STEM OPT Pharmaceutical Jobs
Pharmaceutical roles in drug development, clinical research, and regulatory affairs qualify for STEM OPT when your degree falls under an eligible CIP code. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and the 24-month STEM OPT extension gives you up to 36 months total to build your career in pharma.
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Get Access To All JobsPharmaceutical Development Senior Associate Scientist I
Position Summary:
- Work Schedule: 2nd shift Monday – Thursday, 12pm-10pm
- 100% on-site
Catalent’s Kansas City (KCM) facility is a premier site for integrated drug development, manufacturing, and clinical supply services, supporting a wide range of pharmaceutical and biotech products. With cutting-edge technologies and a collaborative work environment, it offers exciting opportunities for professionals across all functions—from science and engineering to operations and logistics.
The Role:
- Maintain high quality laboratory documentation in accordance with applicable regulatory guidance and Site SOPs.
- Draft technical documents such as laboratory notebook writeups, protocols and batch records.
- Trains others on procedures and laboratory techniques.
- Executes efficiency improvement project with guidance.
- Has applied knowledge of the principles and concepts of a discipline.
- Applies technical and functional knowledge to job related duties on most projects/ assignments within own group/project team.
- Performs parallel review of GMP documents and laboratory notebooks and may become qualified to conduct compliance technical reviews.
- Develop and executes procedures, methods, manufacturing processes with minimal complexity, with high quality.
- Demonstrated ability to lead small team projects.
- All other duties as assigned.
The Candidate:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related life science or physical science field with a minimum of 2 years of related experience, or a Master’s degree in a related life science or physical science field; prior experience preferred but not required with an MS.
- Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
- Physical Requirements: Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands for manipulation, and reach with hands and arms for up to 8 hours per day; frequent sitting, standing, walking, reading written documents, and use of computer monitors; ability to wear a respirator (e.g., P100, PAPR); and occasional lifting and/or moving of up to 50 pounds.
Why You Should Join Catalent:
- Defined career path and annual performance review and feedback process
- Diverse, inclusive culture
- Positive working environment focusing on continually improving processes to remain innovative
- Potential for career growth on an expanding team within an organization dedicated to preserving and bettering lives
- 152 hours of PTO + 8 paid holidays
- Generous 401K match
- Medical, dental and vision benefits effective day one of employment
- Tuition Reimbursement - Let us help you finish your degree or start a new degree!
Catalent offers rewarding opportunities to further your career! Join the global drug development and delivery leader and help us bring over 7,000 life-saving and life-enhancing products to patients around the world. Catalent is an exciting and growing international company where employees work directly with pharma, biopharma and consumer health companies of all sizes to advance new medicines from early development to clinical trials and to the market. Catalent produces more than 70 billion doses per year, and each one will be used by someone who is counting on us. Join us in making a difference.
personal initiative. dynamic pace. meaningful work.
Visit Catalent Careers to explore career opportunities.
Catalent is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and veterans.
If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may submit your request by sending an email, and confirming your request for an accommodation and include the job number, title and location to DisabilityAccommodations@catalent.com. This option is reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability. Information received will be processed by a U.S. Catalent employee and then routed to a local recruiter who will provide assistance to ensure appropriate consideration in the application or hiring process.
Notice to Agency and Search Firm Representatives: Catalent Pharma Solutions (Catalent) is not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies and/or search firms for this job posting. Resumes submitted to any Catalent employee by a third party agency and/or search firm without a valid written & signed search agreement, will become the sole property of Catalent. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired for this position as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral. Thank you.
Important Security Notice to U.S. Job Seekers:
Catalent NEVER asks candidates to provide any type of payment, bank details, photocopies of identification, social security number or other highly sensitive personal information during the offer process, and we NEVER do so via email or social media. If you receive any such request, DO NOT respond— it is a fraudulent request. Please forward such requests to spam@catalent.com for us to investigate with local authorities.
California Job Seekers can find our California Job Applicant Notice HERE.
Pharmaceutical Development Senior Associate Scientist I
Position Summary:
- Work Schedule: 2nd shift Monday – Thursday, 12pm-10pm
- 100% on-site
Catalent’s Kansas City (KCM) facility is a premier site for integrated drug development, manufacturing, and clinical supply services, supporting a wide range of pharmaceutical and biotech products. With cutting-edge technologies and a collaborative work environment, it offers exciting opportunities for professionals across all functions—from science and engineering to operations and logistics.
The Role:
- Maintain high quality laboratory documentation in accordance with applicable regulatory guidance and Site SOPs.
- Draft technical documents such as laboratory notebook writeups, protocols and batch records.
- Trains others on procedures and laboratory techniques.
- Executes efficiency improvement project with guidance.
- Has applied knowledge of the principles and concepts of a discipline.
- Applies technical and functional knowledge to job related duties on most projects/ assignments within own group/project team.
- Performs parallel review of GMP documents and laboratory notebooks and may become qualified to conduct compliance technical reviews.
- Develop and executes procedures, methods, manufacturing processes with minimal complexity, with high quality.
- Demonstrated ability to lead small team projects.
- All other duties as assigned.
The Candidate:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related life science or physical science field with a minimum of 2 years of related experience, or a Master’s degree in a related life science or physical science field; prior experience preferred but not required with an MS.
- Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
- Physical Requirements: Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands for manipulation, and reach with hands and arms for up to 8 hours per day; frequent sitting, standing, walking, reading written documents, and use of computer monitors; ability to wear a respirator (e.g., P100, PAPR); and occasional lifting and/or moving of up to 50 pounds.
