Vice President, Therapeutics Immunology
Moderna Inc.
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Moderna is seeking a scientific leader to head Therapeutics Immunology and drive the immunology mRNA portfolio from discovery to preclinical development. The VP will build a TCR capability, guide autoimmune programs, and shape strategy across internal platforms and external collaborations.
The role demands a distinguished track record in T cell biology, leadership of multidisciplinary teams, and a strong history of translating science into medicines.
Qualifications
- PhD/MD/MD-PhD with deep T cell immunology training.
- 15+ years of relevant biotech/pharma experience after terminal degree, including 5+ years leading multidisciplinary teams.
- Internationally recognized expertise in human T cell biology and TCR biology.
- Record of advancing therapeutic programs from discovery to preclinical development; IND/early development experience.
- Ability to build or scale a discovery platform and convert capabilities into programs.
- Expertise in TCR discovery, repertoire analysis, and cross-reactivity assessment.
- Strong knowledge of therapeutic protein or receptor engineering, developability, and translational biomarkers.
- Experience in autoimmune or inflammatory disease research with human data/models.
- Track record of influential scientific contributions (publications/patents).
- Outstanding communication skills to align scientists, executives, and external partners.
- Comfort with ambiguity, urgency, accountability, and decisive decision-making.
- Risk-taking mindset with evidence-based experimentation and learning from setbacks.
- Enterprise-minded, low-ego collaborator who develops leaders and builds trust.
Responsibilities
- Set and execute scientific strategy for the mRNA immunology pipeline, establishing clear priorities across autoimmune disease, TCR-based medicines, and immune-modulating therapeutics.
- Oversee internal TCR capabilities including TCR deconvolution and an end-to-end TCR discovery and engineering engine to generate therapeutic TCRs at scale.
- Lead the autoimmune research portfolio from concept ideation to target and disease hypothesis through lead generation, candidate selection, pharmacology, translational strategy, and preclinical development.
- Establish rigorous decision criteria for efficacy, selectivity, cross-reactivity, developability, manufacturability, and translational relevance across immune-mediated mRNA modalities.
- Translate insights from patient samples, single-cell and immune-repertoire data, human genetics, functional genomics, and disease models into therapeutic concepts.
- Partner with mRNA science, lipid nanoparticle delivery, protein engineering, structural biology, computational biology, and AI teams to design medicines that exploit Moderna's technology platform.
- Serve as a key scientific partner to Clinical Development. Shape mechanism-based development plans, biomarker and patient-selection strategies, clinical pharmacology hypotheses, proof-of-mechanism studies, and interpretation of emerging clinical data.
- Shape Moderna’s R&D strategy by representing therapeutics immunology priorities with enterprise portfolio decisions and engaging senior leadership.
- Lead Therapeutics Immunology organization through senior scientific leaders, recruiting, developing, and retaining a high-performing team.
- External collaborations with academic investigators, biotech/pharma, CROs, and technology providers to accelerate strategy.
- Maintain an active external scientific presence through publications, conferences, advisory relationships, and engagement with immunology leaders.
- Establish and manage the function's budget, headcount, technology investments, and portfolio commitments in alignment with Research priorities.
Skills
Education
Job description
Moderna is seeking an exceptional scientific leader to lead its Therapeutics Immunology organization as Vice President, Therapeutics Immunology. Reporting to the Chief Scientific Officer, Therapeutics, this leader will be responsible for developing and driving the scientific strategy for the immunology mRNA portfolio. This leader will build a differentiated T cell receptor capability and advance immunology programs from discovery through preclinical development, while shaping broader portfolio and technology decisions. The role will connect deep immunology expertise with Moderna's mRNA, delivery, protein engineering, and computational platforms to create medicines that address the underlying biology of immune-mediated disease.
The successful candidate will be a recognized T cell immunologist and experienced drug-discovery leader with a demonstrated ability to build high-performing multidisciplinary teams and establish new scientific capabilities. They will lead teams spanning T cell biology, immune repertoire and TCR discovery, functional immunology, protein and antibody engineering, and preclinical research. As a senior member of the Research organization, they will work closely with Bioinformatics / AI teams, Platform Science, Nonclinical Development, Clinical Development, Translational Medicine, CMC Development, Regulatory, and R&D Strategy teams to ideate product concepts and modalities, define therapeutic hypotheses, select candidates, and guide programs toward the clinic.
- Set and execute the scientific strategy for the mRNA therapeutics immunology pipeline, establishing clear priorities across autoimmune disease, TCR-based medicines, and immune-modulating therapeutics.
- Oversee internal TCR capabilities including TCR deconvolution and an end-to-end TCR discovery and engineering engine to generate therapeutic TCRs at scale.
- Lead the autoimmune research portfolio from concept ideation to target and disease hypothesis through lead generation, candidate selection, pharmacology, translational strategy, and preclinical development.
- Establish rigorous decision criteria for efficacy, selectivity, cross-reactivity, developability, manufacturability, and translational relevance across immune-mediated mRNA modalities – including but not limited to T cell engagers and in vivo cell therapy.
