Sr. Director, New Product Planning, Autoimmune

Moderna; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 197,000 - 353,000; Full time

Job summary

Moderna seeks a Senior Director of New Product Planning to shape strategy for autoimmune programs and translate its mRNA platform into medicines for patients. The role connects mechanism of action with disease biology to prioritize opportunities and guide development from discovery through proof of concept.

You will lead cross-functional strategy, integrate scientific and market insights, and develop target product profiles with clear evidence gaps for differentiation and evolving standards of

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a scientific, medical, business, or related field.
• At least 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, including significant experience in new product planning, research strategy, program leadership, global marketing, portfolio strategy, or a related function.
• Demonstrated experience leading product and portfolio strategy across multiple programs in discovery and early clinical development, including influencing senior decisions on program advancement, investment, and resource allocation.
• Deep understanding of autoimmune disease biology and the ability to independently evaluate mechanistic, translational, and clinical evidence.

Responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of Moderna’s platform and its application to autoimmune diseases.
• Assess clinical, translational, and biomarker evidence and develop an understanding of diagnosis, disease progression, and clinical endpoints.
• Engage with scientific evidence and experts to test hypotheses and resolve unresolved biological questions.
• Lead a disciplined strategy process with program teams: frame choices, identify information needed, structure debate, and justify program decisions.
• Define target product profiles linking mechanism of action and disease biology to patient populations and clinical endpoints.

Skills

Autoimmune biology

Strategic leadership

Program management

Scientific communication

AI-enabled evidence workflows

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in a scientific, medical, business, or related field

10+ years in pharma/biotech with new product planning and strategy

Experience leading product/portfolio strategy across multiple programs

Deep autoimmune disease biology understanding

Job description

The Role
Building on the success of our mRNA platform in infectious diseases and the growing clinical evidence in oncology, Moderna is expanding into autoimmune diseases. We are seeking a Senior Director of New Product Planning to shape the strategy for our autoimmune programs and help translate our platform into medicines for patients.

The Senior Director will shape product and development strategy across the autoimmune portfolio. They will connect each program’s mechanism of action with disease biology to identify where it could deliver meaningful clinical benefit and change treatment decisions. They will translate that opportunity into target product profiles, indication and development choices, and recommendations on how programs and opportunities should be prioritized across the portfolio. Working with program leaders and colleagues across Research, Development, Commercial, and Manufacturing, they will lead strategic discussions from discovery through clinical proof of concept.

The successful candidate will bring a deep understanding of autoimmune disease biology and the ability to independently evaluate mechanisms and clinical evidence. They will bring a systems-thinking approach, connecting scientific evidence with patient populations, treatment decisions, regulatory requirements, and evolving market and competitive dynamics to shape program and portfolio strategy. They will provide an independent perspective in areas of uncertainty and present recommendations to senior leaders on which opportunities to advance and where to focus investment and resources before development and commercial paths are fully defined.

Here’s What You’ll Do
Scientific and disease understanding

• Develop a deep understanding of Moderna’s platform and its application to autoimmune diseases.
• Develop a deep, independent understanding of autoimmune disease biology, patient heterogeneity, and biomarkers, and assess how each program’s mechanism of action could affect the disease.
• Assess clinical, translational, and biomarker evidence and develop a detailed understanding of diagnosis, disease progression, and clinical endpoints.
• Engage directly with scientific evidence and external experts to evaluate competing hypotheses and identify unresolved biological questions.

Market and competitive understanding

• Understand how patients move from diagnosis and referral through treatment selection, assessment, switching, and discontinuation. Identify who makes each decision and how clinical evidence, physician judgment, patient preferences, and access shape those choices, including unmet needs within current standards of care.
• Evaluate approved therapies, emerging mechanisms, and competitor programs, including their clinical evidence, development timelines, and potential strengths and limitations.
• Develop scenarios for how standards of care and treatment pathways may evolve, including changes in treatment sequencing and the requirements for future differentiation.
• Use direct conversations with KOLs, treating physicians, and other internal and external experts, together with scientific and market evidence, to test program assumptions and resolve questions that affect development choices.

Product and development strategy

• Lead a disciplined strategy process with program teams: frame the choices, identify the information needed, structure debate around alternatives and tradeoffs, and make the logic for program decisions explicit.
• Apply a biotech investment mindset to program development, identifying the most efficient path to reduce key risks and reach proof of concept. Define the evidence needed to justify further investment and adapt recommendations as data emerge.
• Shape strategy and prioritization across the autoimmune portfolio. Develop and present recommendations to senior leaders on which opportunities to advance and where to focus investment and resources, with clear alternatives, tradeoffs, and evidence gaps.
• Integrate scientific, disease, market, and competitive insights to define where each autoimmune program can succeed and prioritize indications, patient populations, treatment settings, and lines of therapy.
• Develop and refine target product profiles with program teams that connect the program’s mechanism of action and disease biology to a defined patient population, treatment setting, and clinical benefit. Define the efficacy, safety, durability, and dosing and administration requirements, together with the supporting evidence, needed for differentiation and to change treatment choices as standards of care evolve.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a scientific, medical, business, or related field.
• At least 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, including significant experience in new product planning, research strategy, program leadership, global marketing, portfolio strategy, or a related function.
• Demonstrated experience leading product and portfolio strategy across multiple programs in discovery and early clinical development, including influencing senior decisions on program advancement, investment, and resource allocation.
• Deep understanding of autoimmune disease biology and the ability to independently evaluate mechanistic, translational, and clinical evidence.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience in autoimmune or immune-mediated diseases, including familiarity with treatment pathways, clinical endpoints, patient segmentation, and the evolving competitive landscape.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to build, challenge, and communicate assumptions.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI-supported evidence workflows to investigate program questions, test competing explanations, evaluate underlying sources, and identify when expert input or additional data is needed.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present a concise recommendation to senior leaders and defend it objectively.
• The ability to influence across functions without direct authority and establish productive working relationships with scientific, clinical, and commercial colleagues.

Our Working Model
As we build our company, we have always believed an in-person culture is critical to our success. Moderna champions the significant benefits of in-office collaboration by embracing a 70/30 work model. This 70% in-office structure helps to foster a culture rich in innovation, teamwork, and direct mentorship. Join us in shaping a world where every interaction is an opportunity to learn, contribute, and make a meaningful impact.

Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free work environment.

Pay & Benefits

At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our benefits and well-being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

• Competitive healthcare, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs
• A holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support
• Family planning benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown
• Savings and investments to help you plan for the future
• Location-specific perks and extras

The salary range for this role is $196,700.00 - $353,400.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs.The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, other incentive compensation, or equity award, subject to company plan eligibility criteria and individual performance.

About Moderna

Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world‑class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world.

By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities.

We are proud to have been recognized as a Science Magazine Top Biopharma Employer, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in the U.S.

Equal Opportunities

Moderna is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person’s race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry or citizenship, ethnicity, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, or any other personal characteristic protected under applicable law.Moderna is a place where everyone can grow.

Moderna is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees. By cultivating a workplace that values diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we create an environment where every employee can contribute their best.

Moderna is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants with disabilities. Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should contact the Accommodations team at [e-mail].

Export Control NoticeThis position may involve access to technology or data that is subject to U.S. export control laws, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). As such, employment is contingent upon the applicant’s ability to access export-controlled information in accordance with U.S. law. Due to the nature of the work and regulatory requirements, only individuals who qualify as U.S. persons (citizens, permanent residents, asylees, or refugees) are eligible for this position. For this role Moderna is unable to sponsor non‑U.S. persons to apply for an export control license.