Head of Translational Medicine
About the role
Moderna is seeking an enterprise-minded Head of Translational Medicine to lead and integrate translational medicine, translational research, and clinical pharmacology & pharmacometrics into a unified, high-impact organization.
Responsibilities
Define and lead an integrated, end-to-end translational strategy across Translational Medicine, Translational Research, and Clinical Pharmacology/Pharmacometrics, spanning discovery through lifecycle management.
Ensure alignment of translational strategies with overall program and portfolio objectives, including development pathways, target product profiles, and regulatory strategies.
Lead translational input into governance, ensuring rigorous, data-driven go/no-go decisions across the pipeline.
Lead and unify a high-performing, multidisciplinary translational organization, connecting scientific, clinical, and quantitative capabilities into a cohesive, highly integrated model.
Represent Moderna’s translational strategy externally, engaging regulators, scientific leaders, and partners to shape scientific direction and advance best-in-class approaches across the portfolio.
Execute early clinical translational plans, including biomarker implementation, endpoint operationalization, and data interpretation to enable clear proof-of-concept decisions.
Partner with clinical development to translate scientific hypotheses into actionable clinical strategies and high-quality study execution.
Define and validate novel endpoints and patient stratification approaches to enable early decision-making and differentiation.
Lead development of patient identification, pharmacodynamic, and disease monitoring strategies to support clinical entry and advancement.
Drive quantitative integration of PK/PD, exposure-response, and modeling & simulation into program-level decision-making and trial design.
Lead pharmacology contributions to regulatory strategy, including authorship and defense of clinical pharmacology components in health authority interactions.
Represent clinical pharmacology in governance and partner cross-functionally to inform critical dose and development decisions across programs.
Qualifications
Advanced degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent) in a relevant scientific discipline.
15+ years of experience across translational science, clinical pharmacology, and/or drug development, with at least 10 years in a leadership role.
Deep expertise spanning translational medicine, biomarker strategy, experimental medicine, and quantitative pharmacology.
Demonstrated ability to develop scientific hypotheses on human disease and translate this between the clinic and the laboratory.
Demonstrated success influencing development strategy, including dose selection, study design, and regulatory interactions.
Strong understanding of the end-to-end drug development process, from discovery through commercialization.
Strong publication record and ability to represent Moderna externally to scientific community.
Prominent leadership roles contributing to BLAs for oncology or immunology programs.
Experience with companion diagnostics.
Proven ability to lead large, multidisciplinary teams and operate effectively in a complex matrix environment.
Track record of driving innovation and delivering measurable impact across a portfolio.
Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex science into strategic decisions.
Benefits
Best-in-class healthcare coverage, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs.
Holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support.
Fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support.
Savings and investment opportunities to help you plan for the future.
Location-specific perks and extras.
Pay
The salary range for this role is $272,200.00 - $490,100.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs.