Associate Scientist (12 Month FTC)
About this opportunity
If you are a current Jazz employee please apply via the Internal Career site
Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases, often with limited or no therapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leading therapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments. Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and development advancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology and neuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed to serving patients worldwide. Please visit www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com for more information.
Job Description
1. ROLE PURPOSE
The Associate Scientist provides vital scientific and operational support to project chemists and development teams across pipeline projects. This role contributes directly to the laboratory-scale development, optimization, and characterization of novel and existing drug substance routes, generating high-quality scientific data in full adherence to safety (EHS) and compliance (cGxP) standards.
2. ROLE DIMENSIONS & ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Complexity & Scope
Executes routine-to-semi-routine laboratory experiments and analytical testing where established SOPs and methodologies guide the work. Evaluates experimental parameters and applies sound observational judgment.
Supervision & Guidance
Works under the general direction of senior colleagues/supervisors. Receives detailed instruction on new assignments and ongoing coaching from experienced team members.
Internal Interaction
Collaborates productively with multidisciplinary laboratory colleagues, project chemists, and analytical teams.
Impact & Accountability
Responsible for individual laboratory precision, prompt escalation of anomalous observations, and accurate data recording to minimize rework or experimental delay.
3. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES
Laboratory Execution & Chemical Development
· Experimental Synthesis & Execution: Conduct bench-scale chemical syntheses, process development experiments, and reaction profiling under the guidance of senior scientists.
· Technique & Equipment Mastery: Demonstrate routine competency across standard and complex laboratory equipment (e.g., reaction stations, automated reactors, parallel synthesis tools, and standard purification systems).
· Hazard & Safety Management: Proactively assess chemical hazards, strictly adhere to Risk Assessments/COSHH guidelines, and safely handle hazardous materials at small scale while maintaining a clean, organized, and compliant workspace.
Analytical Characterization & Data Integrity
· Spectrometric & Physical Testing: Support the identification and characterization of reaction products, intermediates, and impurities using standard spectrometric and chromatographic techniques.
· Electronic Record-Keeping: Meticulously capture all experimental procedures, observations, raw data, and analytical results in Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN) and designated digital platforms in a timely manner.
· Quality & cGxP Compliance: Comply with all applicable cGxP requirements, assist in drafting and updating laboratory procedures/documentation, and maintain an up-to-date personal training curriculum.
4. SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL FOCUS: ANALYTICAL DEVELOPMENT
· Routine & Reproducible Testing: Execute robust, reproducible analytical testing (e.g., HPLC, GC, MS, or related techniques) to support process chemistry and project milestones, documenting and reporting data according to established protocols.
· Instrumentation Support: Assist with routine maintenance and servicing of analytical instrumentation in accordance with vendor specifications and internal SOPs.
5. CANDIDATE PROFILE: QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Education & Core Knowledge
· Essential: Higher qualification (HND, BSc, or equivalent) in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a closely related discipline.
· Desirable: MChem, MSc, or equivalent advanced coursework in synthetic organic chemistry, process chemistry, or analytical chemistry.
Technical & Computational Skills
· Laboratory Competence: Practical, hands-on experience in small-scale chemical synthesis, reaction setup, standard separation techniques, and product characterization.
· Digital & Informatics Literacy: Strong working knowledge of standard MS Office applications (Word, Excel) or equivalent. Basic familiarity or developing interest in AI-assisted scientific tools, predictive modelling, or automated laboratory software.
· Desirable Competencies:
· Familiarity with applied statistical methods or Design of Experiments (DoE) within a chemical or scientific environment.
· Experience with predictive modelling workflows or AI applications in chemical synthesis/analytics.
Behavioural Attributes & Ways of Working
· Attention to Detail: High standard of precision in experimental execution, observation, and data logging.
· Agility & Continuous Learning: Demonstrated curiosity and willingness to learn new analytical methodologies, technologies, and standard procedures.
· Teamwork & Collaboration: Excellent communication skills with a proven track record of building positive, cooperative and collaborative working relationships within a multidisciplinary laboratory team.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.
The successful candidate will also be eligible to participate in various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental and vision insurance, retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation. For more information on our Benefits offerings please click here: https://careers.jazzpharma.com/benefits
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 180 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 38 biopharma companies.
Salary context
64 of 180 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 180 comparable roles
+ 12 more countries
Seniority mix
180 of 180 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
16 of 180 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
Similar opportunities
The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.
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How we calculate "similar"
No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.
Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.
0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.