About the role
Job Title: R&D Scientist – Iron Complex Development (Pharmaceutical/API)
Job Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: 5–10 Years
Education: M.Sc. / M.Tech. in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, or a related field
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced R&D professional with 5–10 years of hands-on experience in the development of iron complexes, particularly ferric and ferrous iron-based products. The candidate will be responsible for process development, optimization, troubleshooting, scale-up, and technology transfer for pharmaceutical iron-complex products.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and optimize ferric and ferrous iron complexes and related iron-based products
- Design and execute laboratory and pilot-scale experiments for new product development
- Work on reaction chemistry, complex formation, precipitation, oxidation/reduction, pH, temperature, reaction time, and other process parameters
- Develop processes for iron sucrose, iron polymaltose/iron hydroxide polymaltose complexes, ferric carboxymaltose, iron isomaltoside, and related iron-carbohydrate or iron-polymer complexes
- Optimize critical quality attributes such as molecular weight, particle size, PDI, iron content, oxidation state, solubility, stability, and purity
- Troubleshoot precipitation, aggregation, colour changes, molecular-weight variation, yield, and batch-to-batch consistency issues
- Document process parameters, batch procedures, development reports, and scale-up protocols
- Coordinate with Analytical, QC, QA, Production, and Engineering teams during development and scale-up
- Support pilot trials, process scale-up, technology transfer, and validation batches
- Evaluate raw materials and their impact on process performance and product quality
- Interpret analytical data such as GPC, particle size, zeta potential, iron assay, and elemental analysis
- Identify opportunities for process improvement, yield gains, cost reduction, and product quality enhancement
Required Skills
- Strong practical knowledge of iron chemistry and coordination/complex chemistry
- Hands-on experience with ferric and/or ferrous iron complex development
- Solid understanding of iron oxidation and reduction chemistry
- Experience controlling pH, temperature, reaction time, concentration, and addition sequence
- Knowledge of iron-carbohydrate and iron-polymer complexes
- Experience in process optimization and lab-to-pilot scale-up
- Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and technical documentation skills
Preferred
Hands-on experience in pharmaceutical/API development of parenteral or injectable iron products is highly preferred.
Ideal Candidate
A technically strong R&D professional who can independently take an iron-complex product from lab development through process optimization, pilot trial, scale-up, and technology transfer.