Exciting Opportunity: Principal Scientist MSAT
Are you an experienced technical lead in advanced therapeutics, RNA technologies, nucleic acid manufacturing, LNP formulation, advanced bioprocessing or GMP translation?
Our client is seeking a Principal Scientist to provide technical leadership across major strategic RNA manufacturing programmes, helping translate innovative technologies into scalable, commercially relevant and GMP-compatible solutions. This is a rare opportunity to shape the technical direction of complex, multidisciplinary projects while working with industry, academic and public-sector partners.
Job Title: Principal Scientist MSAT
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Location: North East England
Salary: £49,045 – £69,045
About the Organisation
You’ll join one of the UK’s leading technology innovation organisations, delivering high-impact programmes that accelerate the development and adoption of novel therapeutics and advanced manufacturing technologies. The organisation collaborates with partners across the product lifecycle, from early‑stage development through to GMP manufacturing, with a focus on delivering high‑quality, scalable processes.
The MSAT (Manufacturing Science & Technology) team plays a critical role in bridging innovation, development and manufacturing, supporting the translation of emerging technologies into robust, scalable GMP processes. This is a highly collaborative environment, offering the opportunity to provide scientific leadership across multidisciplinary projects, working with subject matter experts, customers and partners to solve complex technical challenges and deliver real-world impact.
The Role of the Principal Scientist
You will provide scientific and technical leadership across complex, multidisciplinary programmes, ensuring scientific approaches are robust, scalable and suitable for GMP manufacture. As a senior technical authority, you will inform technical strategy, guide technology choices and support delivery across integrated capabilities, including nucleic acid production, formulation development, analytics, automation-enabled workflows and GMP translation.
Although the role sits within the Principal Scientist framework, it requires someone able to operate across disciplines, connecting scientific, manufacturing, analytical, automation, digital and quality considerations to support end-to-end programme delivery.
You’ll combine strong scientific expertise with project delivery experience to ensure processes are implemented effectively and meet quality and regulatory expectations.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Providing senior scientific and technical leadership across major projects, ensuring technical plans, experimental approaches, and delivery outputs are aligned with project objectives and GMP expectations
- Inform technical strategy, technology selection and programme direction
- Identifying and resolving complex scientific and technical challenges
- Preparing and reviewing technical documentation, including process descriptions, technical reports, risk assessments, change controls, decision papers, and project delivery documentation
- Planning and overseeing experimental studies to support technical decision-making, process understanding and project delivery
- Ensuring processes are robust, scalable, and suitable for manufacturing operations
- Working cross‑functionally with technical, operations, quality, engineering, and supply chain teams
- Identifying technical risks, troubleshooting complex process or manufacturing issues, and leading evidence-based problem solving to support robust project outcomes
- Serving as a technical point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, communicating project progress, technical risks, decisions and recommendations clearly and confidently
- Representing the organisation externally through technical networks, conferences and strategic partnerships
The Ideal Candidate
To succeed in this role, you will bring:
- A degree, or higher qualification, in a scientific or engineering discipline, with strong, recent industry experience
- Proven, recent expertise in bioprocessing; biologics; advanced therapies; RNA, nucleic acid technologies or lipid nanoparticle delivery systems; or a related pharmaceutical manufacturing environment
- Proven ability to provide scientific and technical leadership across complex programmes, including process development, scale-up, technology transfer, manufacturing support or technical problem-solving
- Recent experience working within a GMP environment, with an understanding of the manufacturability, tech transfer, quality, and documentation expectations required to move processes towards manufacture
- A strong appreciation of the end-to-end development and manufacturing pathway, including process development, analytics, automation, digital systems, quality systems, manufacturing operations and technical transfer.
- Ability to operate effectively in a rapidly evolving technical landscape, making evidence-based decisions where information may be incomplete and balancing scientific opportunity, manufacturability, regulatory expectations and programme delivery priorities.
- Strong problem‑solving skills and data interpretation capability
- Excellent communication skills and experience working across multidisciplinary teams
- Credibility and confidence when engaging with customers, partners, suppliers, funders and senior stakeholders, including the ability to communicate technical risks, recommendations and decisions clearly.
Why This Role?
This is a strong opportunity for a scientist who wants to take ownership of technically complex, high-impact programmes. You’ll play a key role in shaping project direction, supporting GMP readiness, and helping translate innovative processes into practical manufacturing capabilities.
SRG is the UK’s number one recruitment company specialising in the science, engineering, clinical, pharmaceutical, food/FMCG, renewable, biotech, chemicals and medical devices sectors.
As scientists ourselves, our specialist sector knowledge and passion are second to none. We’re committed to providing outstanding career opportunities at all levels.
If this role isn’t quite right for you, please get in touch or visit www.srgtalent.com to explore other opportunities.
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