(Executive) Director, Regulatory Affairs, CMC

Dispatch Bio; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, Vision, and Dental

401(k) plan

Life Insurance

Flexible PTO

Additional benefits

Job summary

Dispatch Bio is seeking a Director/Executive Director, Regulatory CMC to lead global regulatory CMC strategy and execution across our cell and gene therapy portfolio. You will partner with cross-functional teams and health authorities to drive submissions and compliance across development stages, in a fast-moving startup environment.

The role reports to the Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs and requires deep CMC expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to mentor others while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences, chemistry, engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of regulatory CMC experience within biotech or pharma.
• Direct, hands-on experience authoring/managing CMC sections of IND, BLA, or MAA submissions.
• Direct experience with cell therapy, viral vector, or ATMP manufacturing.
• Deep working knowledge of FDA and ICH CMC regulations for biologics; cell/gene therapy.
• Experience leading CMC-focused health authority interactions and correspondence.
• Track record managing complex manufacturing regulatory strategy, including comparability and post-approval changes.
• Strong leadership, influence across cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with high attention to detail.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead global regulatory CMC strategies from early development through licensure.
• Author, review, and approve CMC sections of regulatory submissions (INDs, CTAs, BLAs/MAAs).
• Serve as primary regulatory CMC liaison to health authorities (FDA, EMA, TGA).
• Collaborate with Process Development, Manufacturing, Analytical Development, and Quality.
• Provide regulatory guidance on manufacturing changes and process validation.
• Assess regulatory risk and advise senior leadership on mitigations.
• Track evolving global CMC guidance and policy trends for cell/gene therapy.
• Manage relationships with CDMOs and external testing laboratories.
• Build, mentor, and develop regulatory CMC talent as the team grows.
• Represent Regulatory CMC on cross-functional program teams and report to leadership.

Skills

CMC regulatory

Leadership

Regulatory strategy

FDA/ICH knowledge

Regulatory submissions

Communication skills

Startup environment

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

MS/PhD/PharmD (preferred)

Job description

About us:

Our purpose at Dispatch is to help create a world where all cancer patients can be cured. We’re humbled by the opportunity to work together as a team on some of the most pressing medical challenges of our time.

To achieve our purpose, we are dedicated to engineering a universal treatment across solid tumors. We’re committed to the development of novel therapies, leveraging first-in-class technologies in viral vectors, universal targets, and novel cytokine biology. Our therapeutic approach has the potential to enable us to treat significant numbers of cancer patients and make a real and lasting impact on the world.

Our company was founded on pioneering work carried out in the laboratories of Dr. Carl June (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Kole Roybal (University of California, San Francisco), Dr. Christopher Garcia (Stanford University) and Dr. Andy Minn (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center).

At our company, you would become one of our early team members— not only playing a role in meeting our ambitious mission but also building our thriving culture. We are determined to deliver with urgency to discover new solutions and we always stay dedicated to scientific rigor; we have an ownership mindset because each and every one of us is integral to our success. Collaboration is core for us because we believe that by bringing people together with diverse perspectives, we make a stronger whole. And, we show we care about our work and each other by sharing feedback - ultimately in service of our vision to empower people to continue forward with their lives – cancer free.

The role:

The Director/Executive Director, Regulatory CMC will lead regulatory CMC strategy and execution for our cell and gene therapy pipeline and will report directly to the Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs. This role is both strategic and hands-on, and will be responsible for the full breadth of CMC regulatory activities across global development programs, from early through late-stage development.

This individual will serve as the primary regulatory CMC point of contact for health authority interactions, author and oversee CMC content for regulatory submissions, and provide regulatory guidance on manufacturing, process, and analytical strategy. This role will work cross-functionally with Process Development, Manufacturing, Analytical Development, Quality, Supply Chain, Clinical Development, and external partners such as CDMOs and testing laboratories.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the development and execution of global regulatory CMC strategies Dispatch programs, from early development through licensure
• Author, review, and approve CMC sections of regulatory submissions, including INDs, CTAs, BLAs/MAAs, amendments, annual reports, and responses to health authority questions
• Serve as the primary regulatory CMC liaison to health authorities (e.g., FDA, EMA, TGA), leading preparation for and participation in CMC-focused meetings and other health authority interactions
• Partner closely with Process Development, Manufacturing, Analytical Development, and Quality to ensure regulatory compliance and submission readiness across the product lifecycle
• Provide strategic regulatory guidance on manufacturing changes, process validation, comparability protocols, and facility qualification/licensure activities
• Assess regulatory risk associated with CMC and manufacturing decisions, and advise senior leadership on mitigation strategies and health authority engagement
• Track, interpret, and communicate evolving global CMC regulatory guidance and policy trends relevant to cell and gene therapy manufacturing
• Manage regulatory CMC aspects of relationships with CDMOs, contract testing laboratories, and other external manufacturing partners
• Build, mentor, and develop regulatory CMC talent as the team and pipeline grow
• Contribute to and help scale regulatory CMC processes, tools, and templates appropriate for a growing organization
• Represent Regulatory CMC on cross-functional program teams and provide regular updates to senior leadership

Required experience & skills:

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences, chemistry, engineering, or a related discipline
• Minimum of 10 years of regulatory CMC experience within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry
• Direct, hands-on experience authoring and managing CMC sections of IND, BLA, or MAA submissions
• Direct experience with cell therapy, viral vector, or other advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) manufacturing
• Deep working knowledge of FDA and ICH CMC regulations and guidelines applicable to biologics; cell and/or gene therapy experience
• Demonstrated experience leading CMC-focused health authority interactions and correspondence
• Track record managing complex manufacturing regulatory strategy, including comparability assessments and post-approval/process changes
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence and align cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail
• Ability to operate effectively and independently in a fast-moving, resource-constrained startup environment

Preferred experience & skills:

• Advanced degree (MS, PhD, PharmD)
• Experience with global CMC regulatory submissions (e.g., EMA or other ex-U.S. agencies)
• Prior experience supporting solid tumor drug development
• People management experience, with a track record of developing regulatory talent

Our values:

Our values guide everything we do. While capabilities and skills are vital, understanding how a potential new colleague would embody our values is central to our hiring decisions.

Determined to deliver:

By working with focus and passion, we can provide patients with the solutions they need.

Own every outcome:

We can reach new heights when we stay centered on our shared success.

Collaboration at the core:

When we band together, our work is better.

Feedback is fundamental:

Constructive and authentic positive feedback may be difficult to master but it is vital to our success.

Working here:

• We offer a highly competitive compensation package with meaningful ownership through equity
• Excellent coverage for medical, vision, and dental
• 401(k) with generous contribution
• Life insurance
• Flexible PTO policy
• Additional substantial benefits

We are an equal opportunity employer.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, national origin,

or any characteristic protected under applicable law.