Back to jobs

Director, Oligo Chemistry & Bioconjugation

Lexington, MA

About Voyager Therapeutics

Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging the power of human genetics to modify the course of – and ultimately cure – neurological diseases. Our pipeline includes programs for Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple other diseases of the central nervous system. Many of our programs are derived from our TRACER™ AAV capsid discovery platform, which we have used to generate novel capsids and identify associated receptors to potentially enable high brain penetration with genetic medicines following intravenous dosing. Some of our programs are wholly owned, and some are advancing with partners including Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Novartis Pharma AG; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. For more information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.

Voyager Therapeutics® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. 

Job Summary

Voyager Therapeutics is seeking an experienced Director of Oligo Chemistry & Bioconjugation to join our growing Non-Viral Team. The ideal candidate will establish and lead a cross-functional group leveraging protein engineering, chemistry, and bioconjugation techniques to advance a pipeline of brain-penetrant biotherapeutics, with a focus on oligonucleotide conjugates. As a leader in the Research organization, the Director of Oligo Chemistry & Bioconjugation will be responsible for setting and pursuing a strategy for therapeutic development that is aligned with current leading oligonucleotide technologies. Reporting to the Vice President of Non-Viral Delivery, this role is an opportunity to establish a group that will contribute novel biotherapeutic candidates to Voyager’s growing non-viral pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead platform technology development, including optimization of oligonucleotides and linker/conjugation chemistries, to facilitate delivery of oligonucleotides to the CNS
  • Develop and implement a strategy to bring critical infrastructure and capabilities in-house to support engineering, production and characterization of oligonucleotide bioconjugates
  • Lead the design and build out of lab space to meet the expanding needs of the Oligonucleotide Chemistry & Bioconjugation group
  • Recruit and mentor a team of highly skilled scientists to discover, develop and characterize candidate bioconjugates
  • Contribute to the growth of Voyager’s non-viral pipeline by delivering on critical platform and program goals related to oligonucleotide delivery to the CNS
  • Establish a network of external partners, both academic as well as contract research organizations (CROs), to strengthen critical capabilities and provide access to scalable bioconjugation/analytical capacity
  • Maintain a high degree of awareness of current technological advancements in the oligonucleotide/ADC space
  • Develop and manage timelines, resources and operating budgets

Qualifications

  • PhD in biochemistry, protein engineering, chemical engineering or related field with 10+ years of industry experience
  • Demonstrated leadership experience with a track record of building and growing cross functional teams
  • A deep knowledge as well as mastery of the latest developments in critically relevant areas including conjugation and oligonucleotide chemistries, and analytical characterization techniques
  • Proven track record of success in the discovery, characterization, and development of bioconjugation-based therapeutics, from concept to delivering candidate molecules
  • Prior experience managing contract research organizations (CROs) for the production and characterization of bioconjugates is desired
  • Outstanding analytical, research and organizational skills
  • Self-motivated with an ability to handle multiple projects, meet deadlines and make decisions
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills

 

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Voyager Therapeutics’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.