Chief Vaccines Laboratory Leader

ThermoFisher Scientific; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total Rewards package

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

Thermo Fisher Scientific is seeking a Vaccines Laboratory Leader in Virginia to provide strategic and operational leadership across vaccine development laboratories, including antigen discovery, assay development, and immunogenicity testing. The role drives scientific rigor, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle management from early development through commercialization.

The position requires extensive experience in vaccine programs, leadership of multi-disciplinary teams, and strong budgeting

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant life sciences field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Extensive experience in vaccine development, biologics, or related pharmaceutical laboratory environments (15+ years).
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary laboratory teams supporting vaccine R&D programs.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership and people management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead Vaccine Laboratory Operations across development labs and programs.
• Drive scientific and technical excellence in method development, qualification, validation, and transfer.
• Integrate cross-functional functions with Quality, PPI, Automation, Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
• Ensure regulatory and biosafety compliance; lead inspections and audits.
• Provide strategic and financial leadership including budgets and capital planning.
• Support business growth through external partnerships and technology transfer.
• Develop and mentor high-performing scientific teams and foster continuous improvement.
• Establish KPIs and optimization initiatives to improve productivity and compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Vaccine development

Regulatory knowledge

Budgeting

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology, Immunology, Virology, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related life sciences

Advanced degree (MS, PhD) strongly preferred

Job description

Thermo Fisher Scientific is seeking a Vaccines Laboratory Leader in Virginia to provide strategic and operational leadership across vaccine development laboratories, including antigen discovery, assay development, and immunogenicity testing. The role drives scientific rigor, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle management from early development through commercialization.

The position requires extensive experience in vaccine programs, leadership of multi-disciplinary teams, and strong budgeting