Lead, Process Economics & Market Intelligence

Job Summary

Medicines for All (M4ALL), a part of Virginia Commonwealth University, is an entrepreneurial, impact-oriented institute dedicated to dramatically improving global access to lifesaving medicines. We achieve this through synthetic process innovation and advanced technology deployment to reduce costs and waste in small molecule drug substance manufacturing. Our work supports treatments for diseases such as TB, malaria, HIV, oncology, metabolic diseases, CNS, and immunology.

As a Lead, Process Economics & Market Intelligence, you will work within an experienced team in a fast‑paced environment and contribute to leading‑edge research and analyses. Under the direction of the Director of Process Economics and Market Intelligence, this role handles techno-economic modeling, data and analytics management, and cross-functional support to guide cost-effective process development and strategic decision-making.

Primary Responsibilities:

Techno‑Economic Modeling

• Prepare material balances, raw material cost estimates, and green chemistry metrics for baseline and proposed API manufacturing routes.
• Drive continuous improvement of cost‑modeling tools and frameworks to enhance efficiency, transparency, and usability across the Institute.
• Evaluate alternative synthetic routes and provide strategic recommendations to project teams and leadership on cost saving opportunities and risk tradeoffs.
• Ensure all economic analyses meet or exceed expectations for technical quality, reliability, and timeliness, and proactively identify risks to deliverables.

Data Management & Analysis

• Manage the development, accuracy, and governance of raw material databases, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and alignment with modeling needs.
• Establish standards and best practices for data management within the Process Economics function.
• Lead complex or high‑impact analyses and guide the team in generating actionable insights for strategic and operational decision‑making.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to anticipate data needs and ensure analytical readiness for emerging priorities.

Collaboration & Project Support

• Serve as an advisor to project teams, providing strategic input on process changes, development decisions, and cost implications across the lifecycle of each drug target.
• Facilitate alignment between technical teams and leadership by translating economic findings into clear, decision‑ready recommendations for both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Represent the Process Economics function in cross‑functional discussions, ensuring economic considerations are integrated early and consistently.
• Provide guidance, mentorship, and informal leadership to junior analysts and researchers supporting techno‑economic work.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead the development and refinement of internal tools, templates, and methodologies that strengthen the institute’s techno‑economic capabilities.
• Identify and implement opportunities to streamline workflows, improve data quality, and enhance the overall efficiency of the Process Economics function.
• Ensure all work complies with federal, state, and local regulations, and proactively monitor emerging regulatory or market trends that may impact economic modeling.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, or a closely related field; or a Bachelor’s degree with 4–5+ years of progressively responsible experience in process economics, chemical process development, or related areas.
• Strong foundational knowledge of organic chemistry and the ability to evaluate synthetic routes from both a technical and economic perspective.
• Demonstrated experience leading or overseeing techno‑economic evaluations.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and related analytical tools.
• Exceptional written communication skills.
• High proficiency with spreadsheets, ChemDraw, MS Office, and Google Drive.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and reasoning abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility.
• Highly motivated, self‑directed, innovative, and able to work independently.
• Ability to manage and analyze large datasets with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong collaboration skills.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new concepts quickly and adapt to evolving project needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and process development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
• Experience in chemical process development, route scouting, and scale-up.
• Experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Python, R).