At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of cutting-edge Antibody-Drug Conjugate capabilities and manage technical partnerships.
- Company: Vector Laboratories, a leader in protein labeling and detection with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, opportunities for growth, and a chance to impact scientific advancement.
- Other info: Dynamic role with significant responsibility and the opportunity to shape the future of ADC technology.
- Why this job: Join a globally impactful team and drive innovation in biopharma and life sciences.
- Qualifications: PhD in chemistry or related field with extensive leadership experience in conjugation chemistry.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 66000 £ per year.
About Vector Laboratories
Vector Laboratories is seeking a talented and highly motivated individual to join our growing team.
As an organization known for its culture of service, reliable products and unmatched technical expertise, our employees are passionate about the impact and quality of their work.
The opportunities we provide to work collaboratively and build trusting relationships in a team-oriented environment make Vector Laboratories an ideal place to learn, flourish and contribute to scientific advancement.
We genuinely value diverse perspectives and ideas and strive to demonstrate how this approach results in success.
With nearly 50 years of history, Vector Laboratories boasts an unparalleled reputation in protein labeling, detection, and conjugation.
Our recent mergers and acquisitions have significantly expanded our portfolio, serving the biopharma industry, academia, life science tools, and diagnostics, providing comprehensive solutions to the life science industry.
We are looking to take Vector Laboratories to new heights and hope you’ll consider joining our globally impactful team!
Job Summary
The VP, Technical Development owns the entire Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) capability build at Vector Laboratories, leading an eighteen-month, $1.08M platform investment spanning conjugation chemistry, analytics, cytotoxic payload facilities, and Wilton, UK site operations.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role for a conjugation chemistry or ADC CMC expert ready to own both the science and the site behind it, including direct line management of the Senior Director, Computational Antibody Design.
This position reports to the Chief Scientific Officer.
Responsibilities
- Own the entire ADC capability build, including the linker portfolio, site-specific conjugation chemistry, and supporting HIC, CEX, and LC-MS analytics.
- Direct DAR (drug-to-antibody ratio) determination and peptide mapping workstreams in support of ADC characterization.
- Build and operate cytotoxic payload facilities, including authorship and ownership of SOPs and QC release specifications.
- Own Wilton site performance, regulatory compliance, and P&L accountability.
- Manage the Cyagen and NJ Bio cellular pharmacology technical partnerships.
- Lead Phase 4 commercialization of the ADC platform across Vector's four client tiers.
- Provide direct line management of the Senior Director, Computational Antibody Design, including hiring, performance management, and resourcing decisions for that function.
- Partner with the Chief Scientific Officer on the broader Technical Development strategy and roadmap.
- Represent Vector's ADC capability externally with clients, partners, and at industry conferences.
- Performs other duties as assigned
- Job Qualifications
- Ph D in chemistry, biochemistry, or a related discipline
- 12–15+ years of relevant post-Ph D experience, including several years in a senior leadership or P&L-owning capacity.
- Current VP or Senior Director in a conjugation chemistry, bioconjugation, or ADC CMC function.
- Demonstrated ownership of a conjugation or bioconjugation platform build, ideally within a services or CDMO-adjacent business.
- Experience with cytotoxic payload facility operations, including SOP authorship and QC release specification ownership.
- Prior P&L or site-operations accountability.
- Experience managing cross-functional or cross-disciplinary teams, including functions outside one's own technical background.
- Willingness to be based at or regularly present at the Wilton, UK site.
- Competencies Identified for Success
ADC & Bioconjugation Leadership
Deep, personally-owned expertise in conjugation chemistry, linker design, and ADC CMC; able to build and scale a platform from the ground up.
Site & P&L Operations
Proven ownership of facility performance, compliance, and financial accountability at a manufacturing or lab operations site.
Antibody Engineering Fluency
Working knowledge of antibody engineering sufficient to partner effectively with the computational design function.
Cross-Regional Leadership
Comfort operating across UK and EU regional structures, including line management of a geographically distinct team.
Vice President, Technical Development in Wilton employer: Vector Laboratories, Inc.
Vector Laboratories is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, making it an ideal environment for professionals in the life sciences sector. With nearly 50 years of expertise, employees benefit from diverse perspectives, robust growth opportunities, and the chance to contribute to groundbreaking advancements in protein labeling and conjugation. Located in Wilton, UK, the company offers a unique opportunity to lead significant technical developments while being part of a globally impactful team dedicated to scientific excellence.
