| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Production |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Production Manager |
| Direct reports | Production Operator |
| Experience | 2 to 6 years in API, bulk drug or chemical production |
Production Chemist job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Production Chemist
Department: Production
Reports to: Production Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Production Chemist runs chemical or API production batches on the plant floor. They charge raw materials, control reactions and unit operations as laid down in the batch manufacturing record, watch critical parameters, send in-process samples for testing and complete documentation to GMP or plant standards. They also supervise operators on their shift. A good production chemist delivers batches on yield and quality, safely, with clean records that pass audits.
Key responsibilities
- Verify raw materials, solvents and quantities against the batch manufacturing record before charging reactors or vessels.
- Carry out reactions and unit operations such as distillation, crystallization, filtration, centrifuging and drying as per the approved process.
- Monitor temperature, pressure, pH, time and addition rates, and act at once on any deviation.
- Draw in-process samples, send them to QC and act on the results before moving to the next stage.
- Record every step, observation and deviation in the BMR or BPR as it happens, following good documentation practice.
- Supervise operators and helpers on the shift, including safe handling of hazardous chemicals, solvents and powders.
- Clean equipment between batches as per procedure and record the cleaning in the equipment log.
- Report yield losses, deviations and incidents, and support QA with investigations and CAPA.
- Coordinate with stores for raw materials and with utilities for chilled water, steam and nitrogen.
- Hand over running batches to the next shift with batch status, readings and pending actions.
Requirements
- BSc or MSc in Chemistry
- B.Pharm or a Diploma in Chemical Engineering is accepted by some plants
- Training in GMP and chemical safety
- 2 to 6 years in API, bulk drug or chemical production
KRAs and KPIs for a Production Chemist
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Batch yield | Yield within the validated range for 95 percent or more of batches |
| Right first time | Batches released without rework or reprocessing at or above the target percentage |
| GMP documentation | Zero critical documentation errors found in BMR reviews and audits |
| Chemical safety | Zero exposure incidents, spills or runaway reactions on the shift |
| Batch cycle time | Cycle time within the standard for each product |
| Deviation reporting | Deviations reported within the same shift and investigation inputs given on time |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Glass-lined and stainless steel reactors, Centrifuges and ANFD, Tray and fluid bed dryers, DCS or PLC panels, pH meter and temperature indicators, BMR and logbooks.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Production Executive, Pharma Production Officer, Production Manager
Interview questions for a Production Chemist
- The reaction temperature is rising faster than the BMR allows. What do you do?
- How do you correct an error written in a BMR under good documentation practice?
- How would you confirm that a reactor is clean before the next batch?
- What PPE and precautions do you use when charging a solvent like methanol?
- Your batch yield is 8 percent below range. Where do you look first?
- What do you tell the next shift chemist during handover?
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What does a production chemist do?
A production chemist runs chemical or API batches in the plant. They charge materials, control reactions and unit operations, monitor critical parameters, send in-process samples to QC, record everything in the batch manufacturing record and supervise operators on the shift. They are measured on yield, quality, documentation and safety.
What is the qualification for a production chemist?
Most companies hire production chemists with a BSc or MSc in chemistry. Some plants also take B.Pharm graduates or diploma holders in chemical engineering. Knowledge of GMP documentation, reaction handling and chemical safety is expected, and freshers usually start as trainees before they run batches on their own.
What is the difference between a production chemist and a QC chemist?
A production chemist makes the product in the plant, running batches and recording them in the BMR. A QC chemist tests raw materials, in-process samples and finished products in the laboratory using HPLC, GC and wet chemistry, and decides whether they meet specification. Both follow GMP, but their daily work is very different.