Lead Principal Scientist: Kilo-Lab Purifications & Scale-Up

Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Vertex Pharmaceuticals seeks a highly experienced Principal Scientist for the Vertex Manufacturing Center (VMC) Kilo Lab. You will lead preparative chromatography method development, scale-up, and cross-functional collaboration across R&D and cGMP environments.

This role requires hands-on leadership, strong chromatography expertise (HPLC, SFC, IP-RP, AEX/CEX, SEC), and the ability to drive complex purification campaigns from lab to kilo-scale while ensuring safety, quality, and reproducibility.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience developing and scaling preparative chromatography methods for drug substances.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional purification campaigns in cGMP environments.
• Strong documentation, method transfer, and tech leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and scale-up of preparative chromatography from semi-preparative to kilogram scale.
• Troubleshoot complex purification campaigns and optimize impurity profiles.
• Build and maintain large-scale chromatography platforms and qualify systems.
• Perform kilo-lab synthesis with scale-up into multi-step routes and ensure safety and yield.
• Collaborate with Process Chemistry, Analytical Development, Quality, and Manufacturing.
• Mentor junior scientists and author GMP documentation and SOPs.

Skills

Preparative chromatography

HPLC

SFC

IP-RP

AEX

CEX

SEC

Chromatography data systems

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

PhD or MSc in a relevant field

Tools

Empower

OpenLab

Job description

Vertex Pharmaceuticals seeks a highly experienced Principal Scientist for the Vertex Manufacturing Center (VMC) Kilo Lab. You will lead preparative chromatography method development, scale-up, and cross-functional collaboration across R&D and cGMP environments.

This role requires hands-on leadership, strong chromatography expertise (HPLC, SFC, IP-RP, AEX/CEX, SEC), and the ability to drive complex purification campaigns from lab to kilo-scale while ensuring safety, quality, and reproducibility.