Oral Solid Dosage Excipients Specialist – Saudi Arabia

Oral Solid Dosage Excipients Specialist – Saudi Arabia

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Employment Type: Full-time

Workplace: Hybrid / Technical & Customer-facing

Regional Scope: Saudi Arabia with selected GCC projects

Palomba General Trading LLC is seeking an experienced Oral Solid Dosage Excipients Specialist to support pharmaceutical manufacturers in the selection, evaluation and application of excipients used in tablets, capsules and related oral solid dosage forms.

This is a technical role focused on formulation performance rather than conventional sales.

The successful candidate should understand how excipient selection affects:

• powder flow;
• compressibility;
• tablet hardness;
• friability;
• disintegration;
• dissolution;
• lubrication;
• moisture sensitivity;
• stability;
• manufacturing consistency.

Core Mission

The objective is to help pharmaceutical customers select the right excipient system for each formulation and to translate technical formulation problems into qualified ingredient projects.

The role will support the development of the PGT excipients platform in Saudi Arabia by connecting:

Formulation Challenge → Excipient Selection → Sample Evaluation → Technical Trial → Customer Approval

Key Responsibilities

• Work directly with pharmaceutical formulation and R&D teams.
• Understand customer dosage-form requirements.
• Recommend suitable excipient categories based on formulation needs.
• Support tablet and capsule development projects.
• Evaluate alternative excipient grades and suppliers.
• Coordinate samples and technical documentation.
• Support laboratory and pilot-scale formulation trials.
• Analyse customer feedback following compression and dissolution testing.
• Work with excipient manufacturers to resolve technical issues.
• Support reformulation projects involving alternative excipient sources.
• Assist customers during raw-material qualification.
• Identify recurring technical needs across Saudi pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Support technical workshops and customer training.
• Provide technical input to the PGT commercial team.

Excipient Categories

The role may cover:

Diluents & Fillers

• Microcrystalline Cellulose
• Lactose
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Calcium Phosphates
• Starch-based excipients

Binders

• Povidone
• Pregelatinized Starch
• HPMC
• HPC
• Other cellulose derivatives

Disintegrants

• Croscarmellose Sodium
• Crospovidone
• Sodium Starch Glycolate

Lubricants & Glidants

• Magnesium Stearate
• Stearic Acid
• Colloidal Silicon Dioxide
• Talc

Functional Systems

• Coating excipients
• Solubility-enhancement systems
• Cyclodextrins
• Specialty delivery systems

Technical Focus

The successful candidate should understand topics such as:

• Direct compression
• Wet granulation
• Dry granulation
• Powder flow
• Particle size
• Bulk density
• Compressibility
• Tablet hardness
• Friability
• Disintegration
• Dissolution
• Lubrication
• Moisture sensitivity
• Excipient compatibility
• Scale-up behaviour

Typical Customer Problems

The role should be able to support customers facing issues such as:

• Poor tablet hardness
• Slow or inconsistent disintegration
• Variable dissolution
• Sticking or picking
• Poor powder flow
• Weight variation
• Capping or lamination
• Excessive friability
• Moisture sensitivity
• Lubrication problems
• Scale-up inconsistencies
• Need for an alternative supplier or grade

Candidate Profile

• 5+ years in Pharmaceutical Formulation, Oral Solid Dosage Development, Excipients or related areas.
• Degree in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry or related discipline.
• Strong experience with tablets and/or capsules.
• Knowledge of major excipient categories and functions.
• Experience with formulation development or process troubleshooting.
• Ability to interpret technical data and formulation results.
• Experience working with excipient suppliers is highly valued.
• Customer-facing experience preferred.
• Saudi pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred.
• Fluent English required.
• Arabic is an advantage.

Ideal Background

Relevant candidates may currently work as:

• Formulation Scientist
• Oral Solid Dosage Scientist
• Pharmaceutical Development Scientist
• Excipients Application Specialist
• Technical Service Specialist – Excipients
• Formulation Manager
• R&D Pharmacist
• Pharmaceutical Application Manager

What We Offer

• Competitive fixed salary.
• Performance-based bonus.
• Direct interaction with Saudi pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Access to international excipient suppliers.
• Opportunity to influence the technical development of the PGT excipients portfolio.
• High degree of technical autonomy.
• Participation in formulation and troubleshooting projects.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who understands that two products called “microcrystalline cellulose” are not necessarily interchangeable.

The candidate should be able to ask:

• Which grade is being used?
• What is the particle-size distribution?
• What is the compression method?
• What problem is occurring in production?
• Is the excipient causing poor flow or poor hardness?
• Is the disintegrant concentration correct?
• Is dissolution being affected?
• Does an alternative grade solve the issue?
• Can the formulation be scaled reliably?

The objective is to make PGT technically relevant to pharmaceutical R&D teams, rather than simply another ingredient supplier.