Sai Life Sciences to recruit more than 700 professionals to support expansion
Sai Life Sciences has announced plans to hire more than 700 scientific, technical, and management professionals during fiscal year 2027, underscoring a significant scale-up of its integrated contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) capabilities.
The recruitment drive will span medicinal chemistry, biology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), process and analytical development, as well as formulation development, process engineering, technology transfer, quality, peptides, business development, program management, and manufacturing.
Most of the roles to be hired will be based in Hyderabad, home to the company’s largest integrated research and development (R&D) campus, with additional positions supporting operations in the UK and the United States, according to the announcement.
The hiring initiative aligns with growing operational demand across complex small-molecule synthesis, high-throughput experimentation, data-enabled drug discovery, late-stage chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC), as well as commercial scale-up.
Krishna Kanumuri, CEO and managing director, said in a statement that the company is positioning itself to meet sustained global demand for integrated CRDMO partnerships, supported by investments in infrastructure, digital enablement, and quality systems. He emphasized that the expansion reflects the rising scientific complexity of programs being entrusted to Indian CRDMOs.
As part of its broader talent strategy, Sai Life Sciences has launched a global alumni engagement platform and is expanding internal learning, leadership development, and mobility programs to sustain long-term operational growth.
With more than 3,400 scientists and professionals currently on board, the planned hiring signals continued investment in scientific depth, process chemistry strength, and commercial manufacturing readiness, the company said.
The hiring plan comes amid broader structural tailwinds for India’s CRDMO sector.
According to external analyst reports, India-based CRDMOs are poised for high-double-digit growth over the next five years as global pharmaceutical companies rebalance development and manufacturing networks. Sai Life Sciences has been cited as a key beneficiary due to its integrated small-molecule capabilities and east–west footprint, including process R&D operations in Manchester and early discovery biology capabilities in Boston.
Late last year, Sai Life Sciences expanded manufacturing infrastructure at the company’s Bidar active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) site, increasing total installed reactor capacity there to approximately 700 KL. The expanded multi-purpose production block is designed to handle large-scale commercial API production for regulated markets, including the U.S., European Union, and Japan.