Sr Scientist - Chemical Engineer for Drug Linker
Pfizer Inc.
November 10, 2026
Full-time
On-site
United States - Washington – Bothell
Operations
Use Your Power for Purpose
At Pfizer, our purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients' lives. Central to this mission is our Research and Development team, which strives to translate advanced science and cutting-edge technologies into impactful therapies and vaccines. Whether you are involved in discovery sciences, ensuring drug safety and efficacy, or supporting clinical trials, your role is crucial. You will leverage innovative design and process development capabilities to accelerate the delivery of best-in-class medicines to patients globally.
What You Will Achiev e
We are seeking a highly motivated chemical engineer for the role of Senior Scientist-Chemical Engineer to join our DL Process Development team within Chemical Process and Analytical Development (CPAD) in Bothell, WA. You will join a diverse team responsible for developing Drug Linker (DL) processes for use at manufacturing plants across Pfizer’s network. Chemical engineering principles contribute to the successful development, optimization and scale up of DL manufacturing processes. You will design and perform engineering-related laboratory experiments, integrating process modeling, statistics, and solid-state analysis. Strong communication, high technical aptitude, and creativity to foster original ideas are required for success in this position.
CPAD, as part of Pfizer R&D in Pharmaceutical Sciences, is responsible for the development of process technology to manufacture DL for Antibody Drug Conjugate. CPAD scientists engage in all facets of development from small-scale synthesis in support of medicinal chemistry programs, to the development and optimization of the commercial DL manufacturing process. In collaboration with chemists and analysts, you will lead the engineering activities during process development, process scale up, and technology transfer to our clinical and commercial manufacturing sites and external facilities. Given the dynamic team environment and fast-paced project timelines, strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential. This laboratory-based position offers the opportunity for cross-training and developing new technologies.
How You Will Achieve
In this role, you will:
Applies technical and functional engineering knowledge to develop safe, sustainable, robust, scalable, cost-efficient and phase-appropriate process that are aligned with internal business needs.
Prepare internal research reports and technical presentations summarizing process development activities to capture process knowledge and transfer process understanding to Pfizer’s manufacturing partners.
Lead and/or support purification and isolation process development for internal pre-clinical materials supply.
Design, implement, and interpret data rich experiments independently.
Design experiments to assess scalability of manufacturing processes to ensure successful tech transfer.
Understand unit operation design, process modeling and optimization, process equipment selection, and scale-up methodologies.
Utilize various process modeling approaches to ensure robust tech transfer to pilot and commercial scale facilities.
Assist technology transfer of processes to internal or external clinical and commercial manufacturing sites and external partners. May spend time at tech transfer site supporting manufacturing activities.
Collaborate with process chemists and analytical chemists on synthetic strategy and route development.
Develop and implement new technologies for process improvement at external manufacturing partners
Maintains suitable knowledge on lab data management systems and applies suitable modeling tools to gain process knowledge from data rich experiments
Remain current with the process engineering and chemistry literature. May collaborate on and author external publications and present research at external conferences.
Build a safe, inclusive, and innovative culture within the engineering and chemistry labs.
Work collaboratively and effectively, building and leading high performing teams
Ensure accurate and timely documentation of experimental work, and clear and concise presentation of work to stakeholders both internally and externally.
Look for opportunities to align, share and implement best practices across sites.
Qualifications
Must-Have
Applicant must have a bachelor's degree with at least 9+ years of experience; OR a master's degree with more than 7+ years of experience; OR PhD with 0+ years of relevant experience.
Candidates with additional years of work experience will be considered for an appropriate level for their background
Expertise in reaction engineering, including experience developing and validating kinetic models from experimental data
Excellent knowledge of chemistry and chemical engineering principles and sound understanding of chemical reactor design, thermodynamics, transport phenomena, engineering statistics, and process modeling
Outstanding laboratory skills, attention to detail, and ability to solve technical problems
Exceptional interpersonal, multi-disciplinary team collaboration, and communication skills
Nice-to-Have
Experience with technical transfer of processes into external manufacturing partners
Experience using Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) such as Raman, FTIR, NIR, on-line HPLC, and FBRM
Experience with separation processes such as Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF), membrane separation, chromatography purification, or Supercritical Fluid Precipitation/Extraction
A good foundational understanding of organic chemistry
Experience building reaction or unit operation models with software such as DynoChem®, Reaction LabTM, ASPEN, gPROMS, VisiMix,, COSMOtherm, and MatLab
Knowledge and experience applying Design of Experiments
Strong organization, time management, and problem-solving skills
A team player with good communication skills, desire to achieve team and individual goals
Strong technical writing and presentation skills
Working knowledge of analytical techniques such as HPLC/UPLC, MS, PXRD, DSC, TGA, and NMR
Applied data science methods, such as machine learning and AI
NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS
Due to the need to support global operations, the employee may be required to attend teleconference meetings that are outside of core work hours in Pacific Time.
Local business travel to support vendor oversight activities Sunshine Act
Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.
EEO & Employment Eligibility
Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.
