Director, Analytical Development, CMC (On-site)

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Director, Analytical Development, CMC to lead analytical development and quality control strategy across our small-molecule degrader portfolio.

Position Summary

The Director, Analytical Development, CMC, will serve as the analytical development subject-matter expert and functional lead for our pre-clinical and clinical programs. This individual will be responsible for analytical strategy, method development, qualification, validation, specifications, release testing, stability, reference standards, impurity control, and regulatory CMC documentation for drug substance and drug product candidates.

The successful candidate will work closely with internal CMC, discovery chemistry, quality assurance, regulatory, clinical supply, and program leadership teams, as well as external CDMOs, CROs, and contract testing laboratories. This role is well suited for a hands-on strategic leader who can operate effectively in a lean, platform-driven biotech environment and manage outsourced analytical development activities with strong technical judgment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead analytical development strategy for small-molecule molecular glue degrader drug substance and drug product programs from preclinical development through clinical manufacturing and later-stage readiness.
• Develop, qualify, validate, transfer, and troubleshoot phase-appropriate analytical methods for raw materials, starting materials, intermediates, in-process controls, drug substance, drug product, impurities, degradants, residual solvents, dissolution, assay, content uniformity, polymorphs, particle size, and related quality attributes.
• Establish analytical control strategies and specifications for starting materials, intermediates, drug substance, and drug product, including justification of acceptance criteria appropriate to the program stage and molecular glue degrader modality.
• Partner with process chemistry and medicinal chemistry teams to understand compound-specific analytical challenges, including physicochemical properties, degradation pathways, impurity profiles, stereochemical considerations, salt and solid-form selection, and stability risks.
• Oversee analytical development, QC testing, method transfer, GMP release testing, and stability studies performed by CDMOs, CROs, and contract analytical laboratories.
• Review and approve analytical protocols, methods, validation reports, release and stability data, certificates of analysis, technical reports, deviations, OOS/OOT investigations, CAPAs, and change controls.
• Partner with process chemistry and drug product teams to support route development, process optimization, formulation development, impurity identification, forced degradation studies, comparability assessments, and overall CMC control strategy development.
• Design and manage stability programs, including forced degradation, photostability, accelerated and long-term stability, shelf-life assignment, clinical retest period, and expiry strategy for clinical materials.
• Support reference standard strategy, impurity standards, metabolite standards where applicable, qualification, characterization, inventory, and lifecycle management.
• Author and review analytical and quality-related sections of regulatory submissions, including INDs, IMPDs, briefing packages, annual reports, amendments, CTD Module 3 sections, and responses to health authority questions.
• Ensure analytical activities are conducted in compliance with applicable cGMP, ICH, FDA, EMA, and global regulatory expectations for small-molecule development.
• Represent analytical development on cross-functional CMC, program, and targeted protein degradation platform teams, communicate risks and recommendations clearly, and drive timely execution of CMC deliverables.
• Monitor emerging regulatory and technical expectations relevant to small-molecule targeted protein degradation programs, including impurity control, nitrosamine risk assessment, genotoxic impurity assessment, elemental impurities, residual solvents, and stability-indicating method strategy.
• Build scalable analytical development practices, documentation standards, vendor oversight processes, and quality systems appropriate for a growing molecular glue degrader biotech organization.

Qualifications

• PhD, MS, or BS in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience with a PhD, 12+ years with an MS, or 15+ years with a BS in small-molecule analytical development, QC, or CMC technical operations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting small-molecule drug substance and drug product development.
• Strong technical knowledge of HPLC/UPLC, GC, LC-MS, GC-MS, dissolution, KF, ICP-MS, NMR, XRPD, DSC/TGA, particle size, residual solvents, genotoxic impurities, nitrosamines, forced degradation, and stability-indicating methods.
• Experience with method development, qualification, validation, transfer, release testing, and stability testing in a GMP environment.
• Strong understanding of ICH guidance and global regulatory expectations for small-molecule CMC development, including method validation, impurities, specifications, stability, starting material justification, and CTD Module 3 documentation.
• Experience managing CDMOs, CROs, and contract analytical laboratories in an outsourced or virtual biotech model.
• Track record of contributing to IND, IMPD, NDA, MAA, or other regulatory submissions.
• Ability to critically review analytical data, identify technical risks, troubleshoot investigations, and drive practical solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and external partners.

What we offer:

• Industry-competitive compensation
• Annual target bonus
• Stock options
• 401K plan
• Career advancement opportunities
• Monthly town halls to share business and scientific updates

Work Hard, Stay Well

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and their dependents
• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly Neomorph contribution
• Employee Assistance Program
• 10 holidays + Winter Shutdown + 3 weeks of vacation time with additional accruals after 2nd year of employment, separate sick leave.
• Supplemental pay for Pregnancy Disability Leave
• Paid Parental Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care

Lifestyle

• Casual work environment
• Volunteer days off each year to spend time contributing to causes you care about
• Flexible work schedule
• Access to onsite gym
• Onsite space to store your bicycle (or surfboard) 

Have Fun!

We believe in work/life balance and Fun is at the core of our Core Values. In addition to department and company happy hours, we have regular company-wide and department lunches and social events (ie Padres games, summer picnic, holiday party, bring your kids to work day).

About Us:

Neomorph is a venture-backed biotechnology company solving critical problems in human health through the discovery and development of innovative new medicines against ‘undruggable targets’. Our team is comprised of industry-leading experts in protein degradation and molecular glues who have a track record of ground-breaking discoveries in the field. We are committed to leadership in advancing the science and technology of molecular glue drug discovery, while prosecuting a pipeline of projects through clinical development. Our patient-first, science-driven approach is complemented by our dedication to a supportive and collaborative work environment. 

Neomorph is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Neomorph is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

Notice to agencies: Neomorph will not accept unsolicited assistance from recruiting/search agencies for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by recruiting or search agencies to any employee at Neomorph via email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search/recruitment agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Neomorph. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Neomorph as a result of the referral or through other means.