A

Amgen

Makes biotech medicines for serious illnesses

Process Development Principal Scientist

Full-TimeUpdated
$141.8k - $191.9k+ Discretionary annual bonus + Stock-based long-term incentives
Mid, Senior
Bachelor's, Master's, PharmD, PhD, MD
Cambridge, MA, USA
In Person
Biology & BiotechBioprocess & Biomanufacturing

About the job

Requirements
  • A doctorate degree (PhD, PharmD, or MD), with relevant postdoctoral experience where applicable, and 3 years of experience in the job code’s discipline or sub-discipline; or a master's degree and 6 years of scientific experience; or a bachelor's degree and 8 years of scientific experience.
  • Strong understanding of small-molecule analysis, including chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, separation science, Process Analytical Technologies for process understanding and control, structure elucidation, and solid-state characterization.
  • Knowledge of analytical method development and testing requirements for solid oral dosage support, including immediate- and controlled-release solid dosage forms, liquid formulation or lyophilized formulation, and dissolution method development.
  • Understanding of Good Laboratory Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices requirements and their phase-appropriate application.
  • Hands-on experience developing, validating, transferring, and remediating methods for in-process, release, and stability testing.
  • Knowledge of major pharmacopeias and International Council for Harmonisation and Food and Drug Administration guidance documents related to analytical method transfer and validation, impurities, genotoxic impurities, and early-phase development.
  • Experience transferring non-GMP and GMP production and testing to external contract organizations.
  • Ability to manage deliverables on complex projects against timelines.
  • Leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and ability to work cross-functionally and globally within Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls teams.
  • Technical writing skills and attention to detail when authoring methods, specifications, technical reports, and regulatory filing documents.
Responsibilities
  • Lead all attribute and analytical aspects of a program in pivotal clinical process development while working cross-functionally within a product development team.
  • Define analytical control strategies and implement methodologies for late-phase clinical programs, including analytical method development and optimization.
  • Lead method transfer and support current Good Manufacturing Practice manufacturing activities at internal manufacturing, contract manufacturing, and testing sites.
  • Author technical reports and analytical Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls sections in regulatory documents, and answer analytical and product-quality questions from health authorities.
  • Drive product characterization for process comparability studies, regulatory filings and questions, and reference standard qualification.
  • Evaluate Amgen platform and analytical technologies and provide expertise to drive innovation and efficiency within Process Development.
  • Help define strategies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Attribute Sciences department.
  • Maintain current knowledge of analytical development literature and technology, and apply it to evaluation and development of new methodologies.
  • Serve as a scientific resource in the area of expertise and mentor junior staff.
Desired Qualifications
  • PhD with 3 or more years of industry experience.

About the company

Amgen develops and makes biologic medicines, which are drugs built from proteins and antibodies grown in living cells, for serious conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and bone loss. Its anemia drug Epogen, approved in 1989, became one of the biotechnology industry's first blockbuster medicines. Amgen grows these drugs in large tanks called bioreactors, and its products include the cholesterol drug Repatha, the bone-building drug Evenity, and the severe asthma drug Tezspire. It earns money by selling these medicines, mostly through large drug wholesalers that supply hospitals and pharmacies. Amgen was founded in 1980 and is based in Thousand Oaks, California.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Thousand Oaks, California

Founded

1980

Get referred to Amgen

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Growth is broad-based: 22 products grew at least 10%, lifting June 2026 quarter revenue 10% to $10.1 billion.
  • Stock grants gained value: Amgen shares rose 27% from January to October 9, 2026, versus 10% for rival Eli Lilly.
  • Many U.S. roles are remote: 145 of Amgen's 615 U.S. job openings in October 2026 were fully remote.

What critics are saying

  • Its 2025 best seller is shrinking: cheaper copies cut bone drug Prolia's sales 32% in the June 2026 quarter.
  • MariTide, Amgen's obesity bet, faces a giant: Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound outsold all of Amgen in the June 2026 quarter.
  • Most tech openings are in India: 156 of Amgen's 210 information systems jobs in October 2026 were in Hyderabad.

What makes Amgen unique

  • It copies rivals' blockbusters too: Pavblu, its version of Regeneron's eye drug Eylea, sold $700 million in 2025.
  • Amgen hunts drug targets in a nation's DNA: its Icelandic unit deCODE has genetic data on two-thirds of Iceland's adults.
  • Amgen opened a U.S. cancer-drug class: Blincyto, approved in 2014, was the first to tether immune cells to cancer.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

  • Professional Development Budget
  • Conference Attendance Budget

Company News

PR Newswire
Oct 26th, 2026
Amgen appoints former Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs to its board

Amgen has appointed David W. Gibbs to its board of directors, effective immediately. He will serve on the Audit Committee and the Compensation and Management Development Committee. Gibbs recently retired as president and chief executive officer of Yum! Brands, owner of Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken. As chief executive from 2020 to 2025, he led its digital transformation and expanded it to nearly 61,000 locations. He has sat on the board of Under Armour since 2021 and PepsiCo since 2026. "His experience creating direct relationships with customers will help inform how we prepare for future launches," said Robert A. Bradway, Amgen's chairman and chief executive officer. The board now has 13 directors, 12 of them independent.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 26th, 2026
ESMO 2026: Moderna vaccine debate, Roche's $3.6B KRAS bet and Amgen's lung cancer data

Three cancer drug trials drew attention at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting, with investors and analysts weighing the results. Moderna and Merck's vaccine intismeran autogene cut the relative risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% in a Phase 3 trial. Moderna's shares have still fallen by double digits since the results leaked early, as investors question its valuation and the vaccine's manufacturing and commercial potential. Roche's divarasib reduced the risk of death or disease progression by 42% in KRAS G12C lung cancer, beating Krazati and Lumakras. Patients lived a median of about 18 months, versus a year. Roche raised its peak sales forecast from 3.6 billion Swiss francs to 3 billion. Amgen's Imdelltra, combined with Imfinzi, cut the risk of death by 58% in small cell lung cancer. Median survival was 21.1 months, against 12.7 months for Imfinzi alone.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 25th, 2026
Amgen vs Gilead: Which biotech dividend stock is the better buy, with yields of 2.2% and 2.1%?

Amgen and Gilead Sciences, two of the few big biotech companies that pay dividends, suit different kinds of income investors, according to a comparison by The Motley Fool's Keith Speights. Amgen offers a forward dividend yield above 2.2%, against slightly below 2.1% for Gilead. Gilead has the lower payout ratio, at 43.5% versus 60.9%, and the cheaper valuation: 15.6 times forward earnings against 16.7. Amgen's product sales grew 9% year over year in its latest quarter, against 8% for Gilead. It has 17 drugs on track to be blockbusters this year, versus eight for Gilead, and 29 late-stage programs. Speights favours Amgen for yield and growth, and Gilead for safety and value.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 24th, 2026
Amgen vs Johnson & Johnson: cheaper Amgen edges J&J's $94.2B revenue giant on valuation

A Motley Fool comparison of Amgen and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) favours Amgen, mainly on price. Amgen's forward price-to-earnings ratio is 19.4x, against 24.1x for J&J. In 2025, Amgen's revenue rose about 10% to $36.7 billion, with net income of $7.7 billion. J&J's revenue grew 6% to $94.2 billion, with net income of $26.8 billion and free cash flow of $19.7 billion. Amgen carries far more debt: its debt-to-equity ratio is nearly 6.3x, against about 0.6x for J&J. Three wholesalers account for 77% of its gross revenues. Amgen also struck a deal with the US government that exempts it from pharmaceutical tariffs for three years in return for price cuts on two drugs. J&J expects revenue of $101 billion this fiscal year, and Amgen expects about $37.8 billion.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 22nd, 2026
Eli Lilly vs Amgen: $65.2B revenue and 45% growth against a cheaper stock for 2026

Eli Lilly is growing far faster than Amgen, but investors pay a steep premium for it. The article's author favours Lilly for long-term investors in 2026. Lilly's FY 2025 revenue rose 45% to about $65.2 billion, with net income of $20.6 billion and a 32% net margin. Amgen's revenue grew about 10% to $36.7 billion, with net income of $7.7 billion and a 21% margin. Lilly trades at a forward P/E of 38.3x against Amgen's 19.4x. Its debt-to-equity ratio is about 1.6x, compared with nearly 6.3x for Amgen. Lilly's growth rests on its GLP-1 drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro. The article projects 2026 revenue of $88.7 billion, against about $37.8 billion for Amgen.