Why You Should Join Catalent:
- Defined career path and annual performance review and feedback process
- Diverse, inclusive culture
- Positive working environment focusing on continually improving processes to remain innovative
- Potential for career growth on an expanding team within an organization dedicated to preserving and bettering lives
- 152 hours of PTO + 8 paid holidays
- Generous 401K match
- Medical, dental and vision benefits effective day one of employment
- Tuition Reimbursement - Let us help you finish your degree or start a new degree!
Catalent offers rewarding opportunities to further your career! Join the global drug development and delivery leader and help us bring over 7,000 life-saving and life-enhancing products to patients around the world. Catalent is an exciting and growing international company where employees work directly with pharma, biopharma and consumer health companies of all sizes to advance new medicines from early development to clinical trials and to the market. Catalent produces more than 70 billion doses per year, and each one will be used by someone who is counting on us. Join us in making a difference.
personal initiative. dynamic pace. meaningful work.
Visit Catalent Careers to explore career opportunities.
Catalent is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and veterans.
If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may submit your request by sending an email, and confirming your request for an accommodation and include the job number, title and location to DisabilityAccommodations@catalent.com. This option is reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability. Information received will be processed by a U.S. Catalent employee and then routed to a local recruiter who will provide assistance to ensure appropriate consideration in the application or hiring process.
Notice to Agency and Search Firm Representatives: Catalent Pharma Solutions (Catalent) is not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies and/or search firms for this job posting. Resumes submitted to any Catalent employee by a third party agency and/or search firm without a valid written & signed search agreement, will become the sole property of Catalent. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired for this position as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral. Thank you.
Important Security Notice to U.S. Job Seekers:
Catalent NEVER asks candidates to provide any type of payment, bank details, photocopies of identification, social security number or other highly sensitive personal information during the offer process, and we NEVER do so via email or social media. If you receive any such request, DO NOT respond— it is a fraudulent request. Please forward such requests to spam@catalent.com for us to investigate with local authorities.
California Job Seekers can find our California Job Applicant Notice HERE.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization in Pharmaceutical
Verify your CIP code before applying
Check that your degree's CIP code appears on the official STEM OPT designated degree program list. Biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and biomedical engineering typically qualify, but some interdisciplinary programs get miscoded at enrollment and need a DSO correction before you can file the extension.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask your hiring contact or HR team to share the company's E-Verify employer ID before you sign anything. Pharma contractors and CROs frequently hire through staffing intermediaries, and the E-Verify enrollment must belong to your direct employer of record, not just the end client.
Target pharma employers with active LCA filing history
Use Migrate Mate to filter pharmaceutical employers by verified Labor Condition Application filings, so you're applying to companies that have already navigated STEM OPT and H-1B visa sponsorship, not ones learning the process on your timeline.
Structure your I-983 around FDA-regulated milestones
Your training plan must show a direct connection between your STEM degree and the role. For pharma positions, list specific learning objectives tied to GMP compliance, IND submissions, or clinical trial phases. Generic job descriptions get kicked back by DSOs and delay your extension approval.
Apply early at companies with H-1B cap-gap history
If your OPT expires before October 1 and your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf, cap-gap protection extends your work authorization automatically. Prioritize employers whose HR teams already understand this timeline so your project continuity isn't disrupted during the transition window.
Use OFLC Wage Search to benchmark job offers
Look up the prevailing wage for your specific SOC code and metro area before evaluating pharma offers. Your employer must certify prevailing wage compliance on the LCA, so knowing the DOL's wage level for roles like pharmaceutical scientist or clinical research associate helps you spot underpaying offers early.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which STEM degrees qualify for the STEM OPT extension in pharmaceutical roles?
Degrees in pharmaceutical sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, biomedical engineering, and biology typically carry eligible CIP codes for STEM OPT. Your DSO confirms eligibility based on the CIP code assigned to your specific program at enrollment, not the degree title alone. If your program was interdisciplinary or has an unusual classification, ask your DSO to verify the code against the official STEM designated degree program list maintained by DHS before you apply for the extension.
Does my pharma employer need to be enrolled in E-Verify to hire me on STEM OPT?
Yes, E-Verify enrollment is a hard requirement for STEM OPT employers with no exceptions. The company must be enrolled before your extension is approved, and your employer of record must hold the enrollment, not a parent company or staffing agency acting as an intermediary. If you're placed at a pharma client site through a contract research organization, confirm which entity is signing your I-983 and whether that entity specifically holds E-Verify enrollment.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for a pharmaceutical job?
The I-983 requires a detailed explanation of how your daily work relates to your STEM degree, the specific skills and knowledge you'll develop, how your employer will supervise and evaluate your progress, and a reporting schedule. For pharmaceutical roles, learning objectives should reference degree-relevant tasks like analytical method development, regulatory submission drafting, or pharmacokinetic modeling. Vague descriptions linking a chemistry degree to 'general lab work' often result in DSO rejections and extension delays.
How does the cap-gap rule protect me if my OPT ends before my H-1B starts?
If you're working in a pharmaceutical role on STEM OPT and your employer files an H-1B petition before your OPT EAD expires, cap-gap protection automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of the fiscal year your H-1B was selected for. USCIS issues an updated I-20 reflecting the extension. You stay authorized to work without interruption as long as the petition was filed while your OPT was still valid and your employer maintains E-Verify enrollment throughout.
How do I find pharmaceutical employers who are already set up to sponsor STEM OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters pharmaceutical employers by verified LCA filing history, which shows you which companies have already gone through the DOL certification process for STEM roles. This is more reliable than asking cold in interviews, since LCA filings are public record and reflect actual sponsorship activity rather than stated intentions. Pharmaceutical employers with a track record of LCA filings are also more likely to have HR processes in place for your I-983 reporting and eventual H-1B sponsorship.