VP, Medicine Development Leader- Cancer Vaccines, Oncology Research Unit

GSK • Waltham, MA

19d • Hybrid

About The Position

The VP, Medicine Development Leader (MDL) – Cancer Vaccines is accountable for strategically leading the global development of GSK cancer vaccine medicines, from C2P2 (or the equivalent oncology stage) through approval and launch across all indications in major markets, while supporting approval and launch in tier 2/3 countries. Reporting to the SVP Oncology Product Leadership, the MDL defines the asset’s strategic vision and operational plan in alignment with GSK’s oncology and immuno-oncology strategy.

The role builds and leads a multidisciplinary, global Medicine Development Team (MDT) spanning clinical development, translational medicine and immune monitoring, medical affairs, safety, regulatory, commercial, product development, manufacturing, and vaccine-platform partners. The MDL supports transition from early development, post-approval registration and lifecycle management, and development of combination strategies with checkpoint inhibitors and other immuno-oncology agents. The position is hybrid, with at least two days per week onsite at a GSK site in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland. For candidates at Stevenage, the role is initially based there, with a planned relocation to Cambridge, UK, proposed by early 2029.

The MDL develops evidence-based asset strategies, prioritizes indications and combination regimens, makes go/no-go and acceleration decisions, identifies development inflection points, and ensures the evidence package supports regulatory approval, market access, and lifecycle value. The role identifies and aligns people and financial resources, manages the asset budget and resourcing plan, develops the patent strategy, and ensures quality, compliance, and data integrity. It represents the asset to senior management, governance boards, external advisory committees, and external communities, and works with internal and external stakeholders—including academic and biotech collaborators and Business Development—to advance the asset and relevant business strategies.

Requirements

• Advanced degree, including MD, PhD, PharmD, MBA, or MS.
• Oncology drug development expertise in the global pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Experience leading successful medicine development and registration; experience with cancer vaccines, therapeutic vaccines, or immuno-oncology combination products.
• Experience with BLA, NDA, or MAA filings as a core responsibility.
• R&D experience across the development and commercial lifecycle, enabling impact across discovery, late-stage development, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial functions.
• Product development and/or commercial experience, particularly in late-phase oncology development from proof of concept onward, operationally complex clinical trials, post-approval studies, and regulatory and manufacturing compliance.
• Experience leading teams in complex, matrixed, global, multidisciplinary organizations with high accountability, minimal authority, and multiple reporting lines.
• Experience working with regulators and regulatory requirements, including legal and government frameworks across global geographies relevant to novel vaccine and immuno-oncology modalities.
• Experience creating pre- and post-marketing study strategies and driving lifecycle processes for complex biologic or vaccine assets.
• Experience managing P&L, building budgets, and leading strategic and budget planning.
• Highly developed ethics and integrity, with demonstrated ethical medical decision-making skills.
• Strong matrix leadership and motivational skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across research, commercial, regulatory, global medicine supply, legal, and regional functions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with personalized medicine or novel vaccine manufacturing platforms, such as mRNA or neoantigen-based platforms.
• Familiarity with tumor immunology, antigen selection or neoantigen prediction, and immune-monitoring or biomarker strategies.
• Deep scientific credibility in tumor immunology and cancer vaccine science to engage with key opinion leaders, regulators, and internal R&D leadership on complex immunogenicity and mechanism-of-action questions.
• Comfort working at the intersection of novel vaccine-platform technology and traditional oncology drug development, including combinations with checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the single point of accountability for global development of a cancer vaccine asset from C2P2 or the equivalent oncology stage through approval and launch across indications in major markets, supporting tier 2/3 country launches.
• Support the Early Development Team through late-stage transition, including transfer of accountability and transition of neoantigen/antigen-selection and immunogenicity data packages.
• Support the Medicines Commercialisation Team after approval in initial major markets, including registration, lifecycle management, and combination strategies with checkpoint inhibitors or other immuno-oncology agents.
• Build and lead the multidisciplinary, matrixed Medicine Development Team across relevant R&D and commercial disciplines, and support team-member development and team performance in partnership with line managers.
• Establish the cancer vaccine asset vision within GSK’s Oncology R&D strategy and translate organizational strategy into actionable cross-functional asset plans.
• Deliver an evidence package—including immunogenicity, biomarker, and clinical efficacy data—to support regulatory approval, market access, and product lifecycle.
• Deliver the Medicine Development Strategy in alignment with oncology disease strategy, the asset Medicine Vision, and the Medicine Profile.
• Prioritize portfolio options, including tumor-type indications and combination regimens, and make evidence-based go/no-go or acceleration decisions while identifying development inflection points.
• Embed cost efficiency, adoption of new vaccine-platform technologies, risk identification and management, and policy compliance into development processes.
• Identify and align people, financial resources, team objectives, and strategies to deliver the development program.
• Identify unmet oncology needs that may be addressed through new indications or line extensions of the vaccine platform.
• Incorporate the patient voice into cancer vaccine development plans.
• Engage and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders, including academic and biotech collaborators, to strengthen GSK’s reputation and asset value.
• Collaborate with EDLs, other MDLs, and stakeholders to develop strategies aligned with the organizational vision and share knowledge and effective practices across oncology and vaccines portfolios.
• Provide quality and compliance oversight and assure the quality of data and science underpinning the program.
• Represent the asset to senior management, senior boards, internal governance committees, and external advisory committees as needed.
• Increase visibility among physicians, regulators, patients, and payers to advance cancer vaccine solutions for unmet medical needs.
• Manage the asset resourcing plan and budget to the agreed variance.
• Develop an ongoing patent strategy for the cancer vaccine asset.
• Partner with Business Development on diligence, product positioning, alternative business strategies, and internal review and decision-making, using appropriate alliance-management mechanisms.

Benefits

• Annual bonus.
• Eligibility to participate in a share-based long-term incentive program, dependent on role level.
• Health care and other insurance benefits for employees and family.
• Retirement benefits.
• Paid holidays.
• Vacation.
• Paid caregiver, parental, and medical leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive