Director, Shared Antigen Cancer Vaccines

The Role

Moderna is dedicated to maximizing the impact of our platform on human health and is expanding off-the-shelf (OTS) cancer vaccine discovery and development efforts to provide impactful new drugs to cancer patients. 

As a complement to our Individualized Neoantigen Therapy programs, Moderna is seeking a talented and motivated Director, Shared Antigen Cancer Vaccines with experience in immune oncology discovery and drug development to move novel shared tumor antigen vaccines from concept to the clinic.   

The successful candidate will drive shared tumor antigen vaccine discovery and development, from target selection to generation of IND-enabling proof-of-biology data sets. This position will oversee a team of experimental scientists, as well as work collaboratively within the Cancer Vaccine Research team and cross functionally with the other critical groups that enable bringing new medicines to cancer patients.

Here’s What You’ll Do

• Work cross-functionally with teams across Moderna (Strategy, Research, Manufacturing/Technical DevelopmentRegulatory, and Clinical) to conceive of shared antigen-targeting vaccine concepts and accelerate their pre-clinical development.

• Lead an experimental team of scientists to orchestrate the design and execution of pre-clinical tests that contribute to IND filings and support new programs.

• Advance discovery work flows for new Shared Anitgen vaccine programs.

• Manage program deliverables and timelines, and coordinate cross-functional teams to efficiently generate IND-enabling data sets.

• Lead and mentor a team of scientists, developing both managers and individual contributors.

• Present team findings at internal and external meetings in the form of scientific abstracts, posters, presentations, or manuscripts.

• Liaise and collaborate with internal and external research groups.

• Career development opportunity to grow into a Cancer Vaccine Research Program Lead.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Minimum Qualifications)

• PhD in biology, immunology, virology, or related areas of study.

• Minimum of 10+ years of immune oncology discovery/drug development experience after postdoctoral training.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Required Qualifications)

• A record of innovation and research accomplishments in translating cancer therapeutics from preclinical to clinical setting.

• Substantial experience in design and execution of early stage research program(s) to identify and validate novel targets in immune-oncology.

• Familiarity with classes of shared tumor antigens and fluency in methods to identify, validate, and functionally test functionality as a cancer vaccine.

• Extensive knowledge of cancer vaccine biology, murine tumor models, and immunological assays (human and non-human).

• People management experience including a history of developing reports.

• Familiarity with emergent and current standards of care to help define treatment settings, rational combinations, including with cancer vaccines to interrogate pre-clinically.

• Ability to effectively collaborate in a dynamic, cross-functional matrixed environment.

• Proven abililty to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment, prioritize work and meet tight timelines.

• Ability to focus and prioritize work that aligns with cancer vaccine program and organizational objectives

• Innovative approach to addressing drug development challenges, with scientific versatility and flexibility.

• Exceptional organizational skills and excellent attention to detail.

• Committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, creative and curious work environment.

• A desire to make an impact on human health as part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience discovering and developing mRNA-based cancer therapeutics from ideation to First in Human.

• Familiarity with emergent and current standards of care to help define treatment settings, rational combinations.

• Experience with nucleic acid based vaccine platforms

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 exp