Director, Process Development

Job Description

An exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to join as a key member of the Pharmaceutical Development team with responsibility for process development activities within the business, ensuring delivery of robust processes that enable the consistent manufacture of high quality and life changing therapeutics for patients.

This position is responsible for leading and empowering the Process Development Team in taking Alkermes’ drug product candidates from formulation development through process development, scale-up, optimization, process characterization, technical transfer, clinical production, validation, and commercial launch. The Team will also work with external development and manufacturing organizations.

The successful candidate will thrive in a highly collaborative matrix team environment to drive critical decision-making and ensure the successful development of new drugs.

Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Lead process development strategy for Alkermes products and ensure processes are suitable for the phase of development and ultimately for commercial manufacturing. This includes process design and development, scale-up and optimization, characterization and control strategy development and technical transfer to internal manufacturing site or CMO/CDMOs
• Recruit, manage, train, motivate, develop, and mentor Process Development staff.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing organizations to best leverage internal and/or external capabilities to assist in process development effort.
• Ensure process development approaches are suitable for progressive stages of small molecule pharmaceutical development as outlined in ICH and FDA guidance.
• Operation of the Process Development laboratories and GMP clinical manufacturing suites which are currently under development in Waltham, MA.
• Provide subject matter expertise in process development methodologies at Alkermes requiring internal execution and technical oversight/supervision.
• Present technical data to cross functional teams and senior management as a process development expert, and effectively communicate critical process issues and solutions.
• Guide and drive process development, design of experiments, product characterization and control strategy development.
• Develop, review, and approve process development source documents, and author and review drug product process development sections for regulatory submissions.
• Ensure the team stays up to date with current technologies and manufacturing trends focusing on continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Managing the team budget and supporting the planning of capital requirements for the future
• Support the Regulatory group in responding to agency questions.
• Support process validation and commercial launch
• Provide technical support to internal manufacturing sites and CMOs.
  
  

Basic Requirements:

• PhD or MS in Science or Engineering
• 15+ years technical and leadership experience in pharmaceutical development. This should include experience in Process Development, scaleup and GMP manufacturing with an established history of successfully developing and commercializing products and processes.
  
  

Preferred Requirements:

• Expertise and demonstrated experience in small molecule process development, scale up, control strategy development and technical transfer.
• Expertise in design of experiments, data analysis and data interpretation for process development studies.
• Experience managing contract drug development activities.
• Technical problem-solving ability utilizing current research and technologies.
• Broad understanding of the drug development process and the role and impact of process development within this process
• Expert understanding of ICH, FDA, and USP guidelines and the ability to apply these guidelines in context of the stage of drug development.
• Strategic thinking and planning ability.
• Demonstrated collaborative leadership, strong people skills, and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully in a fast-paced team/matrix environment as well as independently manage priorities and maintain timelines for multiple activities.
  
  

About Us

Why join Team Alkermes?

Alkermes applies its deep neuroscience expertise to develop medicines designed to help people living with complex and difficult-to-treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. A fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Ireland with U.S. locations in Massachusetts and Ohio, we are committed to pursuing great science, driven by deep compassion to make a real impact in the lives of patients. Alkermes has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products for the treatment of alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of clinical and preclinical candidates in development for various neurological disorders, including narcolepsy.

Beyond our important mission of developing medicines to address unmet patient needs, we actively seek to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout our business. We strive to ensure that all voices are respected and valued, recognizing that our diversity of thought, background and perspective makes us stronger. We are proud to have been recognized as an employer of choice by many national organizations, including being certified as a Great Place to Work in the U.S. in 2024, honored as a Healthiest Employer in both Ohio and Massachusetts in 2023, a Best Place for Working Parents in 2023, and to have received the Bell Seal at the Platinum level for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America for three consecutive years (2021-2023).

Alkermes, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any qualified applicant or employee because of race, creed, color, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, disability, genetic information, veteran status, military status, application for military service or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. Alkermes also complies with all work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Alkermes is an E-Verify employer.