Head of Advanced Bioconjugation Technologies 80-100% (f/m/d)

Head of Advanced Bioconjugation Technologies 80-100% (f/m/d)

Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across five continents. While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it. Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people. In exchange, we let our people own their careers. Their ideas, big and small, genuinely improve the world. And that’s the kind of work we want to be part of.

In the current growth environment, Lonza offers multiple career opportunities within the Advanced Synthesis business platform. We are seeking a motivated and influential leader with extensive experience in Bioconjugation. This role reports directly to the Head of R&D in the Business Platform.

The purpose of this role is to contribute to the overall R&D strategy by providing strategic input and developing a roadmap for Bioconjugation R&D across the ADS platform. The goal is to generate industry-leading and differentiated offerings, and to achieve outstanding performance in our development and manufacturing operations. The incumbent will lead a multidisciplinary team of experts in chemistry, biology, automation, chemical engineering, and modeling, across multiple projects, to enable deployment of industry-leading capabilities in collaboration with internal stakeholders. Additionally, the role involves coordinating external partnerships to address key challenges through open innovation.

What you’ll get:

• An agile career and dynamic working culture.
• An inclusive and ethical workplace.
• Compensation programs that recognize high performance.
• A variety of benefits depending on role and location.

Key responsibilities include:

• Act as R&D lead for bioconjugation process technologies across the organization and collaborate with relevant leads.
• Manage resources and projects aligned with platform priorities.
• Collaborate with R&D teams, operations, quality, and other relevant functions across sites.
• Identify and implement process optimization opportunities within the innovation portfolio.
• Ensure effective deployment of new tools and capabilities to deliver business value.
• Accelerate adoption of automation, analytics, and modeling technologies, including AI, through partnerships.
• Manage the bioconjugates process R&D team, including recruitment, goal setting, performance reviews, and development support.

What we’re looking for:

• PhD in Science or equivalent qualification/experience in Chemical Engineering, Statistics, Chem-informatics, or Chemometrics.
• Minimum of 10 years’ relevant experience in bioconjugation within a pharmaceutical/CDMO setting.
• Proven success in developing and deploying advanced bioconjugation technologies.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex matrix environments.
• Strong scientific expertise in bioconjugation technologies and their development and transfer.
• Established network and recognition as a SME in the field.
• Experience in resource planning, project management, and documentation.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical data into business insights.
• Self-motivated and capable of leading diverse teams.

At Lonza, we are committed to ethical practices and equal opportunity employment. We value the positive impact our products and services have on millions of lives and strive to uphold these standards in all aspects of our work.