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# Vector Development & Genetic Engineering Construct Design Lead, Cell Therapy

- **Company:** Weill Cornell Medical College
- **Location:** New York, NY, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Computer-Aided Design, Cts+
- **Published:** November 6, 2026
- **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/69D5122A63324E49B905C66EFFEFC620/job/

## About the Role

* PhD in Molecular Biology, Virology, Genetic Engineering, Synthetic Biology, or related field.

Experience

 * 10+ years of relevant postdoctoral and/or industry experience in gene delivery systems or advanced molecular cloning.
 * Proven track record of designing and implementing complex genetic constructs.

Required Technical Expertise

 * Deep knowledge of lentiviral vector biology and design, including multi-plasmid systems and safety features.
 * Expertise in plasmid architecture, including promoters (e.g., EF1α, CMV, CAG), enhancers, insulators, and post-transcriptional regulatory elements.
 * Experience designing mRNA constructs for transient expression and delivery optimization.
 * Strong understanding of transposon systems and stable integration strategies.
 * Proficiency with DNA design software and sequence analysis tools (e.g., SnapGene, Benchling, Geneious).
 * Familiarity with gene expression tuning, including codon optimization, RNA stability, and translational efficiency.
 * Ability to interpret NGS and Sanger sequencing data for construct validation., * Experience with CRISPR/Cas systems, including multiplexed guide RNA architectures and delivery strategies.
 * Background in cell therapy, gene therapy, or genome engineering applications.
 * Familiarity with non-viral delivery systems (e.g., LNPs for mRNA).
 * Exposure to scale-up considerations and translational/regulatory frameworks.
 * Experience leading multidisciplinary scientific teams.
 * Ability to work in a highly collaborative, engaged and fast-paced environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

 * Engineering-driven approach to biological problem solving
 * High attention to detail in sequence-level design
 * Ability to balance innovation with practical constraints
 * Strong communication and presentation skills.
 * Passionate about scientific innovation, cell therapy discovery and development

## Description

We are seeking a motivated team leader with deep expertise in viral and non-viral vector and genetic construct design to drive next-generation gene delivery strategies in a fast-paced, collaborative, and delivery-focused clinical translation research environment. The lead will establish a cutting-edge research group and platform innovations for the design of lentiviral vectors, transposon-based architectures, and mRNA-based delivery systems, for applications spanning functional genomics, cell engineering, and therapeutic development of T cell therapies. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical engineering expertise with strategic leadership to translate biological objectives into high-performance genetic constructs., * Design, build, and optimize plasmid constructs for lentiviral vector systems, including transfer, packaging, and envelope components and multi-gene cargos.

 * Engineer self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral backbones, optimizing key elements such as LTRs, ψ (psi) packaging signal, RRE, cPPT/CTS, and WPRE.
 * Design and implement optimized transposon-based systems including donor vector architecture (ITRs/TIRs), multi-cargo optimization, and transposase delivery strategies.
 * Architect expression systems with precise control over gene expression (constitutive, inducible, cell-type specific, or multiplexed designs).
 * Drive initiatives to evaluate constraints such as payload size, recombination risk, silencing, and integration profiles across delivery platforms.
 * Lead efforts to develop and refine mRNA delivery constructs, including optimization of UTRs, codon usage, modified nucleotides, cap structures, and poly(A) tail configurations for enhanced stability and translation.
 * Contribute to strategic direction and next-generation capabilities by evaluating emerging delivery modalities and synthetic biology approaches.
 * Provide leadership and guidance, implement vector development strategies, anticipate risks to timelines and deliverables, provide mitigation strategies.
 * Partner and align with cross functional teams to integrate learnings and advance gene therapy initiatives.
 * Mentor and develop scientists and staff, promote scientific rigor, collaboration, independent thinking, and career advancement.
 * Oversee the authoring and review of technical and regulatory documents.