Scientific Innovation Leader

Description

Phosphorex is seeking a Scientific Innovation Leader - a visionary scientific executive who will set the scientific direction, elevate technical excellence, and amplify Phosphorex's presence with customers and across the industry.  This key leadership role sits on the Senior Leadership Team and reports directly to the CEO.  The ideal candidate is a seasoned leader with a track record of innovation, problem-solving, and external influence.

Role Summary

The Scientific Innovation Leader will define Phosphorex's scientific roadmap, guide the team through complex R&D challenges, and strengthen scientific rigor and capabilities across the organization. Externally, this leader will support Business Development, represent Phosphoex at conferences, and evaluate partnership or M&A opportunities.

Requirements

INWARD (INTERNAL LEADERSHIP& TECHNICAL GUIDANCE)

Scientific Strategy & Portfolio

• Define and continuously refine the scientific roadmap aligned to Phosphorex's strategy; prioritize platforms and proofs-of-concept with the highest technical and commercial leverage (e.g., t-LNP, HTS/barcoding, new delivery chemistries).
• Define how Phosphorex evaluates new scientific ideas and guides decisions on which projects to advance or scale back.
• Lead and organize continuous organizational awareness and library management of the relevant scientific literature.

Technical Leadership & Problem Solving

• Act as the senior scientific 'go-to' for complex R&D challenges; drive mechanism-based troubleshooting, experimental design rigor, and reproducibility.
• Support and champion the key experiment and technical work needed to reduce risks as Phosphorex moves toward scale-up, CMC handoffs, and real-world translation.

Operational Excellence

• Audit and optimize scientific workflows, documentation, assay robustness, and data integrity, champion best practices in the design of experiments, QA of data, and tech transfer readiness.
• Partner with Program/Operations leaders to implement efficient, right-first-time processes and metrics.

Mentorship & Capability Building

• Mentor the scientific team at all levels; build internal capability via training programs, lunch-and-learns, best-practice sessions, journal clubs, and technical workshops.
• Create development pathways for technical talent (e.g., specialist vs leadership tracks) and nurture a culture of curiosity, accountability, and continuous learning.

Enterprise Collaboration

• Serve as a strategic voice on the Senior Leadership Team to ensure scientific input informs corporate strategy, resource allocation, and risk management.
• Translate market/competitive intelligence into actionable internal plans and experiments.

OUTWARD (EXTERNAL LEADERSHIP & MARKET PRESENCE)

Business Development & Customer Engagement

• Support Business Development prospecting, scoping calls, technical diligence, proposals, and ongoing customer relationship management.
• Craft compelling scientific value propositions and solution architectures tailored to client needs.

Industry Presence & Thought Leadership

• Serve as scientific ambassador at trade shows, symposia, and conferences; deliver podium talks and posters to raise visibility for Phosphorex.
• Expand an external network of KOL's, academic collaborators, and platform partners; explore co-development opportunities.

Partnerships & M&A 

• Assess potential partnerships and M&A opportunities. Drive technical diligence, identify integration risks, and model scientific synergies and roadmap fit.

QUALIFICATIONS & EDUCATION

• A PhD in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical/Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related fields.
• 10+ years in biotech/biopharma, drug delivery, nanoparticle engineering, or adjacent field with a record of scientific innovation and translation.
• Demonstrated leadership in building/leading high-performance scientific teams and cross-functional influence at the Director/VP level.
• Strong external presence (presentations, panels, publications) and customer-facing communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in drug delivery formulation with a preference for nanoparticle knowledge.
• Experience in CDMO/CRO platform business or partnership-heavy environments.
• Exposure to partnerships/M&A technical diligence and alliance management.
• Familiarity with CMC, scale-up, and regulatory/quality intersections for enabling technologies.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.
• Creative/innovative/problem solver that actively drives progress.
• Ability to work with others to troubleshoot complex technical and scientific problems while showing independence in execution and thought process.

Leadership Competencies

Clear, Practical Thinking - Sees the big picture and can break complex scientific problems into clear, workable steps that help the team move forward with confidence.

Hands-On Scientific Rigor - Sets a high bar for good science - asking thoughtful questions, insisting on solid data, and helping the team get to answers that hold up.

Straightforward Communication - Explains scientific ideas in a way people can understand - whether it's a bench scientist, a customer, or an executive - so everyone stays aligned and informed.

Supportive Team Builder - Help people grow by giving honest feedback, providing guidance, and creating an environment where team members feel comfortable learning and speaking up.

Hybrid on-site presence aligned to management of the team, lab, and meeting needs.

15-25% travel for conferences, partner visits, and customer meetings.