Senior Director, Engineering and Materials Science
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
August 30, 2026
On-site
Boston, MA
Operations
General Summary:
Vertex is seeking a talented individual to join the Engineering and Materials Science department in Boston, MA. The successful candidate will lead a diverse team of engineers and scientists and contribute to the development and scale-up of drug substance and drug product candidates.
Key Duties And Responsibilities:
- Lead and develop a cross-functional team to define, develop, and demonstrate viable, multi-step syntheses for robust manufacture of small-molecule or oligonucleotide active pharmaceutical ingredients across clinical development through commercialization.
- Lead drug substance process development using lab development, modeling, drug supply preparation, and technology transfer to third-party manufacturing.
- Collaborate with materials discovery, process chemistry, analytical development, and formulation to optimize drug substance properties and performance.
- Drive adoption of process modeling within the department.
- Potentially lead projects across all aspects of pharmaceutical sciences.
- Promote industry best practices and innovation; mentor junior scientists.
- Influence departmental strategic direction.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with an interdisciplinary team.
Knowledge And Skills (Qualifications/Skills):
- Experience leading a team in pharmaceutical process development.
- Advanced knowledge of unit operations for small molecule and/or oligonucleotide drug substance development (particle engineering, reaction kinetics/thermodynamics, transport fundamentals).
- Experience with modeling complex physicochemical systems, data analysis, statistical DOE, QbD, and physical property/process modeling tools.
- Demonstrated process scale-up and regulatory dossier authoring.
- Experience with process development and problem-solving in a matrix environment.
Education And Experience:
- BS (+20 years), MS (+15 years), or PhD (+11 years) in Materials Science/Chemistry or related field, with relevant pharmaceutical materials development experience.
- 5 years experience managing a team.
Vertex is seeking a talented individual to join the Engineering and Materials Science department in Boston, MA. The successful candidate will lead a diverse team of engineers and scientists and contribute to the development and scale-up of drug substance and drug product candidates.
Key Duties And Responsibilities:
- Lead and develop a cross-functional team to define, develop, and demonstrate viable, multi-step syntheses for robust manufacture of small-molecule or oligonucleotide active pharmaceutical ingredients across clinical development through commercialization.
- Lead drug substance process development using lab development, modeling, drug supply preparation, and technology transfer to third-party manufacturing.
- Collaborate with materials discovery, process chemistry, analytical development, and formulation to optimize drug substance properties and performance.
- Drive adoption of process modeling within the department.
- Potentially lead projects across all aspects of pharmaceutical sciences.
- Promote industry best practices and innovation; mentor junior scientists.
- Influence departmental strategic direction.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with an interdisciplinary team.
Knowledge And Skills (Qualifications/Skills):
- Experience leading a team in pharmaceutical process development.
- Advanced knowledge of unit operations for small molecule and/or oligonucleotide drug substance development (particle engineering, reaction kinetics/thermodynamics, transport fundamentals).
- Experience with modeling complex physicochemical systems, data analysis, statistical DOE, QbD, and physical property/process modeling tools.
- Demonstrated process scale-up and regulatory dossier authoring.
- Experience with process development and problem-solving in a matrix environment.
Education And Experience:
- BS (+20 years), MS (+15 years), or PhD (+11 years) in Materials Science/Chemistry or related field, with relevant pharmaceutical materials development experience.
- 5 years experience managing a team.