Senior Director, Engineering and Materials Science

Job Description

General Summary:

Vertex is seeking a talented individual to join the Engineering and Materials Science department in Boston, MA. The successful candidate will be a productive, results-oriented leader who is able to lead a diverse team of engineers and scientists and contribute to the successful development and scale-up of drug substance and drug product candidates. Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and organization skills as well as a high level of technical aptitude and creativity are required for success in this position.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Be responsible for leading and developing a cross-functional team of engineers and scientists in defining, developing, and demonstrating viable, multi-step syntheses for the robust manufacture of small-molecule or oligonucleotide active pharmaceutical ingredients, spanning all phases of clinical development through to commercialization and launch
• Lead drug substance process development efforts and apply sound scientific judgement to drive multiple assets in a fast-paced environment via laboratory development, modeling, drug supply preparation, and technology transfer to third party manufacturing facilities
• Collaborate with materials discovery, process chemistry, analytical development, and formulation groups to improve the overall discovery/development process for definition and optimization of drug substance properties and performance across the clinical development spectrum
• Drive the adoption of process modeling within the department. 
• Potentially lead projects, representing all aspects of pharmaceutical sciences
• Be at the forefront of industry best practices and promote innovation. 
• Be vested in developing team members and technically mentoring junior-level scientists
• Influence departmental strategic direction
• Use excellent communication and interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders and interact, lead, and collaborate within an interdisciplinary team comprised of chemical engineers, organic, physical, and analytical chemists, materials and solid-state scientists, and formulation development personnel

Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience leading a team of engineers/scientists in pharmaceutical process development
• Advanced knowledge of standard unit operations encountered in small molecule and/or Oligonucleotide drug substance process development inclusive of particle engineering, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport fundamentals
• Have demonstrated experience with modeling complex, physicochemical systems, data analysis, statistical design of experiments, QbD concepts, and fluency with common physical property and process modeling tools
• Demonstrated process scale up and regulatory dossier authoring.
• Experience with process development and problem solving in a matrix environment
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence both stakeholders and team members

Education and Experience:

• A BS (+ 20 years), MS (+ 15 years) or PhD (+ 11 years) in Materials Science/Chemistry, or a closely related field, with relevant pharmaceutical materials development experience

• 5 years experience managing a team

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Pay Range:

Disclosure Statement:

Flex Designation:

Flex Eligibility Status:

In this On-Site designated role, you will work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility.  

Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time.

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Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com