Biopharma Product Manager - Oxford, UK (Hybrid)
About Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Oxford Nanopore Technologies is headquartered at the Oxford Science Park outside Oxford, UK, with satellite offices and a commercial presence in many global locations across the US, APAC, and Europe. Our goal is to enable the analysis of any living thing, by anyone, anywhere.
We employ individuals from multiple subject areas, including nanopore science, molecular biology and applications, informatics, engineering, electronics, manufacturing, and commercialisation. Our sequencing platform is the only technology that offers real-time analysis, in fully scalable formats from pocket to population scale. This platform can analyze native DNA or RNA and sequence any length of fragment to achieve short to ultra-long read lengths.
The Role
The Biopharma Product Manager plays a critical role in shaping and delivering Oxford Nanopore's analytical solutions for the biopharmaceutical industry. The role provides strategic and technical leadership across the definition, development, and commercialisation of end-to-end QC workflows for mRNA therapeutics, plasmid DNA, and related nucleic-acid-based modalities.
The position is accountable for guiding products through ONT's product development and commercialisation processes, ensuring that all solutions are scientifically robust, operationally scalable, regulatory-aligned, and commercially successful. The Biopharma Product Manager acts as a key interface between R&D, technical project management office, commercial teams, regulatory and quality functions, and ONT's biopharma customers.
Key Responsibilities
Product Lifecycle Leadership
- Develop and maintain a deep understanding of QC requirements for mRNA and plasmid-based therapeutics, including identity, integrity, purity, capping efficiency, and contaminant detection.
- Define, document, and own the market, user, and product requirements for biopharma QC workflows using Oxford Nanopore sequencing, ensuring traceability across the development lifecycle.
Lead progression of assigned products through ONT- 's stage-gate, design control, and QMS-aligned processes, from early concept and feasibility to development, verification/validation, launch, and lifecycle optimisation.
- Drive ongoing improvements in workflow robustness, usability, documentation, and readiness for QA/QC-regulated environments.
Cross-Functional Managership & Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with teams across Assay R&D, Bioinformatics, Engineering, Commercial, Regulatory, Quality, and Manufacturing to deliver validated, scalable QC workflows.
- Serve as the primary Voice of the Customer, representing the needs of biopharma R&D, process development, analytical development, QC laboratories, CDMOs, and CROs in product and portfolio decisions.
- Provide training, guidance, and technical updates to global commercial, support, and applications teams to ensure accurate and consistent product positioning.
- Act as the final escalation point for workflow-related technical issues, ensuring structured resolution through cross-functional collaboration.
Performance, Strategy & Market Insight
- Define and track KPIs related to workflow adoption, customer outcomes, product performance, and commercial impact, ensuring accountability and visibility across teams.
- Use data-driven insights—including customer pilots, early-access feedback, market signals, and regulatory trends—to refine product strategy and prioritise roadmap decisions.
- Maintain current knowledge of relevant regulatory frameworks (ICH, FDA, EMA, GxP) and ensure that product specifications, documentation, and development activities align with evolving expectations.
- Contribute to long-range portfolio planning by identifying emerging customer needs and growth opportunities within biopharma analytics.
Customer Engagement
- Engage proactively with key customers across the biopharma ecosystem—including AD/QC Managers, MS&T groups, process development scientists, technical operations teams, and regulatory influencers—to understand evolving analytical needs and ensure ONT solutions remain aligned with industry expectations.
Lead strategic and technically-driven customer discussions to gather deep insights, validate workflow requirements, and identify opportunities for new QC applications that advance customer capabilities and strengthen ONT- 's biopharma portfolio.
- Represent ONT as a subject-matter expert at industry conferences, scientific workshops, customer forums, and technical meetings, clearly articulating the value of nanopore-enabled QC testing.
- Build strong, trust-based relationships with key accounts and opinion Managers, ensuring their feedback directly informs product strategy, roadmap prioritisation, and lifecycle improvements.
Support collaborative projects, pilots, and early-access initiatives by providing technical guidance, ensuring customer success, and capturing structured learnings for internal teams.
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Key Qualifications and Experience
- Proven product management experience (3+ years) in biopharma analytics, genomics, sequencing technologies, or biologics characterisation.
- Direct experience defining or supporting QC workflows for mRNA, plasmid DNA, viral vectors, or nucleic-acid-based therapeutics is strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of sequencing technologies, sample preparation, assay development, and bioinformatic analysis pipelines.
- Experience developing products under a Quality Management System and following structured product development processes.
- Ability to translate complex customer needs into clear, actionable product requirements.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to collaborate across R&D, commercial, and executive teams.
- Strong analytical mindset, capable of using data to inform decisions and prioritisation.
Advanced degree in life sciences, biotechnology, molecular biology, or engineering; an MBA or equivalent experience is a plus.
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Please note that no terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person's gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the job.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
