Head of Translational Medicine

Moderna • Cambridge, MA

1d • $272,200 - $490,100 • Onsite

About The Position

Moderna is seeking an enterprise-minded Head of Translational Medicine to lead and integrate translational medicine, translational research, and clinical pharmacology & pharmacometrics into a unified, high-impact organization. This role will define and execute a cohesive translational strategy across the full lifecycle of Moderna’s oncology and therapeutics pipeline—from discovery through clinical development and lifecycle management. The Head of Translational Medicine will ensure seamless integration of biological insights, biomarker strategies, quantitative pharmacology, and clinical translation to accelerate decision-making, optimize development pathways, and maximize the probability of technical and regulatory success. This is a senior leadership role at the core of Moderna’s ability to translate its mRNA platform into transformative medicines. As a key member of the Development leadership team, this individual will unify translational disciplines to drive innovation at the intersection of Research and Development, shaping how the company makes development decisions, accelerates programs, and delivers differentiated medicines for patients at scale, while leading a large, multidisciplinary organization.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent) in a relevant scientific discipline
• 15+ years of experience across translational science, clinical pharmacology, and/or drug development, with at least 10 years in a leadership role
• Deep expertise spanning translational medicine, biomarker strategy, experimental medicine, and quantitative pharmacology
• Demonstrated ability to develop scientific hypotheses on human disease and translate this between the clinic and the laboratory
• Demonstrated success influencing development strategy, including dose selection, study design, and regulatory interactions
• Strong understanding of the end-to-end drug development process, from discovery through commercialization
• Strong publication record and ability to represent Moderna externally to scientific community
• Proven ability to lead large, multidisciplinary teams and operate effectively in a complex matrix environment.
• Experience mentor, hiring, and growing talented scientists
• Track record of driving innovation and delivering measurable impact across a portfolio
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex science into strategic decisions

Nice To Haves

• Experience with companion diagnostics
• Leadership roles contributing to BLAs for oncology or immunology programs
• Deep expertise in immunology, oncology and autoimmune disease
• Network of external academic experts

Responsibilities

• Define and lead an integrated, end-to-end translational strategy across Translational Medicine, Translational Research, and Clinical Pharmacology/Pharmacometrics, spanning discovery through lifecycle management
• Establish a unified framework connecting biological insights, biomarkers, and quantitative pharmacology to enable rapid, data-driven decision-making
• Ensure alignment of translational strategies with overall program and portfolio objectives, including development pathways, target product profiles, and regulatory strategies
• Lead translational input into governance, ensuring rigorous, data-driven go/no-go decisions across the pipeline
• Lead and unify a high-performing, multidisciplinary translational organization, connecting scientific, clinical, and quantitative capabilities into a cohesive, highly integrated model
• Serve as a senior leader and thought partner across Research and Development, influencing strategy, prioritization, and execution
• Represent Moderna’s translational strategy externally, engaging regulators, scientific leaders, and partners to shape scientific direction and advance best-in-class approaches across the portfolio
• Lead execution of early clinical translational plans, including biomarker implementation, endpoint operationalization, and data interpretation to enable clear proof-of-concept decisions
• Partner with clinical development to translate scientific hypotheses into actionable clinical strategies and high-quality study execution
• Define and validate novel endpoints and patient stratification approaches to enable early decision-making and differentiation
• Serve as a senior clinical leader in internal and external settings, including study teams, governance, and interactions with investigators and key opinion leaders
• Build and advance differentiated translational capabilities (e.g., molecular assays, sequencing, immune monitoring, CDx) to enable patient selection and mechanistic insight
• Oversee generation and delivery of stage-appropriate translational data packages to support IND readiness and early clinical development
• Drive forward and reverse translation, ensuring clinical insights inform discovery, platform innovation, and next-generation therapeutics
• Lead development of patient identification, pharmacodynamic, and disease monitoring strategies to support clinical entry and advancement
• Drive quantitative integration of PK/PD, exposure-response, and modeling & simulation into program-level decision-making and trial design
• Lead pharmacology contributions to regulatory strategy, including authorship and defense of clinical pharmacology components in health authority interactions
• Ensure innovative application of pharmacometrics to dose prediction, first-in-human studies, and lifecycle optimization across the pipeline
• Represent clinical pharmacology in governance and partner cross-functionally to inform critical dose and development decisions across programs

Benefits

• Best-in-class healthcare coverage, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs
• A holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support
• Family planning benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown
• Savings and investment opportunities to help you plan for the future
• Location-specific perks and extras

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree