OverviewThe Senior Scientist - Pharma helps provides scientific leadership across the Pharma Program within the LCMS business segment. This role shapes analytical strategy, leads complex experimental initiatives, and delivers high-impact scientific outputs that support Waters' growth objectives and new product development priorities.
As a recognized technical expert, the Senior Scientist applies deep expertise in small and large molecule bioanalysis to develop differentiated, customer-relevant LCMS workflows that address evolving pharmaceutical modalities, regulatory expectations, and laboratory needs.
ResponsibilitiesKey Responsibilities
Scientific Leadership & Innovation
- Acts as a senior technical authority, leading complex scientific workstreams across multiple initiatives with minimal guidance.
- Defines experimental strategy and independently designs, executes, and interprets advanced LCMS studies.
- Ensures scientific rigor, robustness, and reproducibility of data generated across the program.
- Evaluates emerging technologies, new modalities, and regulatory developments to guide workflow innovation and technical direction.
- Identifies scientific gaps and proposes novel methodologies that enable differentiated product and workflow positioning.
Cross-Functional Influence & Mentorship
- Serves as a key scientific partner to Product Management, R&D, and Marketing in defining pharma-relevant product requirements.
- Represents the scientific perspective in cross-functional planning, ensuring customer workflows are accurately translated into development priorities.
- Helps mento and coach scientists at earlier career stages, contributing to capability development and scientific standards across the team.
- Builds strong relationships across the organization to enable effective collaboration and program success.
External Engagement & Thought Leadership
- Authors and leads the development of high-quality scientific content including application notes, workflow documents, white papers, and technical presentations.
- Engages directly with key customers, collaborators, and thought leaders through technical discussions, workshops, and joint evaluations.
- Represents Waters at conferences, webinars, and technical forums, communicating scientific value, innovation, and emerging insights.
- Contributes to Waters' external scientific reputation through visible, credible technical leadership.
Program & Project Execution
- Manages scientific activities across multiple concurrent projects, balancing priorities and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery.
- Provides data-driven recommendations that influence program strategy, product decisions, and investment priorities.
- Ensures alignment of scientific work with relevant regulatory expectations for pharmaceutical bioanalysis.
- Supports evaluation, verification, and validation of new product features against real-world pharma laboratory requirements.
QualificationsQualifications
- PhD in life sciences, chemical sciences, physical sciences, or a related discipline strongly preferred; or BSc or MSc with significant relevant experience considered.
Experience
- Typically 3+ years of applied LCMS experience in the pharmaceutical industry or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated expertise in both small and large molecule bioanalysis across discovery, development, and/or regulated environments.
- Strong understanding of pharma market drivers, regulatory expectations, and emerging modalities (e.g., Protacs, peptides, oligonucleotides, ADCs).
- Proven track record of scientific authorship, workflow development, and customer-facing technical contributions.
- Experience with complementary bioanalytical techniques (e.g., flow cytometry) is desirable.
Skills & Capabilities
- Advanced scientific communication and influencing skills, with the ability to tailor messages for technical, commercial, and customer audiences.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and credibility with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strategic scientific thinker with high curiosity and ability to translate insight into actionable direction.
- Excellent planning, prioritization, and execution skills across complex, multi-project environments.
- Analytical mindset with advanced problem-solving and experimental design capability.
- Effective contributor within globally distributed and cross-cultural teams.
- Fluent in English; additional languages are an advantage
Travel Requirement:- Willingness to travel up to 20% of the time for customer visits, industry events, and team meetings.
Reporting Line:
- Reports directly to the Pharma Program lead within the LCMS Business Segment in the Analytical Sciences Division
