Senior Scientist - Chemical Engineer, Chemical Development in Macclesfield

This job is with AstraZeneca, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community.

Location: Macclesfield, UK

Competitive salary and benefits

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation‑driven biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and delivery of life‑saving medicines. The company prioritises sustainability and minimises the environmental impact of its work.

Chemical Development

In Chemical Development, we design, develop, and optimise synthetic routes that deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients in a sustainable, commercially viable way. We work closely with colleagues in academia and industry to apply the newest technologies and principles.

Accountabilities

• Lead the engineering input into the development and optimisation of new chemical processes, using laboratory experimentation and in‑silico modelling to build deep process understanding.
• Assess scale‑up and manufacturability to secure right‑first‑time manufacture, smooth technical transfer, and long‑term viability across internal and external facilities.
• Perform environmental, material, and process safety assessments to support accommodation of chemical processes in internal manufacturing facilities for clinical trial drug substance.
• Partner with contract manufacturing organisations worldwide, providing engineering input for scale‑up and accommodation in external facilities.
• Champion sustainability of drug substance processes by improving environmental footprint, efficiency, and patient access.
• Contribute to overall development of drug substance control strategies, ensuring robust delivery of the same quality.
• Drive improvement projects, evaluate, select, and implement new manufacturing technologies that enhance capability and performance.
• Mentor and supervise junior colleagues and students, sharing knowledge and encouraging fresh thinking.

Essential Skills / Experience

• A degree and/or PhD in Chemical Engineering.
• Experience in pharmaceutical/fine chemical/food manufacturing including batch and/or continuous operation.
• Well‑developed understanding of unit operations such as mixing, distillation, liquid‑liquid extraction, solid‑phase synthesis, chromatography, tangential flow filtration, isolation, and drying, and their dependency on scale and equipment.
• Ability to use modelling software (e.g., Aspen, DynoChem, gPROMS, Computational Fluid Dynamics) to support process understanding.
• Good collaborative skills to enable effective work with chemists, analysts, and physical properties experts.
• Good understanding of the requirements, principles, and application of process safety and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
• Strong communication and influencing skills.

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Significant experience in a chemical/process engineering role in industry or equivalent.
• Experience of chemical process development scale‑up and/or technical transfer.
• Experience in evaluation and implementation of new manufacturing technologies.
• Experience leading technical projects or acting as a lead process engineer on a project.
• Awareness of AI tools, including application of algorithms relevant to chemical engineering process development and scale‑up.
• Experience collaborating with external partners.

Benefits

• Competitive salary (negotiable).
• Private healthcare.
• Generous holiday allowance.
• Extensive training and development opportunities.
• Participation in a supportive and inclusive organisational culture.