Senior Director, Drug Substance Engineering & Science

Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 254,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Equity awards

Paid time off (Company shutdowns)

Student loan repayment

Commuting subsidy

401(k) matching

Job summary

Vertex is seeking a talented leader to join the Engineering and Materials Science (EMS) team in Boston, MA, guiding a diverse group of engineers and scientists in the development and scale-up of drug substance processes across clinical development to launch. You will mentor junior staff, promote process modeling, and collaborate across chemistry, analytical, and formulation teams.

The role emphasizes leadership, technical excellence, and external collaboration, with on-site design designation

Qualifications

• Experience mentoring junior scientists in pharma settings.
• Knowledge of particle engineering, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport in drug substance development.
• Ability to identify and solve complex process development and scale-up problems.
• Application of modeling to complex systems, data analysis, and DOE techniques.
• Experience in process development within a matrix environment.
• Strong communication and ability to influence stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional team of engineers and scientists in defining and demonstrating viable multi-step syntheses for robust manufacture of drug substances.
• Drive development through lab development, modeling, technology transfer, and external manufacturing collaboration.
• Collaborate with materials development, analytical, and formulation groups to optimize drug substance properties and performance.
• Promote adoption of process modeling within EMS and broader PS.
• Act as EMS lead on projects when assigned.
• Mentor and develop junior staff and promote innovation.
• Influence delivery of technical excellence and department strategy within EMS leadership.

Skills

Mentoring junior scientists

Unit operations knowledge

Problem solving in scale-up

Modeling and data analysis

Matrix environment collaboration

Communication and influence

Education

Chemical Engineering PhD/MS/BS with pharma experience

Job description

Vertex is seeking a talented leader to join the Engineering and Materials Science (EMS) team in Boston, MA, guiding a diverse group of engineers and scientists in the development and scale-up of drug substance processes across clinical development to launch. You will mentor junior staff, promote process modeling, and collaborate across chemistry, analytical, and formulation teams.

The role emphasizes leadership, technical excellence, and external collaboration, with on-site design designation