Director, Analytical Chemistry

About the role

Moderna is seeking a Director, Analytical Chemistry to provide scientific, strategic, and organizational leadership for discovery-stage analytical chemistry activities supporting mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) research across a diverse portfolio of nucleic acid medicines.

Responsibilities

• Define and advance analytical strategies that enable rapid design-make-test-learn cycles across novel ionizable lipids, polymers, excipients, payloads, formulations, and delivery systems used in mRNA-LNP therapeutics and vaccines.
• Serve as a senior analytical partner to medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, formulation, delivery sciences, platform biology, and selected development functions to accelerate molecular design, analytical decision-making, and candidate progression.
• Guide analytical approaches spanning small molecules, polymers and lipid characterization, impurity profiling, structure elucidation, orthogonal physicochemical characterization, and fit-for-purpose evaluation of RNA, lipid, and nanoparticle attributes in support of discovery and early development objectives.
• Build Moderna's technical model for analytical leadership, providing strategic oversight of method development, method qualification and transfer where appropriate, characterization, impurity identification, and analytical control strategy concepts relevant to discovery and translational research.
• Provide strategic oversight of analytical deliverables, ensuring alignment with program milestones, and provide technical guidance and oversight to both internal teams and external CRO/CDMO partners.
• Apply high-throughput methodologies to accelerate research and development efforts, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to enhance data analysis and decision-making.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline, with 9+ years of relevant industry experience; a strong M.S. candidate with significant leadership experience may also be considered.
• Substantial experience in analytical chemistry supporting discovery research and/or early development in biotech or pharmaceutical settings, including demonstrated leadership at the program, function, or platform level.
• Deep expertise in small molecules, polymers and lipid analytical chemistry, including structure elucidation, impurity assessment, method development, advanced characterization, and the use of orthogonal analytical approaches and tools for novel chemical entities or excipients.
• Working knowledge of large molecule and nucleic acid analytics, with meaningful familiarity in mRNA or related RNA characterization and an understanding of how RNA quality attributes interface with formulation and delivery performance.
• Demonstrated managerial abilities and strong technical leadership in both direct reporting relationships and in a matrix and cross-functional environment to execute strategy.
• Experience with technology transfer to internal or external partners and with building productive working relationships with CRO and/or CDMO collaborators.
• Experience in developing phase-appropriate analytical strategies and control concepts in settings that bridge discovery and development, including familiarity with technical documentation that supports progression into regulated environments.
• Familiarity with electronic laboratory notebooks, CDS, LES, and/or LIMS and an interest in modern data workflows that improve decision making and execution speed.
• Experience applying high-throughput methodologies to accelerate research and development, along with proficiency in leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance data analysis and inform decision-making.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and influence skills, with the ability to distill complex analytical data into clear recommendations for senior leaders and diverse scientific stakeholders.
• Exceptional ability to drive teams toward best practices in a fast-paced environment while helping build durable technical and business processes.

Skills

• Deep expertise in modern analytical chemistry.
• Strong ability to translate complex data into actionable scientific decisions.
• Proven leadership experience.
• Sound scientific judgment.
• The ability to build productive partnerships across internal teams and external collaborators.

Benefits

At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our US benefits and global well-being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Best-in-class healthcare coverage, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs.