This role pays less than
75%
of similar roles. Most pay
$150,900–$216,618
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$151k
versus about
$184k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About MSD
MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) is the international name for Merck & Co., a major U.S.-based pharmaceutical company.
MSD currently has
33 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$117,000–$184,200
across 33 roles with salary data.
The Senior Scientist, Engineering joins the Pharmaceutical Commercialization Technology department within the Manufacturing Division to drive pharmaceutical process and technology development for small molecule solid dosage drug products. This role involves planning, conducting, and interpreting studies such as scale-up, technology transfer, design space development, clinical and stability batch manufacture, and process validation. The successful candidate will lead drug product working groups, author technical documents like experimental protocols and regulatory filings, and evaluate innovative equipment while ensuring compliance with cGMP and safety standards. Key technical competencies include Quality by Design, design of experiments, process modeling, and data analytics for big data and process performance. The role addresses the critical challenge of moving products from laboratory and pilot scales to commercial manufacturing, requiring expertise in chemical engineering, chromatography, and small molecule synthesis to ensure robust production for global distribution.
What does a Scientist earn?
Median $140950 from 34 postings across 9 companies.
Plan, conduct, and interpret pharmaceutical process development studies including scale-up, technology transfer, and process validation.
Apply Quality by Design principles, risk-based approaches, and design of experiments (DOE) to solve technical problems.
Author technical documents such as experimental protocols, reports, and regulatory filings like CMC sections for NDAs.
Evaluate new technologies and equipment while performing physical testing and data analysis in compliance with cGMP.
Manage the transition of drug products from laboratory and pilot scales to full commercial manufacturing.
Coordinate with cross-functional teams and external vendors to ensure successful product commercialization and supply.
Advance innovation through digital tools, data analytics, and the development of process models.
What we're looking for
Bachelor’s degree and 6 years experience, master’s degree and 4 years experience, or PhD in Chemical/Biochemical Engineering, Materials Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related field.
Experience with process scale-up and technology transfer from laboratory to pilot and commercial scales.
Hands-on experience in a laboratory, pilot plant, or manufacturing facility.
Proficiency in pharmaceutical process development, including design of experiments (DOE), process optimization, and Quality by Design.
Ability to author technical documents such as experimental protocols, reports, and regulatory filings.
Strong communication skills for cross-functional collaboration with R&D, analytical, regulatory, quality, and manufacturing teams.
Familiarity with cGMP during pharmaceutical development and production (preferred).
Experience with CMC sections of NDAs/WMAs or advanced data analytics tools (preferred).
Pharmaceutical Process Development
cGMP
Design of Experiments (DOE)
Process Scale-up
Technology Transfer
Data Analysis
Process Modeling
Quality by Design
Technical Writing
Downstream Process Development
Product Formulation
Process Validation
Statistical Process Control
Chemical Engineering
Biochemical Engineering
Materials Science
Process Development
Scale-up
Technology Transfer
cGMP
GDocP
Design of Experiments
Process Modeling
Organic Chemical Synthesis
Wet Chemistry
Process Analytical Technologies (PAT)
Chemical Engineering
Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC)
Bioconjugation
Conjugation Chemistry
Chromatographic Techniques
Bioreactors
cGMP
GMP
Process Development
Process Characterization
Process Scale Up
Design of Experiments (DOE)
Root Cause Analysis
Technology Transfer
Capital Project Management
SAP
Procal
Maximo
QlikSense
Spotfire
Chemical Engineering
Process Development
Technology Transfer
Design of Experiments (DOE)
cGMP
Wet Chemistry
Process Scale-up
Data Analysis
Statistical Data Analysis
Pharmaceutical Process Development
Quality Risk Management
Technical Writing
Good Documentation Practices (GDP
Bioprocess Engineering
Vaccine Development
Drug Product Manufacturing
Process Characterization
Technology Transfer
Scale-up
Process Validation
cGMP
Quality by Design
DOE
Statistical Process Control
Multivariate Analysis
Process Analytical Technologies
Protein Purification
Technical Writing
Data Analytics
Computer Modeling