Scientific Innovation Leader

Role Summary

The Scientific Innovation Leader will define Phosphorex's scientific roadmap, guide the team through complex R&D challenges, and strengthen scientific rigor and capabilities across the organization. Externally, this leader will support Business Development, represent Phosphorex at conferences, and evaluate partnership or M&A opportunities.

INWARD (INTERNAL LEADERSHIP & TECHNICAL GUIDANCE)

• Scientific Strategy & Portfolio

• Define and continuously refine the scientific roadmap aligned to Phosphorex's strategy; prioritize platforms and proofs-of-concept with the highest technical and commercial leverage (e.g., t-LNP, HTS/barcoding, new delivery chemistries).
• Define how Phosphorex evaluates new scientific ideas and guides decisions on which projects to advance or scale back.
• Lead and organize continuous organizational awareness and library management of the relevant scientific literature.

• Technical Leadership & Problem Solving

• Act as the senior scientific 'go-to' for complex R&D challenges; drive mechanism-based troubleshooting, experimental design rigor, and reproducibility.
• Support and champion the key experiment and technical work needed to reduce risks as Phosphorex moves toward scale-up, CMC handoffs, and real-world translation.

• Operational Excellence

• Audit and optimize scientific workflows, documentation, assay robustness, and data integrity, champion best practices in the design of experiments, QA of data, and tech transfer readiness.
• Partner with Program/Operations leaders to implement efficient, right-first-time processes and metrics.

• Mentorship & Capability Building

• Mentor the scientific team at all levels; build internal capability via training programs, lunch-and-learns, best-practice sessions, journal clubs, and technical workshops.
• Create development pathways for technical talent (e.g., specialist vs leadership tracks) and nurture a culture of curiosity, accountability, and continuous learning.

• Enterprise Collaboration

• Serve as a strategic voice on the Senior Leadership Team to ensure scientific input informs corporate strategy, resource allocation, and risk management.
• Translate market/competitive intelligence into actionable internal plans and experiments.

OUTWARD (EXTERNAL LEADERSHIP & MARKET PRESENCE)

• Business Development & Customer Engagement

• Support Business Development prospecting, scoping calls, technical diligence, proposals, and ongoing customer relationship management.
• Craft compelling scientific value propositions and solution architectures tailored to client needs.

• Industry Presence & Thought Leadership

• Serve as scientific ambassador at trade shows, symposia, and conferences; deliver podium talks and posters to raise visibility for Phosphorex.
• Expand an external network of KOL's, academic collaborators, and platform partners; explore co-development opportunities.

• Partnerships & M&A

• Assess potential partnerships and M&A opportunities. Drive technical diligence, identify integration risks, and model scientific synergies and roadmap fit.

QUALIFICATIONS & EDUCATION

• A PhD in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical/Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related fields.

• 10+ years in biotech/biopharma, drug delivery, nanoparticle engineering, or adjacent field with a record of scientific innovation and translation.

• Demonstrated leadership in building/leading high-performance scientific teams and cross-functional influence at the Director/VP level.

• Strong external presence (presentations, panels, publications) and customer-facing communication skills.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Experience in drug delivery formulation with a preference for nanoparticle knowledge.

• Experience in CDMO/CRO platform business or partnership-heavy environments.

• Exposure to partnerships/M&A technical diligence and alliance management.

• Familiarity with CMC, scale-up, and regulatory/quality intersections for enabling technologies.

• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.

• Creative/innovative/problem solver that actively drives progress.

• Ability to work with others to troubleshoot complex technical and scientific problems while showing independence in execution and thought process.

Leadership Competencies

• Clear, Practical Thinking - Sees the big picture and can break complex scientific problems into clear, workable steps that help the team move forward with confidence.

• Hands-On Scientific Rigor - Sets a high bar for good science - asking thoughtful questions, insisting on solid data, and helping the team get to answers that hold up.

• Supportive Team Builder - Help people grow by giving honest feedback, providing guidance, and creating an environment where team members feel comfortable learning and speaking up.