Senior Scientist – LNP Platform & Process Development

Senior Scientist – LNP Platform & Process Development

Location: Woburn, MA (On-site)

Employment Type: Full-time

Newco is an early‑stage biotechnology startup with a mission to harness the power of mRNA medicines to deliver life‑changing therapies to patients with autoimmune and other serious diseases. We are developing next generation targeted lipid nanoparticle (tLNP) delivery systems, enabled by innovative conjugation and formulation technologies, to engineer immune cells in vivo.

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Scientist to lead lipid nanoparticle formulation and process development efforts supporting our in vivo CAR‑T platform. This individual will play a central role in advancing our LNP delivery systems from early research optimization through scalable, IND‑enabling development.

This is a high‑impact, foundational role within the company. The successful candidate will help architect the delivery backbone of our platform and influence both short‑term program execution and long‑term manufacturability strategy. The ideal candidate brings deep hands‑on expertise in LNP formulation and process development, strong analytical rigor, and the ability to thrive in a fast‑paced startup environment.

• The Senior Scientist will design, develop, and optimize lipid nanoparticle formulations for mRNA delivery, including targeted LNP systems incorporating conjugated or functionalized lipids. This individual will evaluate lipid composition, formulation parameters, and mixing conditions to optimize particle size, polydispersity, encapsulation efficiency, stability, release characteristics, and biological performance.
• This role will be responsible for developing scalable manufacturing processes using microfluidic and high‑shear mixing technologies, along with downstream purification approaches such as tangential flow filtration and sterile filtration. The scientist will apply Quality by Design (QbD) principles to define critical process parameters and critical quality attributes, and will design and execute Design of Experiments (DoE) studies to ensure process robustness and reproducibility.
• The successful candidate will develop and optimize analytical characterization methods, including DLS, fluorescence‑based assays such as Ribogreen, HPLC/UPLC methods (CAD, UV, IP‑RP, SEC, IEX), LC‑MS, and endotoxin testing. They will interpret analytical and stability data to establish meaningful correlations between physicochemical properties and biological function.
• This individual will collaborate closely with platform biology teams to support in vitro and in vivo studies, prepare development reports and technical documentation, and contribute to technology transfer activities with external CDMO partners. The role will also involve contributing to IND‑enabling documentation and helping define the long‑term strategy for scalable LNP platform development.

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or a related field with a minimum of 5 years of relevant industry experience; or M.S. with 8+ years of relevant industry experience; or B.S. with 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in lipid nanoparticle formulation and process development, including hands‑on experience with microfluidic or scalable mixing technologies and downstream purification strategies such as TFF. Strong experience with analytical characterization of LNP systems and application of statistical design tools for process optimization is required.
• The candidate must be highly organized, scientifically rigorous, and capable of independently driving projects while collaborating effectively in a multidisciplinary startup environment.

• Experience with mRNA therapeutics or nucleic acid delivery systems. Prior exposure to immunotherapy or cell therapy platforms. Familiarity with regulatory expectations for CMC development and experience supporting technology transfer to external manufacturing partners. Experience correlating formulation attributes with in vivo performance is highly…