Principal Scientist, Drug Product Process Engineer

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting-edge technology to transform people’s lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients’ needs and have the highest probability of success. We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more: Our approach to R&D

Job title: Principal Scientist, Drug Product Process Engineer

Location : Siena, Italy

Employment type: Permanent, full time

Closing date for applications: 11 November 2026

Job Purpose

We are seeking an experienced Principal Scientist, Drug Product Process Engineering to support sterile drug product development through process engineering, process modelling, advanced analytics, and digital technologies.

In this role, you will provide technical leadership across development programs, applying scientific and engineering expertise to enhance process understanding, support scale-up and technology transfer, and deliver robust manufacturing processes. You will work within multidisciplinary teams and contribute to the adoption of innovative, data-driven approaches throughout development.

This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.

Responsibilities:

Scientific & Technical Leadership

• Provide process engineering expertise within multidisciplinary CMC teams across development, scale-up, and commercialization activities.

• Apply modelling, data analytics, and digital tools to improve process understanding, performance, and robustness.

• Support sterile drug product process development, characterization, scale-up, and technology transfer across multiple modalities.

• Contribute scientific insight and risk-based recommendations to support technical decision-making and project progression.

• Identify and resolve technical challenges to enable successful development outcomes.

Collaboration & Project Delivery

• Collaborate effectively with development, manufacturing, and cross-functional teams to achieve project objectives.

• Contribute to planning and execution of development activities and milestones.

• Assess technical risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.

• Support implementation of continuous improvement, modelling, and digitalization initiatives.

• Mentor junior scientists and share technical knowledge within the organization.

Regulatory & Scientific Communication

• Ensure compliance with applicable quality, regulatory, safety, and data integrity requirements.

• Author and review technical reports, development documentation, and regulatory submissions.

• Clearly communicate technical findings and recommendations to stakeholders.

• Contribute to innovation through publications, presentations, patents, or invention disclosures.

Why You?

Basic Qualifications & Skills

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals

• Engineering degree, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biotechnology, or related discipline.

• Relevant experience in sterile drug product development, process engineering, and technology transfer within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.

• Experience in process characterization, scale-up, manufacturing science, and process improvement.

• Experience applying modelling, PAT, automation, analytics, or digital technologies in development or manufacturing environments.

• Strong technical problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.

• Fluent written and verbal English is required; proficiency in another European language would be an advantage.

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Preferred Qualifications & Skills

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus

• Master's degree or PhD in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline.

• Experience with process modelling, data science, AI/ML, or digital development approaches.

• Experience leading technical workstreams or complex scientific projects.

• Demonstrated scientific contributions through publications, presentations, patents, or innovation activities.

What we offer:

• Permanent contract in a very Inclusive environment

• Smart Working up to 50%

• Performance Reward

• Flexible Benefits

• Company Healthcare Plan

• Integrative pension fund

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Prevention services and vaccination clinic

• Tax assistance

• Local nursery agreement

• Postal service, laundry, shoe repair and tailoring

• On Site Gym

• On Site canteens and coffee corners

• Free company bikes and shuttle

Please note that international relocation support cannot be provided; therefore, only candidates who are already based in the indicated country can be considered.

Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert. When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application.

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Skills

Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Drug Development, Drug Discovery Process, Influencing Without Authority, Interpersonal Communication, Life Science, Market Opportunities, Matrix Leadership, Molecular Biology, Process Engineering, Scientific Research, Scientific Writing

Italian Salary Range / Fascia retributiva in Italia: EUR 47,025 to EUR 78,375The annual gross base salary range for new hires in this position is listed above for each applicable location. These ranges take into account a number of factors including the candidate’s skills, experience, education level and the market rate for the role. In addition, this position may offer an annual bonus and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program which is dependent on the level of the role. More detailed information on the total benefits package will be supplied during the recruitment process. GSK/ViiV applies the National Collective Bargaining Agreement (NCBA) for employees in the chemical and chemical-pharmaceutical industry and, where applicable as a result of the role assigned and the related job classification, the National Collective Bargaining Agreement for Industrial Executives of companies producing goods and services. This role is available for applicants from multiple locations, and therefore salary ranges for certain locations are also shown. Salary ranges for other locations are shown because some markets have pay transparency laws that require salary information on job postings, and those locations are potential job sites for this role. If salary ranges are not displayed in the job posting for a specific location or country, the relevant compensation will be discussed during the recruitment process. Please note salaries vary by country based on the candidate’s skills, experience, education level and the market rate for the role. Offers are typically made within the advertised range based on the candidate’s skills, experience and qualifications, with the upper end generally reserved for highly experienced candidates or other exceptional circumstances aligned with these criteria.La fascia salariale della Retribuzione Annua Lorda (RAL) per i nuovi assunti in questa posizione è indicata sopra per ciascuna sede applicabile. Queste fasce tengono conto di diversi fattori, tra cui le competenze, l'esperienza, il livello di istruzione del candidato e le condizioni di mercato per il ruolo. Informazioni più dettagliate sull’intero pacchetto retributivo e sui benefit saranno fornite durante il processo di selezione. GSK