- Translate insights from patient samples, single-cell and immune-repertoire data, human genetics, functional genomics, and disease models into therapeutic concepts.
- Partner with mRNA science, lipid nanoparticle delivery, protein engineering, structural biology, computational biology, and AI teams to design medicines that exploit Moderna's technology platform and are differentiated from the external landscape.
- Serve as a key scientific partner to Clinical Development. Shape mechanism-based development plans, biomarker and patient-selection strategies, clinical pharmacology hypotheses, proof-of-mechanism studies, and interpretation of emerging clinical data.
- Shape Moderna’s R&D strategy by representing therapeutics immunology and autoimmune programs in senior cross-functional forums and integrating Therapeutics Immunology priorities with enterprise portfolio decisions. Regularly engage with senior Research and Development leaders and Executive Committee members. Present clear recommendations, identify scientific and execution risks early, and make evidence-based portfolio and resource decisions.
- Lead Therapeutics Immunology organization through senior scientific and functional leaders, establishing clear expectations and recruiting, developing, and retaining a high-performing multidisciplinary team. Set a high bar for scientific rigor, candid debate, reproducibility, and timely delivery while creating strong succession and development plans.
- Serve as Moderna’s external representative for Therapeutics Immunology, establishing and leading productive external collaborations with academic investigators, biotech / pharma, CROs, and technology providers. Evaluate partnership and licensing opportunities that accelerate the strategy.
- Maintain an active external scientific presence through publications, conferences, advisory relationships, and engagement with leaders in immunology.
- Establish and manage the function's budget, headcount, technology investments, and portfolio commitments in alignment with Research priorities.
- PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, or a related discipline, with deep training in T cell immunology.
- At least 15 years of relevant experience after the terminal degree in biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, or an equivalent translational research setting, including at least 5 years leading multidisciplinary scientific teams and leaders.
- Internationally recognized expertise in human T cell biology, including TCR peptide-MHC biology, antigen-specific Treg responses, immune tolerance, and mechanisms of autoimmune disease.
- A record of advancing therapeutic programs from discovery through development candidate nomination and preclinical development; experience supporting an IND or early clinical development is required.
- Demonstrated ability to build or scale a discovery platform, functional area, or research organization and to convert platform capabilities into a portfolio of therapeutic programs.
- Expertise in TCR discovery, repertoire analysis, antigen-specific T cell identification, functional screening, and the experimental and computational approaches used to assess TCR specificity and cross-reactivity.
- Strong working knowledge of therapeutic protein or receptor engineering, developability, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology, translational biomarkers, and nonclinical safety considerations.
- Substantial experience in autoimmune or inflammatory disease research, including use of human data and disease-relevant models to prioritize targets and evaluate mechanism.
- A record of influential scientific contributions demonstrated through therapeutic programs, publications, patents, invited presentations, or implementation of important discovery technologies.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex science into clear strategic choices, make portfolio decisions under uncertainty, and align audiences from scientific teams to senior executives and external partners.
- Comfortable being uncomfortable: thrives in ambiguity, challenges assumptions, invites candid debate, and makes high-quality decisions without waiting for perfect information.
- Operates with exceptional urgency and accountability, setting ambitious goals, focusing teams on the highest-value work, and removing barriers while maintaining scientific rigor.
- A thoughtful risk taker who pursues bold hypotheses, designs decisive experiments, learns quickly from setbacks, and changes course when the evidence demands it.
- An enterprise-minded, low-ego collaborator who builds trust, develops leaders, and brings together diverse disciplines to deliver outcomes beyond the boundaries of the function.
- Experience developing TCR-based therapeutics, including one or more of TCR-T, soluble TCRs, TCR engagers, TCR-directed antibodies, or in vivo immune-cell reprogramming.
- Experience building integrated workflows across single-cell profiling, TCR sequencing, peptide-MHC technologies, functional assays, display-based engineering, biophysical characterization, and computational protein design.
- Experience with tolerance biology, pathogenic T cell depletion or modulation, regulatory T cell approaches, immune reset strategies, or related mechanisms in autoimmune disease.
- Experience using high-dimensional human datasets and AI or machine-learning approaches to improve target selection, molecular design, or patient stratification.
- Experience contributing to regulatory interactions and clinical development decisions for immune-modulating therapeutics.
As we build our company, we have always believed that an in-person culture is critical to our success. This role is 100% onsite, reflecting the importance of being physically present to support the work, collaborate closely with colleagu
Working onsite enables real-time collaboration, strong team connections, direct mentorship, and the hands-on partnership needed to deliver our mission. 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.
- 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 $272,200.00 - $490,100.00. 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.
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.
If you want to make a difference and join a team that is changing the future of medicine, we invite you to visit modernatx.com/careers to learn more about our current 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. If you meet the Basic Qualifications for the role and you would be excited to contribute to our mission every day, please apply!
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 leavesandaccommodations@modernatx.com.
This 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. Only U.S. persons (U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, asylees, or refugees) are currently eligible to access such information without an export license. Candidates who do not meet these criteria may still be considered, contingent on the company’s ability to obtain any required export control license.
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