R&D Lab Director

Company Overview

A rapidly growing consumer-focused healthcare organization is expanding its portfolio of pharmaceutical and telehealth products. The company operates multiple healthcare service lines, including pharmacy operations, telemedicine, and e‑commerce, supported by a diverse team of professionals across scientific, technical, and operational functions. As part of its accelerated growth strategy, the organization is launching a significant pipeline of new pharmaceutical products and investing heavily in R&D expansion.

The team is seeking an experienced and decisive R&D Lab Director to lead laboratory operations during a period of substantial growth and high-volume product development. This role is essential to enabling long-term innovation and supporting the launch of numerous new products in alignment with business objectives.

Role Overview

The R&D Lab Director will oversee multiple simultaneous development programs, manage laboratory machinery and infrastructure, build and scale an R&D team, and serve as a critical liaison between executive leadership and technical staff. The ideal candidate brings deep scientific expertise combined with strong leadership, communication, and operational decision-making abilities.

This is an on-site leadership role, and the organization is seeking someone who thrives in a collaborative, in-person environment.

Responsibilities

R&D Leadership

• Lead R&D activities to support the launch of a large portfolio of new pharmaceutical products.
• Manage formulation development, testing, and early-stage scale-up across multiple concurrent projects.
• Establish scalable, repeatable R&D processes to increase speed while maintaining quality and compliance.
• Drive prioritization to align lab capacity with organizational and executive goals.

Project & Timeline Management

• Own planning, timelines, and milestones across numerous concurrent R&D initiatives.
• Create and maintain systems for tracking progress, dependencies, risks, and deliverables.
• Identify and address bottlenecks, resource constraints, and technical risks.
• Provide clear forecasts and status updates to leadership.
• Manage departmental budgets to ensure cost control and proportional resource use.

Lab Machinery & Infrastructure

• Oversee daily operation, maintenance, calibration, and qualification of lab equipment and pharmaceutical machinery.
• Ensure equipment readiness to support accelerated development timelines.
• Lead equipment selection, upgrades, vendor coordination, and validation activities.
• Maintain documentation, logs, and SOPs aligned with GMP and regulatory requirements.

Team Leadership & People Management

• Build, develop, and manage a high-performing R&D team, including scientists, technicians, and lab support staff.
• Set clear expectations and ensure accountability across projects.
• Coach the team on technical execution, productivity, and cross-functional communication.
• Support hiring, onboarding, training, and performance management during organizational scale-up.

Executive & Cross-Functional Communication

• Serve as the primary communication bridge between executive leadership and laboratory teams.
• Translate strategic business priorities into actionable R&D plans and timelines.
• Communicate complex technical information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and other operational functions.

Decision-Making, Compliance & Risk Management

• Make timely, data-driven decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, GLP, FDA, and related pharmaceutical regulations.
• Support audits, inspections, and internal reviews in partnership with Quality and Regulatory teams.
• Uphold safety standards, documentation practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Biology, or related field.
• 7+ years of pharmaceutical R&D experience, including 3+ years in a leadership or lab management role.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high volumes of simultaneous R&D projects.
• Hands-on experience with pharmaceutical laboratory equipment and machinery.
• Strong history of team leadership, performance management, and operational decision-making.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in telehealth, digital health, or direct-to-consumer healthcare environments.
• Background in formulation development, product lifecycle management, and tech transfer.
• Familiarity with rapid product launch models or scaled R&D operations.
• Experience with project tracking tools, LIMS systems, or process automation.

Benefits

• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus short-term disability and life insurance.
• 401(k) program with employer match.
• Paid time off and company-recognized holidays.
• Complimentary daily lunch.