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Drug Development Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

Danaher

Business Development Manager

Denver, CO · On-site +1

$160K - $175K/yr

At least 1 year of sales experience into the clinical drug development process, including knowledge of call points, sales cycle and KOL for Biotech and Pharma in the Cell and Gene Therapy space, or ...

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Drug Development information

See Colorado salary details

$34.7K

$81.4K

$139.9K

How much do drug development jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for drug development in Colorado is $81,428.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $61,500.00 and $95,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Drug Development vs Pharmacologist?

AspectDrug DevelopmentPharmacologist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or related fields; often requires experience in clinical trialsDegree in Pharmacology, Pharmacy, or related fields; may require licensing or certification for clinical practice
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, pharmaceutical companies, clinical trial sitesResearch labs, hospitals, academic institutions, regulatory agencies
Industry UsageDeveloping new drugs, overseeing clinical trials, regulatory submissionsStudying drug effects, mechanisms, safety, and efficacy; advising on drug use

While both roles are integral to the pharmaceutical industry, Drug Development focuses on creating and bringing new drugs to market through research, testing, and regulatory processes. Pharmacologists primarily study how drugs interact with biological systems, often working in research or clinical settings to understand drug effects and safety. The two roles often collaborate but differ in their core responsibilities and career focus.

How much does drug development make?

Drug development professionals, including roles such as research scientists and project managers, typically earn between $70,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on experience, education, and location. Entry-level positions may start lower, while senior roles or specialized positions can earn higher salaries, especially in biotech hubs or with advanced certifications.

Is drug discovery a good career?

Drug discovery is a vital part of drug development, involving identifying potential new medications through research and laboratory work. It requires strong scientific knowledge, analytical skills, and often collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. The field offers opportunities for innovation and growth, but can also involve long hours and high-pressure environments.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in Drug Development, and why are they important?

To thrive in Drug Development, you need a strong background in pharmaceutical sciences, biology, or chemistry, often supported by an advanced degree (e.g., PhD, PharmD, or MSc). Familiarity with regulatory compliance, clinical trial management systems, and data analysis software such as SAS or R is typically required. Excellent problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional communication skills help professionals excel in this multidisciplinary field. These competencies ensure that new drugs are developed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with regulatory standards.

What degree do you need to get into drug development?

Drug development professionals typically need at least a bachelor's degree in fields such as chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical sciences, or related disciplines. Advanced roles often require a master's or doctoral degree, along with laboratory skills and knowledge of regulatory processes.

What is drug development?

Drug development is the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to market. It involves several stages, including drug discovery, preclinical research, clinical trials, and regulatory approval. Each stage is designed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the drug before it can be made available to patients. The entire process can take several years and requires collaboration between scientists, clinicians, regulatory agencies, and pharmaceutical companies.

What are the typical stages of collaboration between different teams in a drug development role?

In drug development, professionals regularly collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, including research scientists, clinical trial coordinators, regulatory affairs specialists, and manufacturing experts. Early stages involve close work with research and discovery teams to identify promising compounds, followed by coordination with clinical teams during trial phases, and finally with regulatory and production teams as the drug moves toward approval and commercialization. Effective communication and cross-functional teamwork are essential, as each stage relies on timely data sharing and joint problem-solving to navigate complex challenges.
What are popular job titles related to Drug Development jobs in Colorado? For Drug Development jobs in Colorado, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Drug Development jobs in Colorado look for? The top searched job categories for Drug Development jobs in Colorado are:
What cities in Colorado are hiring for Drug Development jobs? Cities in Colorado with the most Drug Development job openings:
Drug Development jobs near you
Senior Director, Drug Product Development

