Senior Director, Head Of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP)
Moderna's Clinical and Quantitative Pharmacology (CQP) function is seeking an innovative, collaborative, and strategic leader to serve as Senior Director, Head of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP).
In this role, you will provide strategic, scientific, and operational leadership for Moderna's mechanistic and systems pharmacology capabilities. This leader will define and execute the vision for how mechanistic modeling, systems biology, and model-informed drug development (MIDD) approaches are applied across discovery, preclinical, and clinical stages to accelerate development and optimize dose, schedule, patient selection and enable other R&D decisions.
You will lead a team of talented modelers and quantitative scientists, collaborate deeply across research, platform sciences, translational, biomarker, DMPK, and clinical functions. Your role will be pivotal in ensuring that QSP strategies and deliverables not only deliver scientific and technical rigor but also strategic insight and cross-functional alignment to accelerate and de-risk Moderna's research / early pipeline. You will also represent Moderna as a thought leader in QSP and translational modeling.
Here's What You'll Do
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Develop and implement QSP strategy across all therapeutic areas and modalities.
- Embed QSP principles and deliverables into Moderna's R&D decision framework, including target validation, animal study design, human dose projection, and mechanism-of-action understanding.
- Partner with discovery, preclinical, clinical and platform teams to ensure quantitative and biological hypotheses guide experimental design and portfolio advancement.
- Represent QSP and champion quantitative and systems-based thinking throughout R&D.
Scientific Leadership & Modeling Excellence
Lead design, development, and application of mechanistic models (disease progression, target engagement, immune dynamics, biomarker relationships, etc.) to inform key program decisions.Integrate multi-dimensional data and knowledge into multi-scale mechanistic models for translation and decision support.Drive innovation in model architectures and computational methodologiesincluding hybrid mechanistic + machine-learning approaches, digital-twin development, and virtual population simulations.Ensure scientific rigor, transparency, and reproducibility in all modeling deliverables.Cross-Functional & Stakeholder Leadership
Collaborate closely with Clinical Pharmacology, Translational Medicine, DMPK, research, bioinformatics, clinical development and platform sciences to design integrated quantitative strategies.Provide QSP input for INDs, IBs, regulatory filings, and Health Authority interactions.Align modeling deliverables with clinical and quantitative pharmacology to enable model-informed decision-making throughout the molecule lifecycle.Team Leadership & Global Collaboration
Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing QSP team including internal team members and external partners.Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that promotes learning, creativity, and scientific excellence.Define roles, growth paths, and succession plans for the QSP organization; champion professional development.Oversee outsourced modeling work, budget, and strategic partnerships with CROs and academic collaborators.External & Thought Leadership
Represent Moderna in global scientific forums, regulatory workshops, and consortia to shape the future of QSP and model-informed drug development.Publish and present scientific work in high-impact journals and conferences.Other Duties
As needed, contribute to or lead cross-functional special projects, ad hoc initiatives, or new methodology pilots.Here's What You'll Need (Basic Qualifications)
Ph.D. in systems pharmacology, bioengineering, applied mathematics, pharmacology, or a related quantitative discipline.10 + years of industry or equivalent experience in QSP / mechanistic modeling, with at least 5 years leading teams.Proven track record of applying mechanistic and translational models to support drug development (preclinical through clinical).Deep understanding of PK / PD, systems biology, disease pathway modeling, and biomarker integration.Demonstrated leadership in managing and developing quantitative scientists, preferably across sites or geographies.Proficiency in modeling platforms such as MATLAB / SimBiology, Monolix, R, or Python.Strong communication and influencing skills; ability to translate quantitative findings for multidisciplinary and executive audiences.Experience contributing to regulatory filings and Health Authority interactions leveraging model-informed approaches.Here's What You'll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)
Experience in mRNA or novel therapeutic modalities (e.g. gene therapy, biologics, immuno-oncology).Familiarity with PBPK modeling, virtual populations, or digital-twin simulation.Experience building infrastructure or toolchains for scalable modeling and data integration.Track record of scientific publications and external visibility.A desire to make an impact as part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.Pay & Benefits
At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That's why our US benefits and global well-being resources are designed to support youat work, at home, and everywhere in between.
Best-in-class healthcare coverage, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needsA holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health supportFamily planning benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy supportGenerous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdownSavings and investment opportunities to help you plan for the futureLocation-specific perks and extrasThe salary range for this role is $196,700.00 - $353,400.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs.
The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, other incentive compensation, or equity award, subject to company plan eligibility criteria and individual performance.
