Executive Director, Adaptive Immune Tolerance, Immune Therapeutics

Immune Therapeutics Discovery:

As part of our vision, Moderna is committed to invest in R&D to further expand our impact on patients. Immune Therapeutics Discovery is an innovation engine within Research and Early Development focused on discovering and delivering the next generation of in vivo immune therapies. Our ultimate vision is to enable our platform to reinvent therapeutic approaches for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. 

The Role:

Immune Therapeutics Discovery is seeking an Executive Director for its Adaptive Immune Tolerance team.  The ideal candidate will bring world-class expertise in adaptive immunology and autoimmune disorders and deep experience in drug discovery and development. This leader will be relentless in unlocking the full potential of mRNA for future therapeutic modalities, leading and scaling a diverse team of immunologists and biochemists to achieve significant disruptive potential to Moderna’s pipeline. This role involves steering expansive, multi-disciplinary teams, nurturing a culture of innovation and curiosity, and driving the pursuit of scientific excellence and operational agility. The candidate therefore will be a highly innovative thinker, with a track record of driving high priority programs into late-stage development in a fast-paced environment as a forward-thinking and strategic leader that achieves successful outcomes. Finally, this leader will collaborate cross-functionally with our other Therapeutic Areas, RNA Sciences, Chemistry, Non-Clinical Sciences, and Technical Development branches across Moderna to translate our mRNA platform technology into mRNA medicines.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Apply deep expertise in immunology and contribute to the science strategy, applying deep domain expertise to conceptualize approaches to enable expanded portfolio applications for our mRNA platform technology

• Champion a culture that values respectful and candid scientific debate, drives toward decision-making experiments, obsesses over learning from unexpected results, and celebrates both Go and No-Go decisions

• Provide direct scientific leadership to cross-functional program leads within Immune Therapeutics

• Define and lead the organization to execute against scientific deliverables with a sense of urgency

• Manage functional budgets, optimize resource allocation, and spearhead technological investments, including automation and digital transformation initiatives

• Establish strong working relationships with key stakeholders and collaborators in the R&ED ecosystem

• Deliver high-quality scientific presentations internally and externally to a variety of audiences, including leadership teams, governance committees, and scientific conferences 

• Conceptualize and contribute to peer-reviewed research articles and patent applications

Here’s what you’ll bring to the table:

• A Ph.D. in immunology or related discipline with 15+ years of experience in an academic and industry setting.

• Creative and expert knowledge of adaptive (T and B cell) immunology as demonstrated by high-impact publications and international recognition in academia and/or industry.

• Proven experience in advancing therapeutic candidate from discovery through to clinical development, including leading programs that have successfully reached clinical trials in patients

• Demonstrated ability to conceive and evolve state-of-the-art cellular and molecular assays and in vivo inflammatory and autoimmune model systems.

• Exceptional collaboration skills in a cross-functional matrixed environment

• Proven track record to manage and motivate a team of scientists and associates in a fast paced dynamic environment.

• Strong verbal and communication skills, and ability to maintain organized and detailed research records.

• Ability to lead multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience or knowledge with pharmacology, biomarker and translational medicine in developing nucleic acid therapeutics is also preferred

• Highly effective leadership, including training and developing individual talent and building high-performing teams

• Ability to relentlessly prioritize and align efforts with high impact opportunities

• Current presence or willing to relocate to Cambridge vicinity

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
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical expenses and dependent care expenses
• Lifestyle Spending Account