DCRM Sciences; Reviving Proven Drugs, Reaching Patients Faster
Location: Remote (Europe-wide) → Western Europe (UK) HQ within ~16 months Type: Full-time Compensation: £80,000-£115,000 gross/year + equity + standard benefits
About DCRM Sciences
We are a small, private, family-owned biotech startup built to be lean, fast, and relentlessly cost-effective. Our mission is to identify, acquire, and translate clinically tested drugs that were discontinued; not because they failed, but often for commercial, strategic, or portfolio reasons, and give them a second life for the patients who need them.
We are indication-agnostic and work across a multitude of therapeutic areas, always with a focus on small disease populations. Our model is straightforward but demanding: acquire the rights and know-how of a proven, clinically validated asset, rebuild what's needed to manufacture it, route it first through early access pathways, and pursue regulatory approval.
We are especially focused on France and the broader ex-US market today, while building toward a genuine US presence over time. We currently operate fully remotely, with a formal HQ location in Western Europe (UK) targeted within the next 16 months.
We are not a typical biotech. We leverage sharp judgment, a bias for action, and the conviction that many good drugs were shelved for reasons that have nothing to do with whether patients still need them.
The Role
We are looking for a CMC & Manufacturing expert to lead end-to-end the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls strategy for our pipeline.
This is not a role where you inherit an existing formulation, a validated process, and a functioning supply chain. In many cases, you will inherit only paper: legacy know-how, historical data, old regulatory files, and institutional knowledge from the originator company. There may be no remaining API, no remaining drug product, and no active manufacturing line. Your job is to take that knowledge and, from the ground up, rebuild the formulation, the manufacturing process, and the supply chain needed to bring the drug back into GMP production.
You will do this primarily for small molecules today, with biologics also squarely in scope. Experience with cell and gene therapy or other advanced modalities is a strong plus, though not the immediate focus.
You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, reporting directly to the CEO, and will be expected to build and run the CMC function largely on your own; leveraging a network of external partners rather than an internal department.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and develop CMC strategy end-to-end for each acquired asset, from initial technical assessment through GMP manufacturing and regulatory submission.
- Rebuild formulation, analytical methods, and manufacturing processes for drugs with incomplete, outdated, or missing technical packages (sometimes starting with no physical API or drug product at all).
- Identify, qualify, negotiate with, and manage CDMOs, CMOs, analytical labs, and specialized consultants across Europe (and beyond) for development, scale-up, and manufacturing.
- Build and maintain a trusted network of CMOs, CDMOs, raw material and API suppliers, and CMC consultants that can be mobilized quickly across projects.
- Oversee technology transfer processes from development to manufacturing sites while maintaining rigorous documentation.
- Prepare and maintain CMC regulatory documentation in collaboration with regulatory affairs.
- Work cross-functionally with regulatory, clinical, and business development to align CMC plans with early access and approval strategy.
- Ensure GMP compliance, quality oversight, and supply continuity for programs supplying patients under early access frameworks.
- Assess CMC feasibility and risk during due diligence on new drug acquisition opportunities, informing go/no-go decisions.
- Manage budgets, resources, and timelines with a lean, cost-conscious, no-delay mindset to meet project milestones and operational targets.
Experience (Required)
- Advanced degree in pharmacy, chemistry, chemical/pharmaceutical engineering, biotechnology, or a related scientific field.
- Substantial, hands-on experience (typically 10+ years) in CMC / pharmaceutical development, spanning formulation development, process development, and manufacturing.
- Demonstrated experience rebuilding, restarting, or transferring manufacturing processes; not just optimizing an already-running one.
- Direct, hands-on experience selecting and managing CDMOs/CMOs, including contract negotiation and day-to-day oversight.
- Working knowledge of both small molecule and biologic CMC development; you don't need to be equally deep in both, but you need to be credible in both.
- Solid understanding of GMP requirements and CMC regulatory expectations in Europe (France in particular).
- A genuine track record of doing more with less; operating effectively in resource-constrained, fast-moving environments.
- Ability to work fully autonomously, take ownership of ambiguous problems, and drive them to resolution without a large internal team behind you.
What Would Make You Stand Out (Nice to Have)
- Prior experience specifically with discontinued, orphan, or repurposed/repositioned drugs.
- Experience supporting early access programs from a CMC standpoint.
- Exposure to cell therapy, gene therapy, or other advanced modalities.
- An existing personal network of CDMOs, CMOs, consultants, and contractors you can call on directly.
- Experience in a small biotech or startup environment where you were "the" CMC function.
Profile
More than any specific credential, we're looking for a particular way of operating.
- Resourceful and unflappable: you're energized, not paralyzed, by a problem that starts with "we have the know-how but nothing else."
- Lean by instinct, not by mandate: you naturally look for the fast, capital-efficient path, not the gold-plated one.
- A builder: you're comfortable creating structure and process where none currently exists.
- Autonomous and decisive: you don't need a large team or committee to move a program forward.
- Well-connected: your network of CMOs, CDMOs, and consultants is a real asset you bring to the table.
- Detail-obsessed where it matters, pragmatic everywhere else: you know where corners can and cannot be cut.
- Aligned with our mission: you believe good, clinically validated drugs deserve a second chance to reach the patients who need them, and you want to help build the company that makes that happen.
Our Hiring Process
We keep our process human, direct, and fast.
- Dossier review: Every application is read and reviewed personally by our team. No AI screening, no automated filtering.
- CEO call: Shortlisted candidates have a direct conversation with our CEO to explore fit, experience, and mutual expectations.
- Working task: Selected candidates receive a high-level, realistic task designed to show us how you think and how you operate; not a generic test, but a window into your problem-solving approach.
- Final decision: Based on all of the above, we make our final selection.
DCRM Sciences is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from qualified candidates across Europe, regardless of background, as long as you share our passion for giving proven drugs a second chance to reach patients.
Pay: £80,000.00-£115,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: Remote
