This is a non-supervisory, technical position in USP’s Compendial Development Laboratory (CDL). In this role, the Scientist II/III is responsible for working on technical problems in analytical chemistry related to the development and validation of specific methods that directly support monograph creation/revisions to the various USP compendia. This work includes development and/or validation of analytical procedures supporting the identity, strength, and purity of drug substances, drug products, dietary supplements, or excipients. The Scientist II/III has a broad range of experience in various analytical techniques in the laboratory and can troubleshoot, possibly lead, and provide input on difficult projects, while drawing independent conclusions about the results. He or she will make advances in science, processes, and internal capability that result in new or improved scientific expertise in the laboratory. The Scientist II/III may execute 75%-100% of their work at the bench level.

 Roles and Responsibilities

• Demonstrates solid scientific approach to analysis in the laboratory;
• Routinely applies personal experience, academic training, and technical insights to solve technical problems;
• Conducts method development and validation of analytical procedures according to USP and international standards;
• Perform all experimental activities and provide input on / draw conclusions required to evaluate proposed compendial procedures and reference materials;
• Records experimental data, ensuring clear and accurate transcription of results and calculations;
• Assists and / or conducts planning of experiments required for all projects, as well as interprets and evaluates data;
• Energetically participates and coordinates activities with laboratory teams and internal customers to execute technical tasks and communicate results of work;
• Executes all testing and analysis of data with excellence and essentially no errors;
• Demonstrates a strong desire to continue learning and grow personal capability;
• Participates and / or presents at internal and external scientific meetings;
• Pursues, recommends, and implements new approaches or processes to improve laboratory operations;
• Troubleshoots lab problems independently or with minimal assistance
• Positively influences project direction by ensuring work is congruent with overall direction of the customer and laboratory team

Basic Qualifications 

Scientist II

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline with four years of relevant experience. In limited circumstances, an equivalent combination of training or special scientific accomplishments is acceptable in lieu of the years of relevant experience.

or

• Master’s degree in a scientific discipline with two years of relevant experience. In limited circumstances, an equivalent combination of training or special scientific accomplishments is acceptable in lieu of the years of relevant experience.

Scientist III

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline with seven years of relevant experience. In limited circumstances, an equivalent combination of training or special scientific accomplishments is acceptable in lieu of the years of relevant experience.

or

• Master’s degree in a scientific discipline with five years of relevant experience. In limited circumstances, an equivalent combination of training or special scientific accomplishments is acceptable in lieu of the years of relevant experience.

or

• Ph.D. degree in a scientific discipline.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Working knowledge and hands-on experience of separation analyses such as liquid (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC), as well as other general analytical chemistry principles and techniques
• Working knowledge and hands-on experience with spectroscopy techniques such as Infra-red spectroscopy (IR), Raman, Near infrared (NiR), and/or inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is a plus
• Must have excellent project organization skills and the capability to plan and conduct research independently.
• Possesses the skills to anticipate, troubleshoot, and solve technical problems.
• Highly motivated individual with excellent technical writing and excellent oral communication skills.
• Well-developed interpersonal, negotiation, and listening skills.
• Must possess the ability to multi-task and to work effectively with a team
• Takes personal responsibility to ensure work is delivered on time and is of the highest possible quality.
• Experience working in the compendial, pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology industry strongly preferred.
• Experience working with Empower chromatography software preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

USP offers an impressive benefits package, including:

• Generous paid time off – 13 paid holidays, 10 sick days and 15 vacation days per year to start
• An annual 401(k) contribution, beginning after 1 year of service, of 10% of pay (base and bonus) every pay period that vests immediately
• Comprehensive individual and family healthcare plans with affordable premiums and low annual deductibles ($250/individual or $500/family)

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide. USP’s drug standards are enforceable in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration, and these standards are used in more than 140 countries.

Being a part of USP means belonging to a diverse culture made up of more than 1,000 talented professionals working together at five international locations. We share our expertise in science, IT, human resources, quality assurance, communications, administrative management, and more...all to support an overall mission dedicated to making a difference by providing standards and programs that help improve the quality of medicines, dietary supplements, and foods worldwide.

USP is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer (EEOE) and affirmative action employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected class. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.

USP does not accept unsolicited resumes from 3rd party recruitment agencies and is not responsible for fees from recruiters or other agencies except under specific written agreement with USP. 

Required Skills Required Experience

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

A Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Aerospace Engineering or related field with a solid foundation in Mathematics and coding is required. Proven experience leveraging object oriented development principles with the C++ programming language, and a working knowledge of Windows/Unix/Linux Operating Systems is required. Proven experience leading software development efforts and architecting large software simulations are required. Qualified candidates will be detail oriented, highly motivated and comfortable with working independently and in a development team.  APPLICANTS MUST POSSESS U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND A BACKGROUND THAT WOULD PERMIT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO ISSUE A SECURITY CLEARANCE.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS:

Candidate with these desired skills or experience will be given preferential consideration:

• Bachelor’s Degree and 15+ years experience or a Master’s Degree with 7-10 years experience.
• Experience in modeling and simulations architecture and development
• Experience with all phases of software QA including unit, acceptance, regression and cross-platform testing
• Development experience with IDEs (VisualStudio, NetBeans, Eclipse), debuggers and performance tools
• Knowledge or experience in multi-threading/vectorization (POSIX, OpenMP, MPI), SSE, GPU or FPGA programming
• Familiarity with MATLAB scripting and Simulink
• Experience with version-control software (CVS, Subversion, Git) and configuration management tools (Jira, Bugzilla)
• Experience with scripting languages (Perl, Python, BASH)
• Basic systems administration
• Experience working within an Agile development team

COMPANY OVERVIEW: 

Systems Engineering Group, Inc. (SEG) is a highly regarded provider of air and missile defense threat engineering and combat, radar, and missile systems engineering and analysis.  Principal customers include the U.S. Navy, Missile Defense Agency, and Industry.  SEG is headquartered in Columbia, MD and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephonics Corporation.  SEG provides excellent benefits and outstanding training to grow the capacity of staff in relevant areas.

 We are an Affirmative Action / Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic. Reasonable accommodations may include but are not limited to, that which may enable individuals with disabilities and special disabled veterans to perform the essential functions of this position.