What are the responsibilities and job description for the Process Economics Analyst, Medicines for All Institute position at Virginia Commonwealth University?
Job Summary
Medicines for All (M4ALL), a part of Virginia Commonwealth University, is an entrepreneurial, impact-oriented institute dedicated to dramatically improving global access to lifesaving medicines. We achieve this through synthetic process innovation and advanced technology deployment to reduce costs and waste in small molecule drug substance manufacturing. Our work supports treatments for diseases such as TB, malaria, HIV, oncology, metabolic diseases, CNS, and immunology.
Responsibilities
As a Process Economics Analyst, you will work within an experienced team in a fast‑paced environment and contribute to leading‑edge research and analyses. Under the direction of the Director of Process Economics and Market Intelligence, this role handles the following key responsibilities in alignment with M4ALL’s technical and economic objectives:
Techno‑Economic Modeling
Required Qualifications:
Salary Range: Up to a maximum of $70,000 - Candidates who bring both the scientific foundation and applied experience needed to contribute quickly to M4ALL’s techno‑economic modeling work may be considered for the top of the range.
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Director of Process Economics & Market Intelligence and embodies everyday leadership, with an expectation to lead through actions, discussions, decisions, and interactions. As a role model within the organization, you will influence others by consistently demonstrating the values and behaviors that drive our mission forward.
Work Environment: Upon hire, the workstation will be located at the VA Bio Tech Park and may occasionally require travel within the greater Richmond area. Since M4ALL's inception in 2017, we have received significant financial support from a diverse portfolio of major donors. This position is grant-funded, with continued employment contingent upon ongoing funding.
FLSA Exemption Status: Non-Exempt
Hours per Week: Minimum of 40 hours/week; dayshift
Restricted Position: Yes, continued employment is contingent upon funding
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: This role is hybrid, with the expectation of being fully onsite during the initial training period to ensure a strong foundation and smooth onboarding. Hybrid flexibility will be available once core competencies are met and the employee is working independently.
University Job Title: Coordinator, RS - Open
Eligible for sponsorship (e.g. H-IB visa status, etc.): No
Contact: M4ALL@vcu.edu
Medicines for All (M4ALL), a part of Virginia Commonwealth University, is an entrepreneurial, impact-oriented institute dedicated to dramatically improving global access to lifesaving medicines. We achieve this through synthetic process innovation and advanced technology deployment to reduce costs and waste in small molecule drug substance manufacturing. Our work supports treatments for diseases such as TB, malaria, HIV, oncology, metabolic diseases, CNS, and immunology.
Responsibilities
As a Process Economics Analyst, you will work within an experienced team in a fast‑paced environment and contribute to leading‑edge research and analyses. Under the direction of the Director of Process Economics and Market Intelligence, this role handles the following key responsibilities in alignment with M4ALL’s technical and economic objectives:
Techno‑Economic Modeling
- Prepare material balances, raw material cost estimates, and green chemistry metrics for baseline and proposed API manufacturing routes.
- Apply continuous improvement to cost‑modeling tools to enhance efficiency, transparency, and usability.
- Conduct comparative assessments of alternative synthetic routes to identify cost‑saving opportunities.
- Ensure all results meet or exceed all requirements regarding technical quality, reliability, schedule, and cost.
- Build and maintain raw material databases (CAS numbers, physical properties, pricing).
- Ensure accuracy, consistency, and traceability of data used in economic models.
- Support ad hoc analyses and special projects requiring economic or process‑related insights.
- Work closely with researchers to monitor progress, evaluate process changes, and support economic assessments for individual drug targets.
- Communicate findings clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences.
- Serve as a resource and completing other duties as assigned focused on the techno-economic assessment of M4ALL drug targets.
- Ensure all work complies with federal, state, and local regulations.
- Contribute to the development of internal tools, templates, and methodologies for techno‑economic analysis.
- Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and improve data quality.
Required Qualifications:
- Education: The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or a closely related field. Applicants with experience in cost or financial analysis may also be considered if the possess an understanding of organic chemistry and core chemical engineering principles.
- Foundational knowledge of organic chemistry.
- Coursework or demonstrated understanding of mass balances and unit operations.
- Strong proficiency with spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets, Smartsheet), ChemDraw, MS Office, and Google Drive.
- Previous experience with cost analysis or financial analysis is a plus but not required.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly to diverse audiences.
- Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and reasoning abilities, with the capacity to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
- Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
- Highly motivated, self‑directed, innovative, and able to work independently.
- Ability to manage and analyze large datasets with accuracy and attention to detail.
- Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with researchers and cross‑functional teams.
- Demonstrated ability to learn new concepts quickly and adapt to evolving project needs.
- Experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and process development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) preferred but not required
- Experience in chemical process development, route scouting, and scale-up is preferred but not required.
- Experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Python, R) is a plus.
Salary Range: Up to a maximum of $70,000 - Candidates who bring both the scientific foundation and applied experience needed to contribute quickly to M4ALL’s techno‑economic modeling work may be considered for the top of the range.
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Director of Process Economics & Market Intelligence and embodies everyday leadership, with an expectation to lead through actions, discussions, decisions, and interactions. As a role model within the organization, you will influence others by consistently demonstrating the values and behaviors that drive our mission forward.
Work Environment: Upon hire, the workstation will be located at the VA Bio Tech Park and may occasionally require travel within the greater Richmond area. Since M4ALL's inception in 2017, we have received significant financial support from a diverse portfolio of major donors. This position is grant-funded, with continued employment contingent upon ongoing funding.
FLSA Exemption Status: Non-Exempt
Hours per Week: Minimum of 40 hours/week; dayshift
Restricted Position: Yes, continued employment is contingent upon funding
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: This role is hybrid, with the expectation of being fully onsite during the initial training period to ensure a strong foundation and smooth onboarding. Hybrid flexibility will be available once core competencies are met and the employee is working independently.
University Job Title: Coordinator, RS - Open
Eligible for sponsorship (e.g. H-IB visa status, etc.): No
Contact: M4ALL@vcu.edu
Salary : $70,000