Executive Director, Biological Science

The Role:
The Executive Director of Biological Science is a leadership position within the Platform Research department at Moderna, accountable for the scientific creativity, guidance and success of a broad team of scientists comprised of Cell Biology, Translational Biology, Assay Development and Automation and Protein Science disciplines. The team is focused on developing the systems, tools and knowledge for in vitro and in vivo evaluation of Moderna’s novel nucleic acid therapeutics and associated drug delivery platforms. As a member of Platform Research leadership, he/she/they will partner with Chemistry, Biology and Pharmacology leaders throughout the ecosystem to develop and implement the strategy to discover and advance next generation materials and technology through collaborative performance of high-quality science. The successful candidate must be an outstanding, inventive, and rigorous scientist, extremely effective leader, exemplary team player, exceptional communicator, and must thrive in a fast-paced/results-oriented environment.
Here’s What You’ll Do:

• Guide the Biological Science team leaders and extended teams to introduce and/or develop model systems to answer scientific questions pertaining to drug product mechanism of action and performance at the molecular, biochemical, cellular and tissue level to establish structure-activity information.
• Interface with Non-Clinical Sciences, Therapeutic Areas and Technical Development to support the advancement of platform technological improvements.
• Provide scientific, strategic and operational guidance to Biological Science team leaders, scientists, extended teams and cross functional scientific project teams engaged in discovery efforts to expand Moderna’s nucleic acid platform and delivery systems.
• Foster a collaborative workplace environment within the team, throughout scientific project teams, and broadly across Platform Research stakeholders.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on the conception and design of biological studies, and assist in the interpretation of results and follow-up recommendations.
• Integrate the Biological Science team into Platform Research initiatives, and coordinate scientific workflows to successfully accomplish team and Platform Research goals.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table:

• Track record of successful leadership, including training and developing talent, creation of a high performing teams, and collaboration with cross functional teams.
• Proven ability to drive preclinical drug discovery projects, as well as model and technology development.
• Experience with nucleic acid therapeutics and delivery is strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Extensive knowledge of biological systems, cell biology, in vitro pharmacology and bioanalytical method development.
• Demonstrated understanding of advanced optical imaging techniques, including confocal and high-resolution microscopy, and cell fractionation methods to investigate cellular uptake, subcellular distribution, intracellular trafficking kinetics and stability of individual mRNA and proteins in living cells and tissues.
• Ph.D. or equivalent degree and 15+ years in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry with extensive early stage research and development experience.
• Demonstrated effective organizational skills, including ability to set, prioritize and achieve research goals.

Moderna is pleased to provide you and your family with a comprehensive and innovative suite of benefits, including:

• Highly competitive and inclusive medical, dental and vision coverage options
• Discretionary year-end shutdown
• 401k match and Financial Planning tools
• Generous paid time off, including:
• Location-specific perks and extras!
• Volunteer time to participate within your community
• Free premium access to fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes
• Lifestyle Spending Account funds to help you engage in personal enrichment and self-care activities
• Dedicated care coordination support for our LGBTQ+ community
• Complimentary concierge service including home services research, travel booking, and entertainment requests
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical expenses and dependent care expenses
• Family care benefits, including subsidized back-up care options and on-demand tutoring
• Adoption and family-planning benefits
• Exclusive preferred pricing on Peloton fitness equipment
• Vacation, sick time and holidays
• Free parking or subsidized commuter passes
• Generous Paid Leave offerings, including 18 weeks of 100% paid parental leave for all new parents
• Moderna-paid Life, LTD and STD insurance coverages, as well as voluntary benefit options
• Paid sabbatical after 5 years; every 3 years thereafter

About Moderna
In over 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna's capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use and approval of one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moderna's mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past seven years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.
Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free and drug-free work environment.
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!
Moderna is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.
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 an E-Verify Employer in the United States. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
Belonging, Inclusion, and Diversity are critical to the success of our company and our impact on society. We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees and believe that by cultivating diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we can provide an environment where every employee is able to 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 make a request to the Talent Acquisition Partner or contact the Accommodations team at [email protected]. (EEO/AAP Employer)
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