercialization. Since 2024, Asymchem has been operating research laboratories and a small molecule API pilot plant at Discovery Park, Sandwich, UK, establishing our first manufacturing facility in Europe and expanding our capabilities to meet the needs of global clients. The Sandwich facility acts as the flagship site for European R&D and we are looking to recruit into key roles. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an innovative, collaborative, dynamic team of scientists and help shape our operations and the future of our organization.

What we offer: We offer competitive compensation, flexible benefits packages including health insurance, retirement plans, opportunities to buy or sell holidays, as well as a good work-life balance. Enjoy a fun and rewarding career with daily opportunities to collaborate with highly talented scientists. Additionally, there will be a myriad of opportunities to learn new technical and interpersonal skills, develop existing strengths, coach, and mentor others, while pursuing our company's mission.

Position summary: Working within our state-of-the-art laboratories at Sandwich, you will play a key role in advancing the development of safe, sustainable, and efficient unit operations for active pharmaceutical ingredients. In this position, you will design and execute laboratory studies supported by data analysis and process modelling to drive improvements in drug development. Working within multidisciplinary teams, you will apply core engineering principles to enable the safe, reliable scale-up of client drug-substance processes. This role is well suited to a recent chemical engineering graduate or early-career engineer with strong technical aptitude, curiosity, and a passion for applied learning. While prior experience is advantageous, it is not essential; we are committed to supporting your growth as you develop the skills needed to excel in this role.

• Asymchem will invest in your development so that you deliver the key elements of the role:

• Provide tailored coaching to scientists at varying career stages, helping them build technical depth and broaden capabilities.
• Hold regular 1:1 meetings to align on progress, challenges, workload, and wellbeing.
• Support career progression by identifying growth pathways, preparing development plans, and facilitating opportunities such as stretch assignments, cross-functional projects, or conference participation.

Scientific & Technical Leadership:

• You will provide expert engineering support in the development, scale-up, and manufacturability of drug-substance and intermediate processes.
• You will apply advanced engineering and chemistry principles to design and optimise unit operations, including reactor selection and configuration, building process robustness and deepening science-of-scale understanding.
• You will use kinetic and statistical modelling techniques to define resilient process design spaces and assess how process deviations, scale factors, and reactor parameters influence overall performance.
• You will design and execute laboratory experiments and process-modelling studies to inform process design, hydrogenation strategies, process safety evaluations, and crystallisation development.
• You will establish strong, collaborative working relationships with colleagues within the group and across multidisciplinary teams.
• You will communicate your findings clearly and effectively to internal and external stakeholders through well-structured written reports and presentations.

Operational & Organizational Responsibilities:

• Take a leading role in a potential number of operational areas within the department e.g.: laboratory operations, continuous improvement, growth and development.
• Ensure lab and operational compliance (health & safety, quality systems, documentation).
• Contribute to strategic planning and long-term scientific roadmaps.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention of scientific talent.
• Apply a continuous improvement mindset to identify opportunities for improved work processes to deliver increased productivity, safety, and quality.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Bachelor’s or master's degree in chemical engineering, chemistry or closely related discipline is essential.
• Relevant industrial experience in process design or simulation/modelling is highly desirable but not essential.
• Strong foundational knowledge of chemical engineering principles, including reaction kinetics, reactor design, chemical thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, engineering statistics and modelling and simulation is essential.
• Good understanding of downstream processing unit operations, such as extraction, distillation, crystallisation, filtration/washing, and drying is desirable but not essential.
• Awareness of key process-safety considerations relevant to scaling chemical processes is desirable but not essential.
• A thoughtful, analytical, and creative approach to problem-solving, with strong attention to detail, excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
• A collaborative approach to work in a team environment is essential.
• Detail oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a highly dynamic environment is essential.

Company values: At Asymchem, we are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every individual feels valued and cared for. We believe that diversity drives innovation and success, and we provide career development opportunities to support the professional growth of all employees. Join us in creating a workplace where diversity is celebrated, and inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do.