Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted September 1, 2026

Principal Scientist, Analytical Development

US CA San Diego, United States Full time
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Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit  neurocrine.com , and follow the company on  LinkedIn ,  X , Facebook and YouTube . ( *in collaboration with AbbVie )

About the Role:

Responsible for leading a sub-team in analytical development and/or serve as an analytical lead for multiple projects to guide the analytical activities for supporting drug substance and drug product development from preclinical through commercial phase. Develops, establishes and validates testing methods used to control raw materials, in process testing, intermediates, API and drug products. Responsible for development and implementation control strategies, with special emphasis on advancing innovation in analytical techniques. Responsible for keeping work in compliance with cGMP, safety and regulatory requirements. Participates in analysis and evaluation of material and products at all stages of development process. Monitors and evaluates completion of tasks and projects. _

Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

Leads and manages multiple projects. Represents Analytical Development on cross-functional teams. Maintains accountability for analytical deliverables and progress on CMC plans for all development projects

Manages designs, plans and executes activities towards the goals of one or more analytical development projects to support pre-clinical through commercial activities

Directs laboratory work and/or lab personnel and ensures safe laboratory practices

Performs analytical development and optimizes methods in support of preclinical through commercialization

Creates and implements novel ideas and techniques to support analytical activities with Chemical and Product Development

Develop and support off-site analytical transfers, manufacturing support and interaction with contractors

Supplies input into CMC regulatory documentation and supporting work

Facilitates effective supervision of laboratory personnel and guidance for their professional development

Leverages literature, ICH/ Regulatory guidance, and practical experience to perform their work and influence CMC strategies

Contributes to development of policies and department strategies

Builds and enhances internal and external professional relationships

Supports career development and technical growth of direct reports

Presents finding at varying levels across the company

Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

BS/BA in Analytical Chemistry or related discipline AND 15+ years of experience in the analytical/pharmaceutical development field. Experience in method transfer in Analytical Chemistry OR

MS/MA in Analytical Chemistry or related discipline AND 13+ years of experience OR

PhD in Analytical Chemistry or related discipline AND 7+ years of relevant experience; may include postdoc experience

Expert knowledge and understanding of analytical chemistry and a thorough understanding of process chemistry as well as formulation development

Excellent interpersonal skills with strong oral and written communication abilities

Excellent laboratory and productivity skills

Method development, validation, and transfer experience in Analytical Development

Comprehensive understanding of cGMP requirements in API and drug product

Expert knowledge of cross-functional understanding related to drug development

Applies understanding of the team's place in the larger organization, and discusses changes, progress, and issues as they relate to other areas

Maintains substantial knowledge of principles and theories and acts as a technical lead on various projects

Leads the development of intellectual property

May utilize working knowledge of other related disciplines to provide solutions to a wide range of difficult problems

Ability to work as part of and lead multiple teams

Good leadership, mentoring skills and abilities typically leads lower levels and/or indirect teams

Excellent communications, problem-solving, analytical thinking skills

Sees broader picture and longer-term impact on division/company

Ability to meet multiple deadlines across a variety of projects/programs, with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency

Excellent project management, strong project leadership skills

#LI-LS1

Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/Disability/Vets employer.

We are committed to building a workplace of belonging, respect, and empowerment , and we recognize there are a variety of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don’t line up to exactly what we have outlined in the job description.

_

The annual base salary we reasonably expect to pay is $156,900.00-$214,000.00. Individual pay decisions depend on various factors, such as primary work location, complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. In addition, this position offers an annual bonus with a target of 30% of the earned base salary and eligibility to participate in our equity based long term incentive program. Benefits offered include a retirement savings plan (with company match), paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
US CA San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 515 comparable Principal Manufacturing & CMC roles across 76 biopharma companies.

515Comparable roles tracked
466Currently active
76Companies hiring similar roles
29Countries represented

Salary context

220 of 515 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.

This roleSubject $156,900/yr – $214,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr Manufacturing Technician · Genz. Therap Product LP $2,400/yr – $3,200/yr
Highest disclosed · Director, Global Automation Engineering · AbbVie $182,000/yr – $346,000/yr
Peer group range $2,800 – $264,000 (median $150,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 515 comparable roles

United States336
India44
Ireland23
Netherlands18
China's Mainland10
Germany9

+ 23 more countries

Seniority mix

515 of 515 peers have a known seniority level

Senior334
Principal95
Director86

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 515 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

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.

60%similar
Lilly Louisville, Colorado, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Watertown, Massachusetts, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

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.

60%
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 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.