Subject Matter Expert Solid State Science — Roche

Full description

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position In Roche’s Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development organization (pRED), we make transformative medicines for patients in order to tackle some of the world’s toughest unmet healthcare needs. At pRED, we are united by our mission to transform science into medicines. Together, we create a culture defined by curiosity, responsibility, and humility, where our talented people are empowered and inspired to bring forward extraordinary life-changing innovation at speed.

Therapeutic Modalities (TMo) organization, accountable for translating disease biology into high-quality drug candidates across small molecules, large molecules, oligonucleotides, and genomic medicines. By integrating deep modality expertise with cross-disciplinary collaboration, TMo drives innovation within and across platforms to enable differentiated, sustainable therapeutic impact.

We are CMC experts and build our strength on a broad diversity of technical expertise in chemistry, formulation design, material science, and analytical chemistry, delivering and innovating in the space of small molecules, peptides, and nucleic acid based medicines.

As Subject Matter Expert (SME) you will lead the identification of the optimal solid-state form, ensuring that early-stage candidates possess the necessary solubility and stability to succeed in the clinic. You will serve as the central hub, coordinating complex screening and characterization activities across internal labs and global external partners. You will lead cross-functional efforts to de-risk drug candidates and define the "Golden Form" that carries our therapies from the lab to the patient.

The opportunity

• Scientific Leadership: Act as the single point of accountability for the solid-state strategy of assigned projects, ensuring the selection of optimal salt, polymorph, and particle forms to support both stability and bioavailability.
• End-to-End Ownership: Assume full responsibility for the lifecycle management of materials, from the initial integration of biopharmaceutical assessments to the final definition of robust crystallization processes.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Orchestrate the interface between Chemistry, Analytics, and Formulation teams to harmonize the material science narrative throughout the drug development lifecycle.
• Strategic Oversight: Spearhead the evaluation, technical vetting, and selection of global external CRO/CMO partners. You will orchestrate these collaborations, governing the seamless exchange of scientific methodologies while ensuring data generation meets our rigorous standards for quality and project milestones. You will manage the balance between internal technical services and external outsourcing partners, ensuring high-quality data generation and proactive risk mitigation.
• Innovation Driver: Champion the adoption of digitalization and automated screening tools to enhance data analysis throughput and accelerate project cycle times.

Who you are

• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Material Science, or a related field, with a strong focus on solid-state characterization and crystallization.
• Deep understanding of solid-state analytical techniques (e.g., XRD, DSC, TGA, DVS, Microscopy) and their application in a pharmaceutical development context.
• Proven ability to lead complex projects in a matrix environment, with the communication skills necessary to translate technical data into strategic decisions for non-expert stakeholders.
• Experience managing external CRO/