Pfizer endeavors to make www.pfizer.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com . This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.
To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers .
Research and Development
At Pfizer, our purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients' lives. Central to this mission is our Research and Development team, which strives to translate advanced science and cutting-edge technologies into impactful therapies and vaccines. Whether you are involved in discovery sciences, ensuring drug safety and efficacy, or supporting clinical trials, your role is crucial. You will leverage innovative design and process development capabilities to accelerate the delivery of best-in-class medicines to patients globally.
What You Will Achiev e
We are seeking a highly motivated chemical engineer for the role of Senior Scientist-Chemical Engineer to join our DL Process Development team within Chemical Process and Analytical Development (CPAD) in Bothell, WA. You will join a diverse team responsible for developing Drug Linker (DL) processes for use at manufacturing plants across Pfizer’s network. Chemical engineering principles contribute to the successful development, optimization and scale up of DL manufacturing processes. You will design and perform engineering-related laboratory experiments, integrating process modeling, statistics, and solid-state analysis. Strong communication, high technical aptitude, and creativity to foster original ideas are required for success in this position.
CPAD, as part of Pfizer R&D in Pharmaceutical Sciences, is responsible for the development of process technology to manufacture DL for Antibody Drug Conjugate. CPAD scientists engage in all facets of development from small-scale synthesis in support of medicinal chemistry programs, to the development and optimization of the commercial DL manufacturing process. In collaboration with chemists and analysts, you will lead the engineering activities during process development, process scale up, and technology transfer to our clinical and commercial manufacturing sites and external facilities. Given the dynamic team environment and fast-paced project timelines, strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential. This laboratory-based position offers the opportunity for cross-training and developing new technologies.
How You Will Achieve
In this role, you will:
Applies technical and functional engineering knowledge to develop safe, sustainable, robust, scalable, cost-efficient and phase-appropriate process that are aligned with internal business needs.
Prepare internal research reports and technical presentations summarizing process development activities to capture process knowledge and transfer process understanding to Pfizer’s manufacturing partners.
Lead and/or support purification and isolation process development for internal pre-clinical materials supply.
Design, implement, and interpret data rich experiments independently.
Design experiments to assess scalability of manufacturing processes to ensure successful tech transfer.
Understand unit operation design, process modeling and optimization, process equipment selection, and scale-up methodologies.
Utilize various process modeling approaches to ensure robust tech transfer to pilot and commercial scale facilities.
Assist technology transfer of processes to internal or external clinical and commercial manufacturing sites and external partners. May spend time at tech transfer site supporting manufacturing activities.
Collaborate with process chemists and analytical chemists on synthetic strategy and route development.
Develop and implement new technologies for process improvement at external manufacturing partners
Maintains suitable knowledge on lab data management systems and applies suitable modeling tools to gain process knowledge from data rich experiments
Remain current with the process engineering and chemistry literature. May collaborate on and author external publications and present research at external conferences.
Build a safe, inclusive, and innovative culture within the engineering and chemistry labs.
Work collaboratively and effectively, building and leading high performing teams
Ensure accurate and timely documentation of experimental work, and clear and concise presentation of work to stakeholders both internally and externally.
Look for opportunities to align, share and implement best practices across sites.
Qualifications
Must-Have
Applicant must have a bachelor's degree with at least 9+ years of experience; OR a master's degree with more than 7+ years of experience; OR PhD with 0+ years of relevant experience.
Candidates with additional years of work experience will be considered for an appropriate level for their background
Expertise in reaction engineering, including experience developing and validating kinetic models from experimental data
Excellent knowledge of chemistry and chemical engineering principles and sound understanding of chemical reactor design, thermodynamics, transport phenomena, engineering statistics, and process modeling
Outstanding laboratory skills, attention to detail, and ability to solve technical problems
Exceptional interpersonal, multi-disciplinary team collaboration, and communication skills
Nice-to-Have
Experience with technical transfer of processes into external manufacturing partners
Experience using Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) such as Raman, FTIR, NIR, on-line HPLC, and FBRM
Experience with separation processes such as Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF), membrane separation, chromatography purification, or Supercritical Fluid Precipitation/Extraction
A good foundational understanding of organic chemistry
Experience building reaction or unit operation models with software such as DynoChem®, Reaction LabTM, ASPEN, gPROMS, VisiMix,, COSMOtherm, and MatLab
Knowledge and experience applying Design of Experiments
Strong organization, time management, and problem-solving skills
A team player with good communication skills, desire to achieve team and individual goals
Strong technical writing and presentation skills
Working knowledge of analytical techniques such as HPLC/UPLC, MS, PXRD, DSC, TGA, and NMR
Applied data science methods, such as machine learning and AI
NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS
Due to the need to support global operations, the employee may be required to attend teleconference meetings that are outside of core work hours in Pacific Time.
Local business travel to support vendor oversight activities Sunshine Act
Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.
EEO & Employment Eligibility
Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.
Pfizer endeavors to make www.pfizer.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com . This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.
To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers .
Research and Development