Senior Director, Engineering and Materials Science
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
June 27, 2026
On-site
Boston, MA
Operations
General Summary:
Vertex is seeking a leader to join the Engineering and Materials Science department in Boston, MA, to develop and scale-up 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 API across clinical development through commercialization.
- Lead drug substance process development; drive multiple assets using lab development, modeling, drug supply preparation, and technology transfer to third-party manufacturers.
- Collaborate with materials discovery, process chemistry, analytical development, and formulation to define and optimize drug substance properties and performance.
- Drive adoption of process modeling; potentially lead projects across pharmaceutical sciences.
- Promote industry best practices and innovation; mentor junior scientists and influence departmental strategic direction.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary stakeholders.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Experience leading pharmaceutical process development teams.
- Advanced knowledge of unit operations for small-molecule and/or oligonucleotide drug substance development (e.g., particle engineering, reaction kinetics/thermodynamics, transport fundamentals).
- Modeling experience for complex physicochemical systems; data analysis; statistical DOE; QbD concepts; fluency with physical property/process modeling tools.
- Demonstrated scale-up and regulatory dossier authoring.
- Experience problem-solving in matrix environments.
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.
Pay Range: $228,000 - $342,000
Vertex is seeking a leader to join the Engineering and Materials Science department in Boston, MA, to develop and scale-up 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 API across clinical development through commercialization.
- Lead drug substance process development; drive multiple assets using lab development, modeling, drug supply preparation, and technology transfer to third-party manufacturers.
- Collaborate with materials discovery, process chemistry, analytical development, and formulation to define and optimize drug substance properties and performance.
- Drive adoption of process modeling; potentially lead projects across pharmaceutical sciences.
- Promote industry best practices and innovation; mentor junior scientists and influence departmental strategic direction.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary stakeholders.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Experience leading pharmaceutical process development teams.
- Advanced knowledge of unit operations for small-molecule and/or oligonucleotide drug substance development (e.g., particle engineering, reaction kinetics/thermodynamics, transport fundamentals).
- Modeling experience for complex physicochemical systems; data analysis; statistical DOE; QbD concepts; fluency with physical property/process modeling tools.
- Demonstrated scale-up and regulatory dossier authoring.
- Experience problem-solving in matrix environments.
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.
Pay Range: $228,000 - $342,000