Job Details

Sr. Principal Scientist Process Chemistry

The successful candidate will possess a deep knowledge of process chemistry skills for the development of synthetic routes, with knowledge and experience in early and mid to late-phase development and delivering drug substance under tight timelines. They will have a strong interest in laboratory work and will be key to driving the development of safe and scalable chemistry. They will spearhead the advancement of Vertex's early phase portfolio through personal laboratory effort as well as overseeing internal and external resources. They will leverage additional Vertex resources (high-throughput experimentation, engineering and material sciences, process safety, analytical, etc.) to assist in identifying and improving reaction conditions for key transformations. The successful candidate will participate in cross-functional teams requiring good communication skills. The successful candidate will have accountability for creating and developing a synthetic route to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) within a specification range fit for the phase of development and delivering the technology and materials to enable candidate progression through development. The Sr. Principal Scientist Process Chemistry will lead/participate in cross-functional technical teams within their field of expertise. They will also be responsible for mentoring internal process chemistry scientists and promote the department through publications in peer reviewed journals and participation in external conferences.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Demonstrates advanced intellectual and technical leadership

Developing syntheses meet regulatory expectations in early to mid phase development

Interface with Medicinal Chemistry and local Medicinal Chemistry Scale-up Group to rapidly scale chemistry to support identification of Vertex's next-generation medicines

Work with Pharm Sci team to develop project strategy, timelines, and leverage technical expertise and planning ability

Seek to employ state-of-the art technologies in their lab work and maintain lab safety in their work

Will contribute directly to technology transfer to internal sites or external vendors

Proactively identifies and oversees vendors

Assesses data integrity to provide expert interpretation and recommendations to project teams and leadership

Presents synthetic and experimental plans clearly and persuasively

Authors publication, patent, and regulatory submissions

Knowledge and Skills:

Effectively managing CRO/CMO resources

Maintain standards for all laboratory records, internal reports, patents and external communications

Establishing and delivering on agreed timelines while integrating activities across various departments

May draft process descriptions for the CMC section of regulatory documents for early development projects

A track record of successfully achieving goals and solving problems in the pharma environment

Ability to communicate difficult concepts, ideas, and solutions

Knowledge and understanding regulatory factors and maintaining expert knowledge in chemistry

Other duties as defined

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree and 11+ years of experience or a Master's degree and 9+ years of experience or a PhD and 6-8+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry