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Drug Product Development Scientist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The company's R&D pipeline comprises RAS(ON) inhibitors designed to suppress diverse oncogenic ... drug product development, formulation, pharmaceutical sciences, or small molecule development is ...

The Product Development Scientist will develop new and innovative products to meet consumer demands and business objectives. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to conceptualize ...

The Product Development Scientist will develop new and innovative products to meet consumer demands and business objectives. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to conceptualize ...

The Product Development Scientist will develop new and innovative products to meet consumer demands and business objectives. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to conceptualize ...

The Product Development Scientist will develop new and innovative products to meet consumer demands and business objectives. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to conceptualize ...

Showing results 21-40

Drug Product Development Scientist information

See salary details

$46K

$82.7K

$120.5K

How much do drug product development scientist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for drug product development scientist in the United States is $82,657.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $69,000.00 and $94,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a drug product development scientist do?

A Drug Product Development Scientist is responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing pharmaceutical formulations and processes to create safe, effective, and stable drug products. They work on transforming active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into usable dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, or injectables. Their role involves conducting experiments, analyzing data, ensuring regulatory compliance, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to move drug candidates from research through to manufacturing and clinical trials.

How does a drug product development scientist typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during the drug development process?

A Drug Product Development Scientist regularly works with multidisciplinary teams, including formulation scientists, analytical chemists, regulatory affairs professionals, and manufacturing specialists. Collaboration is essential for ensuring that drug products meet safety, efficacy, and quality standards throughout development. Scientists often participate in project meetings, share experimental data, and contribute to troubleshooting challenges such as formulation stability or scale-up issues. This collaborative approach helps streamline the transition from lab-scale formulations to commercial manufacturing, while also aligning with regulatory requirements.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a drug product development scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Drug Product Development Scientist, you need a strong background in pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, or related fields—often with an advanced degree—plus experience in formulation and analytical techniques. Familiarity with laboratory instrumentation, regulatory guidelines (like GMP and ICH), and software for data analysis is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills are critical soft skills for this role. These qualifications are vital to ensure safe, effective drug products are developed efficiently and meet regulatory standards.

What is the difference between Drug Product Development Scientist vs Formulation Scientist?

AspectDrug Product Development ScientistFormulation Scientist
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or related fields; often requires experience in drug developmentBachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or related fields; focus on formulation techniques
Work EnvironmentLaboratories, R&D departments, pharmaceutical companiesLaboratories, R&D teams, pharmaceutical and biotech firms
Industry UsageUsed across pharmaceutical companies involved in drug development and manufacturingCommonly used in formulation development and manufacturing settings

The Drug Product Development Scientist focuses on the overall development of drug products, including formulation, stability, and manufacturing processes. The Formulation Scientist specializes specifically in creating and optimizing drug formulations. While both roles require similar educational backgrounds and work environments, their core responsibilities differ: the Drug Product Development Scientist oversees the entire product development process, whereas the Formulation Scientist concentrates on formulation aspects. Both roles are essential in bringing safe and effective drugs to market.

What cities are hiring for Drug Product Development Scientist jobs?

Cities with the most Drug Product Development Scientist job openings:

What are popular job titles related to Drug Product Development Scientist jobs?

For Drug Product Development Scientist jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Drug Product Development Scientist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $82,657 per year, or $39.7 per hour.

Principal Scientist I, Biologics Drug Product Development

North Chicago, IL • On-site

AbbVie
Scientific Research and Development Services • 10K+ employees

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 18 days ago


AbbVie rating

8.7

Company rating: 8.7 out of 10

Based on 103 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

14th of 86 rated pharmaceutical


Job description

Company Description

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas - immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Job Description

Biologics Drug Product Development (Bio DPD), a part of Development Sciences within AbbVie's R&D, is a global organization that is responsible for drug product formulation and process development, and definition of the product presentation for biologics (proteins, conjugates, peptides, neurotoxins etc.) and genetic medicine (AAV, LNPs, Cell Therapy).

AbbVie is seeking a highly motivated candidate for the position of Senior Scientist II / Principal Scientist I, located in North Chicago, IL. We are seeking an accomplished scientist with a proven track record in biologics drug product formulation and process development, scale-up and tech transfer. This position will be an integral part of the product development and CMC teams and will have strong collaborations with several stakeholders, including discovery research, analytical research and development, bioprocess development, combination products development, product development science and technology, pilot plants and third-party manufacturers.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Represent Bio DPD in the cross-functional Product Presentation and Device Strategy Team (PPDST) and the CMC Team.
  • Effectively and timely communicate development plans, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders and line management.
  • Support scale-up and technology transfer activities to internal and external manufacturing sites.
  • Lead the design and execution of biologics drug product formulation and process development, characterization and robustness studies.
  • Initiate and/or support scientific initiatives to drive innovation, continuously enhance capabilities and platforms, and improve business processes.
Qualifications

Qualifications:

  • BS, MS, or PhD in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines with
    • Principal Scientist I: 14+ (Bachelors), 12+ (Masters), or 6+ (PhD) years of relevant industry experience.
  • Proven ability to solve critical scientific problems.
  • Experience with biologics (proteins, conjugates, peptides and/or neurotoxins), parenteral synthetic molecules and/or genetic medicine (AAV, LNPs, cell therapy) drug product process development.
  • Experience with sterile manufacturing unit operations (freeze-thaw, compounding, mixing, filtration and filling, lyophilization), characterization, scale-down models, simulation, scale-up, technology transfer, and batch record authoring.
  • Experience leading drug product development as the functional lead within cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Hand-on experience with authoring regulatory filings for biologics and sterile parenteral products
  • Understanding of relevant cGMP and regulatory guidance for biologics and sterile parenteral products
  • Experience in managing third party manufacturers of sterile parenteral products
  • Experience with quality risk management and control strategies for biologics and sterile parenteral products

Key Competencies:

  • Deep scientific knowledge and significant hands-on experience with drug product process development and tech transfer
  • Effectively communicates to influence without authority, drives technical excellence, and inspires continuous improvement.
  • Builds strong relationships with peers and cross-functional partners to enable higher performance.
  • Connects ideas from disparate fields, integrates data and information quickly, and takes risks to achieve the highest performance.
  • Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
  • Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
  • Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality.
Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: 

  • The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately paymore or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. 

  • We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

  • This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. 

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission,incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and untilpaid and may be modified at the Company's sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. 

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. 

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html


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About AbbVie

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health, and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Industry

Scientific research and development services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

North Chicago, IL, US

Year founded

2013