Senior/Principal Scientist, Formulation Development

Forma Life Sciences•Irvine, CA

3d•$115,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

Forma Life Sciences is a next-generation CDMO headquartered in Irvine, California, where molecules become medicine. Forma supports oral solid dosage programs from early clinical development through commercial manufacturing, with deep formulation expertise and cGMP manufacturing capabilities supporting pharmaceutical partners and the patients they serve. Forma is seeking a Senior or Principal Scientist, Formulation Development to support and lead formulation development activities for oral solid dosage programs in a regulated CDMO environment. The final level and title will be determined based on the selected candidate's experience, technical depth, demonstrated independence, leadership capability, and business needs. At the Senior Scientist level, this role is expected to design, execute, troubleshoot, and support formulation development activities while leading defined workstreams and mentoring junior staff. At the Principal Scientist level, this role is expected to operate as a senior technical subject matter expert, independently develop and implement formulation strategies, lead complex investigations, guide cross-functional teams, and represent formulation development as a technical lead on client and internal programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline required.
Relevant industry experience should generally include PhD with 2+ years for Senior Scientist level or 4+ years for Principal Scientist level; M.S. with 5+ years for Senior Scientist level or 8+ years for Principal Scientist level; or B.S. with 7+ years for Senior Scientist level or 10+ years for Principal Scientist level.
Hands-on formulation development experience with tablets, capsules, and oral solid dosage forms, including commonly used formulation and process approaches such as blending, dry granulation, wet granulation, hot-melt extrusion, spray drying, and coating.
Working knowledge of formulation development, CMC drug development, cGMP practices, SOP-driven documentation, data integrity, laboratory safety, and regulated development/manufacturing expectations.
Experience preparing clear, accurate, and scientifically sound protocols, reports, technical summaries, investigation documentation, or related development records.
Ability to analyze experimental results, troubleshoot technical issues, and communicate recommendations to scientific, cross-functional, client-facing, and leadership stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, client-focused CDMO environment with strong ownership, attention to detail, and follow-through.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical team members; Principal Scientist candidates should demonstrate scientific leadership, project or group leadership, technical mentorship, and ability to guide complex formulation development work.

Nice To Haves

Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, manufacturing, CDMO, or client-service environments.
Experience supporting technology transfer, scale-up, process troubleshooting, manufacturing readiness, or commercialization activities for oral solid dosage products.
Understanding of excipient functionality, drug substance properties, formulation chemistry, functional coatings, and immediate-release, delayed-release, or sustained-release dosage forms.
Experience mentoring junior staff or providing technical training to laboratory, development, or cross-functional personnel.
Strong math, chemistry, troubleshooting, interpretation, and scientific writing skills.

Responsibilities

Design, execute, evaluate, and/or lead formulation development experiments for oral solid dosage products, including tablets, capsules, and related dosage forms.
Develop, implement, or contribute to formulation strategies based on scientific data, manufacturability, program objectives, technical risk, and client or regulatory expectations.
Perform and support formulation work using approaches such as dilution blending, dry granulation, wet granulation, hot-melt extrusion, spray drying, and functional coating, as applicable to program needs.
Evaluate formulation and process data, identify technical trends or risks, and recommend next-step experiments, troubleshooting activities, or development strategies.
Lead or support investigations of aberrant or unexpected results, including root cause assessment, scientific rationale, documentation, and recommended corrective or follow-up actions.
Prepare, review, and, as appropriate based on level, approve scientific reports, experimental protocols, development summaries, technical memos, batch records, investigation documentation, and other development records.
Provide technical input and guidance to Formulation Development, Analytical Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Project Management, and client-facing teams on formulation methodologies, technical risks, development challenges, and process considerations.
Serve as a technical lead for assigned formulation workstreams or projects; at the Principal Scientist level, routinely act as group leader or subject matter expert on complex formulation programs.
Support development, scale-up, technology transfer, troubleshooting, manufacturing readiness, and commercialization activities for pharmaceutical drug products.
Contribute to continuous improvement, capability-building, technical training, and scientific best practices within formulation operations.
Mentor, train, and provide technical direction to junior scientists, associates, formulation staff, or cross-functional team members as assigned.
Comply with Forma SOPs, cGMP practices, data integrity expectations, safety requirements, and documentation standards in all laboratory, pilot, manufacturing, and technical activities.
Maintain strict confidentiality of client, product, program, employee, and company information.
Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned.