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VP, Technical Operations

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Nearly 37 million Americans are currently affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. 37 million. At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them.
Our tenacious, passionate employees’ challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.
 
This is life-changing work, and we are all in, are you?
This position is currently based in our Cambridge, MA office. Please note that our offices will be relocating to Waltham, MA later this year, and this role will transition accordingly. We follow a flexible, “magnet not mandate” approach to in-office work, encouraging collaboration and onsite engagement while supporting hybrid flexibility based on role and business needs.

Summary

The Vice President, Technical Operations will lead Akebia's end-to-end CMC Technical operations organization and strategy across Drug Substance, Drug Product, and CMC Program Management. The role is accountable for advancing small-molecule products from candidate selection and IND-enabling development through clinical development, registration, validation, commercial launch, ongoing manufacturing, and lifecycle management.

The ideal candidate will be a broad CMC leader with strong strategic and technical judgment and particularly deep experience in small-molecule Drug Product formulation development, process validation/PPQ, technology transfer, and commercial manufacturing. The role requires Drug Substance expertise to provide effective strategic and technical oversight, as well as strong CMC program leadership to integrate plans, risks, resources, timelines, and decisions across Akebia’s clinical and commercial portfolio.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop the Technical Operations and CMC Program Management organization, ensuring effective integration, prioritization, and execution of Drug Substance, Drug Product, and cross-functional CMC activities across the product lifecycle.
  • Develop and execute integrated, phase-appropriate CMC strategies spanning Drug Substance, Drug Product, analytical development, manufacturing, controls, stability, validation, regulatory CMC, and supply, from IND-enabling development through registration, commercialization, and post-approval lifecycle management.
  • Provide deep technical leadership for small-molecule Drug Product development, including formulation/process development, scale-up, technology transfer, process characterization, control strategy, validation/PPQ, and commercial readiness.
  • Provide strategic and technical oversight of Drug Substance development and manufacturing, including scale-up, technology transfer, validation, control strategy, commercial readiness, and lifecycle support.
  • Ensure effective CMC Program Management across the portfolio, integrating deliverables, dependencies, critical paths, risks, resources, budgets, governance, and key decisions.
  • Oversee CDMOs and external manufacturing partners supporting Drug Substance and Drug Product development, validation, and clinical/commercial manufacturing.
  • Provide senior technical leadership for ongoing commercial manufacturing and lifecycle management, including investigations, CAPAs, change controls, process improvements, site transfers, continued process verification, and supply continuity.
  • Partner with Supply Chain, Regulatory Affairs, Quality and Program leadership to ensure CMC strategies and submissions meet applicable FDA, ICH, global regulatory, and cGMP expectations.
  • Represent Technical Operations in cross-functional product teams, executive governance, Business Development due diligence, portfolio planning, and risk management.
  • Manage Technical Operations resources, operating plans, budgets, and portfolio priorities to support corporate and product development objectives.

Qualifications

  • MS/Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related discipline, with substantial progressive pharmaceutical industry experience appropriate for a Vice President-level role.
  • Extensive small-molecule pharmaceutical development and manufacturing experience, with deep Drug Product expertise spanning formulation/process development, scale-up, technology transfer, process characterization, control strategy, validation/PPQ, regulatory approval, commercial launch, and ongoing commercial manufacturing, including experience leading PPQ and commercial validation campaigns at external manufacturing sites.
  • Broad technical knowledge of Drug Substance development and manufacturing sufficient to lead and challenge an experienced Drug Substance organization.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop and execute end-to-end CMC development strategies and integrate Drug Substance, Drug Product, analytical, regulatory, quality, manufacturing, and supply activities.
  • Strong experience with CMC program and portfolio management, including risks, dependencies, resources, budgets, timelines, governance, and executive decision support.
  • Significant experience managing CDMOs/external manufacturing partners across development, technology transfer, validation, and clinical/commercial production.
  • Strong knowledge of cGMP and CMC-relevant FDA, ICH, and global regulatory expectations, with experience supporting INDs, NDAs, and post-approval submissions.
  • Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary technical teams, influence senior stakeholders, and resolve complex technical and business challenges.
  • Demonstrated experience with small-molecule Drug Product development across multiple dosage forms, including oral solid dosage forms (tablets and/or capsules) and liquid formulations.
  • Experience with commercial product lifecycle management and global manufacturing networks, including post-approval changes, site transfers, process optimization, supply risk management, and international regulatory submissions.
  • Experience with technical due diligence for licensing, acquisitions, partnerships, or new portfolio assets.

Base Compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Base pay is only one component of the company’s total rewards package, all regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or the incentive compensation program (if applicable), as well as equity. Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, etc.

Targeted Base Salary

$291,349 - $359,902 USD

Are you an Akebian?
 
An Akebian is curious, empathetic, and values making connections to people and ideas. Akebian’s aren’t afraid of diving in and owning a process or a problem, because we all want to deliver a great solution. Akebian’s believe that we are better together because we are all working toward a common purpose – to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease. Want to learn more about what it means to be an Akebian? Visit our website: www.akebia.com
 
Akebia is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all job applicants.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

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