Voyager Therapeutics - Lexington, MA
posted 4 days ago
About the position
Voyager Therapeutics is seeking an experienced Director of Oligo Chemistry & Bioconjugation to join our growing Non-Viral Team. The ideal candidate will establish and lead a cross-functional group leveraging protein engineering, chemistry, and bioconjugation techniques to advance a pipeline of brain-penetrant biotherapeutics, with a focus on oligonucleotide conjugates. As a leader in the Research organization, the Director of Oligo Chemistry & Bioconjugation will be responsible for setting and pursuing a strategy for therapeutic development that is aligned with current leading oligonucleotide technologies. Reporting to the Vice President of Non-Viral Delivery, this role is an opportunity to establish a group that will contribute novel biotherapeutic candidates to Voyager's growing non-viral pipeline.
Responsibilities
- Lead platform technology development, including optimization of oligonucleotides and linker/conjugation chemistries, to facilitate delivery of oligonucleotides to the CNS
- Develop and implement a strategy to bring critical infrastructure and capabilities in-house to support engineering, production and characterization of oligonucleotide bioconjugates
- Lead the design and build out of lab space to meet the expanding needs of the Oligonucleotide Chemistry & Bioconjugation group
- Recruit and mentor a team of highly skilled scientists to discover, develop and characterize candidate bioconjugates
- Contribute to the growth of Voyager's non-viral pipeline by delivering on critical platform and program goals related to oligonucleotide delivery to the CNS
- Establish a network of external partners, both academic as well as contract research organizations (CROs), to strengthen critical capabilities and provide access to scalable bioconjugation/analytical capacity
- Maintain a high degree of awareness of current technological advancements in the oligonucleotide/ADC space
- Develop and manage timelines, resources and operating budgets
Requirements
- PhD in biochemistry, protein engineering, chemical engineering or related field with 10+ years of industry experience
- Demonstrated leadership experience with a track record of building and growing cross functional teams
- A deep knowledge as well as mastery of the latest developments in critically relevant areas including conjugation and oligonucleotide chemistries, and analytical characterization techniques
- Proven track record of success in the discovery, characterization, and development of bioconjugation-based therapeutics, from concept to delivering candidate molecules
- Prior experience managing contract research organizations (CROs) for the production and characterization of bioconjugates is desired
- Outstanding analytical, research and organizational skills
- Self-motivated with an ability to handle multiple projects, meet deadlines and make decisions
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
