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About Harpago
Over 70% of small-molecule therapeutics emerging from today's discovery pipelines are too poorly water-soluble to enable adequate bioavailability after oral intake. This solubility problem greatly hinders pharmaceutical development and ultimately prevents patients from accessing potentially life-saving treatments.

At Harpago, we tackle this solubility problem through rigorous formulation design and development. Our dosage forms are being used by pharmaceutical companies across the globe to enhance solubility and bioavailability in discovery, preclinical and early clinical projects.
Job openings
Formulation Scientist
Full-time I Ghent, Belgium
More
Senior Formulation Scientist
Full-time I Ghent, Belgium
More
Formulation Scientist
Full-time I Ghent, Belgium
Roles and responsibilities
  • Develop solubility-enhancing formulations for the investigational drugs of Harpago’s clients. Typically, these compounds are in the late drug discovery/early preclinical phase.
  • The main formulation technologies you will be using are nanosuspensions, amorphous solid dispersions and solution formulations. You will need to develop a thorough understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the performance of these drug delivery systems, along with their manufacturing techniques and related analytical technologies.
  • Techniques you will be using to produce the formulations include wet media milling and spray drying
  • Characterise your formulations using techniques such as laser diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, polarisation microscopy, UV-spectrophotometry, in vitro dissolution testing and liquid chromatography
  • Draft formulation development section of reports
  • Present results at internal and external meetings
  • Assist in the day-to-day management of the lab, including stock management and equipment maintenance
  • Proactively think about improving efficiency in the lab
  • Remain up to date on relevant scientific literature
Profile
  • Master’s degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, bioengineering, pharmaceutics or related field
  • Industry experience is a plus but not required
  • A passion for performing high-quality lab work is essential
  • An appetite for solving complex problems
  • Ability to work independently
  • A background in polymer, colloid or solution chemistry is preferred
  • Hands-on experience with one or more of the production or analytical techniques mentioned in the job description is preferred
  • Experience with formulation development for poorly water-soluble drugs is preferred, but not required. We do want the successful candidate to educate oneself thoroughly on this topic once on board.
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Fluency in Dutch and English
What we can offer as your future employer
  • A varied and challenging role in an innovative start-up company with international customer portfolio
  • The opportunity to work on a diverse range of molecules across various therapeutic areas
  • The ability to work creatively and independently on formulations that deliver the medicines of tomorrow
  • Development and further training opportunities for shaping and realising your career goals
  • Employment contract of unlimited duration with a competitive salary package
How to apply?
Interested applicants are requested to send their CV and cover letter to info@harpagocdmo.com
Senior Formulation Scientist
Full-time I Ghent, Belgium
As a Senior Formulation Scientist, you will play a pivotal role in overcoming poor aqueous solubility of novel small-molecule therapeutics – one of the most significant challenges in modern drug development. You will lead client-facing projects, designing and executing formulation strategies to improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble molecules.

This role requires both deep technical expertise in physical pharmacy and the agility to manage multiple fast-paced projects.
Roles and responsibilities
  • Formulation strategy: design and develop innovative solubility-enhancing formulations, based on platforms such as amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), lipid-based delivery systems, nanocrystalline systems and complexation technologies.
  • Preformulation: conduct rigorous physicochemical characterisation of active compounds, including solubility profiling, permeability profiling, chemical and physical stability assessments and solid-state characterisation (XRD, DSC, TGA, SEM).
  • Process development: Develop and optimise manufacturing processes for unit operations such as spray drying and wet milling
  • Project leadership: act as the primary technical point of contact for pharmaceutical clients, translating their drug delivery goals into actionable laboratory work plans.
  • Mentorship: supervise and mentor junior scientists and lab technicians, ensuring high-quality data generation
  • Science: stay up to date on the relevant scientific literature and disseminate scientific knowledge at the biweekly science meetings
  • Technology: scout for new formulation and analytical technologies the expand the company’s service offering
  • Reporting: author high-quality technical reports, presentations and standard operating procedures
Profile
  • Master’s degree or PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, bioengineering, pharmaceutics or related field
  • 3–5 years of industry experience
  • Proven track record in developing formulations for poorly soluble small molecules.
  • Hands-on experience with solubility and dissolution profiling, HPLC/UPLC and solid-state analysis tools.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and strict client deadlines.
  • Knowledge of Quality by Design (QbD) principles and Design of Experiments (DoE) software like JMP or Design-Expert.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex scientific data into clear-cut information for non-technical stakeholders
  • Fluency in Dutch and English
What we can offer as your future employer
  • A varied and challenging role in an innovative start-up company with international customer portfolio
  • The opportunity to work on a diverse range of molecules across various therapeutic areas
  • The ability to work creatively and independently on formulations that deliver the medicines of tomorrow
  • Development and further training opportunities for shaping and realising your career goals
  • Employment contract of unlimited duration with a competitive salary package
How to apply?
Interested applicants are requested to send their CV and cover letter to info@harpagocdmo.com