VP, Medicine Development Leader- Cancer Vaccines, Oncology Research Unit

For candidates seeking to be located at our Stevenage site, this role will temporarily be based at Stevenage. However, the Company plans to relocate its offices to Cambridge, UK. The location of this role will therefore subsequently change to Cambridge, UK in accordance with timelines to be set by the Company. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029.

Reporting to the SVP Oncology Product Leadership, the VP, Medicine Development Leader (MDL) – Cancer Vaccines will strategically lead the optimal global development of GSK's cancer vaccine medicine(s), acting as the single point of accountability for the asset from C2P2 (or the equivalent stage for oncology) through approval and launch of all indications in major markets, as well as supporting approval and launch in tier 2/3 countries.

By working with the various stakeholders across R&D and Pharma, the VP, MDL – Cancer Vaccines defines the strategic vision and operational plan for the cancer vaccine medicine, aligning it with GSK's overall oncology and immuno-oncology strategy. The VP, MDL – Cancer Vaccines will create and lead the matrix Medicine Development Team (MDT), which is responsible for representing all the R&D and commercial disciplines required to optimally deliver development of the cancer vaccine, including clinical development, translational medicine/immune monitoring, medical affairs, safety, regulatory, commercial, and product development and manufacturing (including vaccine platform/manufacturing partners), amongst others.

This position is offered as a hybrid position with a required on-site presence of at least two days per week at one of GSK’s US (PA or MA), UK (London - New Oxford Street or Stevenage) or Switzerland (Zug) sites.

In this role you will:

• Act as GSK's single point of accountability for the global development of a cancer vaccine asset from C2P2 (or the oncology equivalent stage) through approval and launch across all indications in major markets, including support for approval and launch in tier 2/3 countries.
• Provide key support to the Early Development Team (EDT) leading up to late-stage transition for the cancer vaccine program, ensuring smooth transfer of accountability and successful execution, including transition of neoantigen/antigen-selection and immunogenicity data packages.
• Provide key support to the Medicines Commercialisation Team post-approval in first major markets, ensuring the MDT delivers optimal support to registration and lifecycle management for the cancer vaccine, including combination strategies with checkpoint inhibitors or other immuno-oncology agents.
• Build the Medicine Development Team (MDT) and lead this multi-disciplinary matrix team spanning clinical development, immunology/biomarkers, manufacturing (including personalized/off-the-shelf vaccine platforms), regulatory, safety, medical affairs and commercial; supports differentiated development of team members and own MDT performance in partnership with line managers.
• Establish a compelling vision for the cancer vaccine within GSK's Oncology R&D strategy, accounting for the competitive immuno-oncology and cancer vaccine landscape, and translates GSK's strategy into actionable asset plans across functions.
• Deliver differentiated cancer vaccine medicines of value for patients, stakeholders and markets through an evidence package (including immunogenicity, biomarker and clinical efficacy data) that supports regulatory approval, market access and product lifecycle.
• Deliver the Medicine Development Strategy aligned with GSK's oncology disease strategy, the asset Medicine Vision and the Medicine Profile for the cancer vaccine program.
• Prioritize and maximize the asset's portfolio options, including developing multiple tumor-type indications and combination regimens; makes clear, evidence-based go/no-go/accelerate decisions against the strategy and identifies clear inflection points (e.g., immunogenicity readouts, interim efficacy analyses).
• Embed core processes including cost efficiency, adoption of new vaccine platform technology (e.g., mRNA, neoantigen prediction, personalized vaccine manufacturing), risk identification and management, and compliance with policy.
• Identify and align resources (people and financial), team objectives and strategies behind the vision to ensure successful completion of the cancer vaccine development program.
• Proactively identify unmet medical needs in oncology that could be addressed through new indications or line extensions of the cancer vaccine platform.
• Enhance patient focus by incorporating the voice of the patient into cancer vaccine development plans.
• Promote organizational reputation and drives asset value by engaging and negotiating with internal and external stakeholders, including academic and biotech collaborators in the cancer vaccine space.

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