Aquestive Therapeutics · 1 month ago
Principal Scientist Formulation & Innovation
Warren, NJ
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$120K/yr - $160K/yr
6+ years expAquestive Therapeutics is a growth-stage pharmaceutical company redefining patient care through transformative patient centric drug delivery technologies and new therapies for patients. The Principal Scientist, Formulation & Innovation will lead the development of robust formulations for drug delivery and will drive key formulation activities for new products, collaborating across functions to advance the company's pipeline.
Pharmaceutical
Responsibilities
Design, optimize, and execute formulation strategies to support product development from prototype through clinical and commercial scale for Rx and DTC NPPs
Develop formulations that enable controlled drug delivery through oral mucosa (sublingual, buccal) and topical routes, supporting the PharmFilm® and Adrenaverse™ platform applications for Rx and DTC NPPs
Prepare and characterize prototypes for in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo evaluation
Assess and implement novel excipients, permeation enhancers, and delivery technologies that will rapidly advance Aquestive’s Rx and DTC new product pipeline and technology/development platforms
Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) in topical formulation, enteral, sublingual, buccal transdermal and thin film technologies, collaborating cross-functionally to identify and exploit new opportunities to fully enable product ideas in the Rx and DTC NPPs
Generate constant flow of new ideas and lead “skunk works” projects from ideation to assessment at PIC
Develop robust formulation processes suitable for scale-up to clinical and commercial manufacturing
Author and execute GMP manufacturing batch records for Phase I clinical supplies
Provide technical support for technology transfer, CMC documentation, and manufacturing readiness
Write technical reports, protocols, and regulatory support documents
Prepare and present research data internally and externally, including publications and scientific conferences
Prepare presentations for internal communications with data analysis and insights for R&D and other functions including Medical, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality and Operations
Mentor junior scientists in experimental design, formulation techniques, and data analysis
Ensure rigorous scientific practices, data integrity, and laboratory compliance with internal standards
Maintains DB current in applicable literature findings in applicable research spaces
Qualification
Required
M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field
6–10 years of experience in pharmaceutical formulation development
Product ideation and selection along with keen understanding of best practices in stage gated product development processes (PDP)
Strong background in formulation design, optimization, and characterization
Experience with thin film, coating, and related manufacturing processes
Hands-on expertise with experimental design, data analysis, and statistical tools (e.g., JMP)
Excellent technical writing and scientific communication abilities
Proven ability to work cross-functionally within a fast-paced, innovative environment
Detail-oriented, organized, and driven to deliver high-quality results
Ability to manage a team for results in a staff role including daily and weekly assessment of performance via select set of KPIs and metrics
Preferred
Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field
Significant exposure to alternate delivery systems (oral thin film, transmucosal, or topical)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered technology experience desirable
Company
Aquestive Therapeutics
Aquestive is a specialty pharmaceutical company that advances and commercializes medicines to solve critical healthcare problems.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$453.06MKey Investors
RTW InvestmentsLincoln Park Capital FundMadryn Asset Management
2025-08-14Post Ipo Equity· $85M
2024-03-19Post Ipo Equity· $75M
2023-11-02Post Ipo Debt· $45M
Leadership Team
Daniel Barber
Chief Executive Officer
Peter Boyd
Chief People Officer
Recent News
Company data provided by crunchbase