Project Lead, Preclinical Development of Therapeutic siRNA

About the role

Your key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Represent TRD as a member of research stage core project teams, contributing to overall project strategy and success.
• Screen and develop phase-appropriate formulations to enable robust in vivo and clinical assessment of new compounds; author protocols for internal and external labs.
• Assess new compounds for risks related to delivery, aggregation, stability, and developability, and proactively communicate key issues to influence compound selection.
• Provide strategic guidance to cross-functional teams on the selection and optimization of conjugation and delivery technologies, ensuring alignment with project and organizational objectives.
• Basic drug substance characterization by techniques such as XRPD, DSC and TGA, DVS, PLM and UPLC. Assessment of the chemical and physical properties, such as solubility, particle size viscosity, and chemical stability.
• Foster strong team spirit and knowledge exchange within and between teams and manage project-related interactions across departments and with external partners.

Responsibilities

The ideal candidate will bring experience across conjugates, strong formulation expertise, and preclinical and clinical development know-how, with biopharm skills; PK/PD experience is a plus. They will serve as a core member of research teams, independently assessing candidate developability and advancing programs into preclinical PK, PD, and toxicology studies through formulation, stability profiling, and risk assessment.

Requirements

This role requires deep expertise in conjugation chemistry and the development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. The ideal candidate will bring experience across conjugates, strong formulation expertise, and preclinical and clinical development know-how, with biopharm skills; PK/PD experience is a plus. They will serve as a core member of research teams, independently assessing candidate developability and advancing programs into preclinical PK, PD, and toxicology studies through formulation, stability profiling, and risk assessment.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, biomedical engineering, or a related field, with 5+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biologics development.

Skills

Hands-on experience with analytical methods for oligonucleotide characterization, including formulation, analytics, and developability assessment.

Desirable requirements

• Experience advancing siRNA therapeutics toward clinical development.
• Biologics experience supporting conjugation chemistry and delivery strategy development.
• Knowledge of solid-state properties and their impact on formulation and developability.
• Biopharmaceutics expertise for candidate assessment and formulation development; PK/PD experience is a plus.
• Ability to influence oligo construct design during lead optimization

Benefits

Novartis Compensation and Benefit Summary: The salary for this position is expected to range between $108,500 and $201,500 per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors. Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards. US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

Why Novartis

Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?

EEO Statement

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.