Principal Process Engineer, Manufacturing Process Development

Principal Process Engineer, Manufacturing Process Development

Location:

Woburn, Moving to Allston in Q4, 2026, Onsite

Terrestrial is transforming the delivery of next-generation therapies, starting with GLP-1. Terrestrial's proprietary Tacterra™ microarray patch (MAP) and applicator platform consists of a patch resembling an adhesive bandage, which is applied with a preloaded applicator and removed after a few minutes. Once applied, each patch delivers bioactive tips into the skin, which dissolve quickly into the body, rapidly releasing their therapeutic payload.

Designed for self-administration, the temperature-stable Tacterra™ platform enables precise, controlled delivery of a wide range of therapeutics without medical sharps or refrigeration.

We are looking for an innovative, collaborative, experienced process engineer to lead technical development of our novel microarray patch manufacturing process. Over the next two years, we will increase process throughput by one hundred-fold while improving product quality. The successful candidate will play a vital role in this effort. The role is multidisciplinary and dynamic, requiring close and proactive collaboration with automation engineering, technical operations, and analytical and formulation development.

The ideal candidate will grow alongside our process and operations and bring passion to drive products which make patients' lives better.

You will leverage your creativity, analytical mindset, soft skills, and prior process development experience to:

• Contextualize process tradeoffs within a risk-based product development framework; define and execute a robust development strategy for early and late phase programs; document process development history internally and in regulatory filings.
• Partner with Terrestrial's other functional areas to assess novel automated manufacturing equipment, workflows, analytical techniques/PAT, and process configurations.
• Lead a deep and talented team of engineers and technicians and help us grow to meet the technical needs of the future.

You will face ambiguity, competing priorities, evolving strategies, and novel systems, and join a company moving quickly toward larger-scale operations. You will view every challenge as a growth opportunity.

Making microarray patches with hundreds or thousands of drug-loaded polymer microneedles, and ensuring consistent quality across a patch, a batch, or a manufacturing campaign, requires many processes to go just right, many, many times. This job is about quantifying that sweet spot to inform models and strategies to scale. To that end, you will use your technical expertise to:

• Characterize and improve manufacturing process unit operations by developing first principles and empirical models.
• Develop and refine tools to analyze and interpret large process data sets; establish quantitative relationships between process parameters and product quality metrics.
• Manage, mentor, and inspire junior engineers to maintain technical excellence as the team grows.

Within 12 months you will have:

• Developed predictive models relating the critical product quality attributes to the relevant process parameters, and used them to propose normal operating ranges for microarray patch manufacturing.
• Established lab and pilot scale processes to support preclinical and clinical development for Terrestrial's lead program. Come join our team to build enabling technologies for the future of intradermal delivery of therapeutics!

Compensation:
The anticipated base salary range for this position is $140,000 - $170,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

Onsite expectations:
The majority of our roles at Terrestrial are either onsite or hybrid, which allows us to meet both business and team needs. Candidates applying must be willing to be onsite 4-5 days per week.

Location:

Woburn, MA and our new, custom facility in Allston MA planned for Q4 of 2026.

At Terrestrial, we're bringing together exceptional talent to drive our product development forward. We value collaboration, curiosity, and a dynamic work environment. We aim to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or veteran status.