Senior Director, Drug Product Development

Umoja Biopharma

Louisville, CO • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 5 days ago

Job description

Umoja Biopharma is an industry-leading biotech with locations in Seattle, WA and Louisville, CO, focused on transforming the treatment of cancer with a novel integrated immunotherapy platform. Our vision is to develop off-the-shelf therapies capable of treating any tumor, any time. We are a diverse and growing team working in brand-new facilities in downtown Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Colorado, and we are looking for innovative thinkers who are excited by groundbreaking science and technology, and passionate about squaring up to the challenges inherent to cutting-edge drug development. We are committed to our core values and principles that support our overall mission and strongly invite applications from enthusiastic individuals who share our commitment and help position Umoja to deliver on our goals. We at Umoja believe in the importance of stories; we are looking for great people to join our team to help us create more stories for ourselves, for you, and most importantly for patients and their families.
Umoja Biopharma - Your Body. Your Hope. Your Cure.
POSITION SUMMARY
Umoja is seeking a Head of Drug Product Development to join the Process Sciences team. This position will provide leadership for internal and external drug product manufacturing processes for lentiviral vectors, including formulation development, fill-finish and technology transfer activities for early and late-stage programs. Additionally, this position will lead the process aspects of a facility capital project to upgrade internal fill-finish manufacturing.
A successful candidate should have a thorough understanding of formulation development and fill-finish strategies and approaches for both early and late-stage products along with strong communication and collaboration skills to partner with leaders across Umoja.
This is a fully onsite role based at our Louisville, CO location with some expected travel. The level of this role will be determined based on candidate's experience and qualifications.
CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES
Specific responsibilities include:
  • Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing Drug Product and Formulation team comprised of Scientists and Engineers including recruiting, performance management, and talent development
  • Lead the Drug Product Development team activities for multiple products, including new product introduction for early phase formulation development, internal and external technical transfer, manufacturing support and clinical trial support for a frozen-in-vial lentiviral drug product
  • Serve as the primary technical point of contact for external fill-finish technical transfer
  • Drive the late-stage Drug Product Development strategy for formulation development, process qualification for manufacturing
  • Lead and serve as the primary technical point of contact for a fill-finish capital project to improve Umoja's internal manufacturing capability
  • Lead formulation and process improvements to stability, final filtration and dosage form
  • Collaborate closely with the Process Sciences team (upstream, downstream and optimization), analytical development, manufacturing, supply chain, non-clinical, clinical and research teams
  • Proactively communicate Drug Product Development strategy, plans, risks and mitigations to senior internal and external leaders
  • Serve as Drug Product Development and/or Process Sciences subject matter expert for Program Teams and Governance
  • Maintain familiarity with current scientific literature, experimental methods and manufacturing approaches

The successful candidate will have:
  • Director Level: PhD/MS/BS in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology or related field with 10/12/15 years of relevant experience, respectively. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Minimum 6 years of people management experience.
  • Senior Director Level: PhD/MS/BS in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biology or related field with 15/17/20 years of relevant experience, respectively. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Minimum 10 years of people management experience.
  • Extensive experience with early and late phase fill-finish process and formulation development, stability, clinical and regulatory expectations, including IND and BLA authoring and/or strategy
  • Extensive experience with technical transfer and GMP manufacturing support, including Process Performance Qualification (PPQ)
  • Experience with fill-finish capital projects and practical/working knowledge of EU GMP Annex 1 guideline
  • Strong knowledge of drug product characterization, accelerated stability, container-closure selection and analytical methods
  • Strong team and executive level communication and collaboration skills, along with self-motivation to contribute to the development of novel cancer immunotherapies
  • Ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced, cross-functional and dynamic environment and perform tasks across a variety of levels

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Strong understanding of sub-visible and sub-micron particle measurement and characterization
  • Understanding and experience with viral drug products, preferably BSL2 or higher enveloped viruses
  • Working knowledge of clinical supply chain
  • Upstream, Downstream or other Process Development or Manufacturing experience
  • PUPSIT process development, implementation and qualification
  • Analytical method development experience, including stability indicating assay development
  • Experience with frozen-in-vial and lyophilized/spray dried drug products
  • Experience leading extractable and leachable studies
  • Familiarity with small-molecule drug substance and drug product formulation and fill-finish

Physical Requirements:
  • 100% compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements in biological laboratory environments for wet lab work, including gloves, protective clothing, and eye safety glasses.
  • Perform physical tasks required for the role, including standing, walking, bending, kneeling, sitting, working your hands in a biosafety cabinet, and occasionally moving materials up to 50 pounds.
  • Project-oriented work in this role will require regular on-site presence to complete essential job-related functions.
  • Ability to travel up to 20%

Director Level Salary Range: $197,300 - $243,700
Senior Director Level Salary Range: $233,500 - $288,400
Benefits Offerings
Umoja Biopharma offers its employees competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans. Additionally, we offer Umojians access to a 401k plan through Fidelity, with a 100% match up to their first 4% deferral. Umoja also provides a generous Paid Time Off policy, employee commuter benefits, and cell phone stipend. For a full breakdown of our benefits offerings, please see the Benefits section of our website.

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