Associate Director Molecular Biology *PC

About the Role

Miltenyi Biotec is seeking a visionary and strategic Associate Director of Molecular Biology to lead the scientific direction and daily operations of a multidisciplinary team advancing novel viral and non‑viral vector platforms, scalable gene engineering workflows, and programmable expression switches and sensors that enable next generation cell and gene therapies. This role oversees end‑to‑end delivery from exploratory design to tech transfer‑ready methods while establishing quality standards, analytics, and documentation that ensure reproducibility and scalability.

As a people leader, the position recruits and develops talent, fosters an inclusive and high‑performance culture, and drives cross‑functional collaboration with Process Development, CMC, Translational, IP, and Regulatory partners to reduce program risk and achieve portfolio milestones.

• Lead and mentor a team of scientists in the design, development, and optimization of viral and non‑viral vector systems, RNA‑based delivery technologies, and advanced gene engineering toolsets that support platform and therapeutic program needs.
• Drive scientific and technological innovation by implementing directed evolution strategies, improving molecular components, and enhancing workflow efficiency, reproducibility, and scalability.
• Develop and execute strategic development plans that accelerate maturation of RNA, vector, and genome engineering platforms while ensuring alignment with broader organizational objectives.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Analytical Development, Process Development and CMC, Manufacturing, Quality, and Translational teams to ensure seamless integration of molecular biology, RNA, and vector engineering workflows.
• Evaluate emerging technologies in RNA engineering, synthetic biology, directed evolution, and vector innovation, and incorporate high‑impact approaches into development pipelines.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, quality, and safety standards across all molecular biology, RNA, and vector engineering R&D activities while effectively communicating scientific progress, risks, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and external collaborators.

• Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, or related field; 10+ years of experience in molecular biology, with a focus on viral and non‑viral vector development, directed evolution, protein engineering.
• 5+ years proven leadership experience managing scientific teams and cross‑functional projects.
• Strong understanding of GMP principles, tech transfer, and regulatory expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to translate scientific innovation into scalable processes.
• Excellent communication, strategic thinking, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to generate and implement new ideas that push the boundaries of current technologies.
• Capable of setting long‑term vision and aligning team efforts with business objectives.
• Skilled in building partnerships across departments and sites.
• Balances creativity with operational discipline to deliver results.
• Other duties as assigned.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms, talk, and hear.

The employee is required to stand; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Must have ability to handle more than one task at a time and must work at a rapid pace while maintaining attention to detail.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. This job is…