---
title: 'Associate Director, Device Engineering at Kailera Therapeutics, Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-device-engineering-kailera-therapeutics-inc-united-states-fya6qbe6aepe'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Associate Director, Device Engineering at Kailera Therapeutics, Inc.

- **Company:** Kailera Therapeutics, Inc.
- **Location:** United States
- **Compensation:** $159k–$195k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-08-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/kailera/jobs/5395467008

## Job description

At Kailera, we are bold, authentic and committed to our mission of developing therapies that give people the power to transform their lives and elevate their overall health. Rooted in an entrepreneurial spirit and a team-oriented culture, we are working together to advance Kailera’s mission to advance novel therapies for obesity and related conditions.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes collaboration, integrity, and excellence. As we expand, we seek the most talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to join our team.

What You’ll Do:

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director, Device Engineering, to lead the development and launch of drug-device combination products, with a strong emphasis on autoinjectors, pre-filled syringes, and multidose pens. This role will drive cross-functional collaboration across CMC, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, clinical, and commercial teams to ensure robust product development aligned with meeting patient needs, global standards, and regulatory expectations.

Required location: Waltham, MA (hub-based, onsite 3-4 days per week) OR Remote (home-based, onsite at a hub 1 week every other month).

Responsibilities:

- Lead combination product development projects (prefilled syringes, autoinjectors, and/or multidose pens) from concept through commercialization
- Build and execute project plans with clearly defined risks and milestones
- Develop device and combination product requirements, including user and stakeholder needs and technical requirements, and ensure appropriate engineering translation and subsequent verification and validation of requirements
- Oversee and ensure compliance with design controls per FDA and ISO 13485 requirements
- Manage risk management activities in accordance with ISO 14971, including hazard analysis, FMEA, and risk mitigation strategies
- Drive design verification and validation activities, including test method development, protocol execution, and documentation
- Oversee human factors and usability engineering efforts, ensuring compliance with FDA guidance and IEC 62366
- Facilitate design transfer to manufacturing, ensuring smooth transition and scalability
- Partner cross-functionally with CMC, quality, regulatory, clinical development, commercial/marketing, supply chain, and other key functions to ensure critical inputs are integrated into device development activities
- Author relevant portions of regulatory submissions (INDs, IMPDs, NDAs, BLAs, etc.) for devices and combination product programs
- Manage and collaborate with vendors, including Contract Design and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) and suppliers, to ensure components and products meet quality and technical requirements and to integrate deliverables into the project Design History File at various stages of development and manufacturing
- Manage and collaborate with contract test labs to ensure testing strategy, method validation, and test execution are aligned with relevant standards and quality and technical requirements and integrate testing results into the Design History File
- Ensure product development aligns with relevant standards including ISO 11608-1, ISO 11040, ASTM D4169, ISO 14971, IEC 62366

Required Qualifications:

- Minimum of 10+ years of experience in medical device or combination product development, with at least 3 years in a team leadership role
- Proven experience with autoinjector, pre-filled syringe, or multidose pen development and launch, including authoring clinical and commercial regulatory submissions
- Deep understanding of design controls, design verification, test method development and validation, risk management, human factors, and design transfer
- Strong knowledge of applicable regulatory standards and guidance documents
- Excellent communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience working in a regulated pharmaceutical or biotech environment
- Familiarity with combination product regulations (21 CFR Part 4)
- Experience with supplier management of external development, testing, and manufacturing partners
- PMP certification or formal project management training is a plus

Education:

- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field. Advanced degree preferred.

Salary Range $159,000—$195,000 USD

For Full Time Roles: This range represents the company’s good-faith estimate of the salary at the time of posting. Actual pay may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, location, and internal equity. We also offer comprehensive health coverage, flexible time off, paid holidays, and a year-end shutdown. Enjoy a monthly wellness stipend, generous 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, disability and life insurance, plus annual bonus opportunities and equity grants—because your well-being and future matter to us.

## EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION:

Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, creed, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age (40 and over), sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, reproductive health decisions, domestic victim status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

E-Verify:

Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.

#LI-Hybrid

## About Kailera Therapeutics, Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kailera Therapeutics is an advanced clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a diversified pipeline of GLP-1‑based therapies for obesity and overweight.
- **Entity Type**: Private (clinical stage; in‑licensed through a strategic collaboration with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals)
- **Headquarters**: Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Not publicly available

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Biotechnology / Obesity therapeutics
- **Target customers**: B2B (pharma partnerships) and ultimately patients and healthcare providers managing obesity and overweight
- **Mission**: To give people the power to restore their health and transform their lives by delivering category‑leading obesity management medications. [kailera.com/about-us](https://www.kailera.com/about-us/)

## Products & Services
Kailera’s pipeline is designed to address diverse unmet needs in obesity care, building on clinical data from Hengrui’s trials in China. All candidates are in‑licensed from Hengrui with exclusive rights outside China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

- **Ribupatide (KAI‑9531)** – Once‑weekly injectable GLP‑1/GIP receptor dual agonist peptide; currently in a global Phase 3 program.
- **Ribupatide oral tablet** – Once‑daily oral formulation of the dual agonist.
- **KAI‑7535** – Oral small‑molecule GLP‑1 receptor agonist (clinical stage).
- **KAI‑4729** – Once‑weekly injectable GLP‑1/GIP/glucagon receptor tri‑agonist (clinical stage).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding – not publicly available; revenue – none (pre‑commercial). Pipeline lead in Phase 3.
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (strategic collaboration and in‑licensing partner). Leadership team includes veterans from Cerevel Therapeutics, Translate Bio, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Amgen, Frazier Life Sciences, and AbbVie. [kailera.com/leadership](https://www.kailera.com/leadership/)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Ribupatide clinical data presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2026.
  - Global Phase 3 program underway for ribupatide.
  - Multiple clinical‑stage candidates (oral, small molecule, tri‑agonist) targeting different patient needs.
  - Active hiring with 29 open positions (as of mid‑2026) across R&D, clinical, supply chain, regulatory, and corporate functions. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/kailera](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/kailera)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Diversified modality pipeline**: Injectable dual agonist, oral formulation, oral small molecule, and tri‑agonist – covering a broad range of patient preferences and treatment stages.
- **Cross‑border development acceleration**: Access to Hengrui’s clinical data from China informs and de‑risks global trials.
- **World‑class leadership**: CEO Ron Renaud (former CEO of Cerevel and Translate Bio, both acquired by AbbVie and Sanofi respectively). CMO Scott Wasserman, M.D. (former CEO of Latigo Biotherapeutics, former Amgen VP leading metabolic and cardiovascular portfolios). Commercial and operational executives from top pharma. [kailera.com/leadership](https://www.kailera.com/leadership/)
- **Obesity‑first focus**: Pipeline deliberately built for the chronic, progressive nature of obesity, aiming to address the gap for greater weight loss and higher‑BMI patients.

## Strategic Focus
Kailera’s immediate priority is advancing ribupatide through Phase 3 to regulatory submission while progressing the earlier‑stage oral and tri‑agonist programs. The company aims to “elevate the next era of obesity care” by delivering multiple options for patients no matter where they are in their treatment journey. [kailera.com/](https://www.kailera.com/)

## Why Work Here
- **Culture (“Kai Values”)**: Emphasizes courage, collaboration, compassion, and commitment. The team operates with entrepreneurial spirit, transparency, and a patient‑centered mission. [kailera.com/join-our-team](https://www.kailera.com/join-our-team/)
- **Work Model**: Hybrid and remote options available – many roles are based in Waltham, MA, but some (e.g., Statistical Programming, Clinical Quality Assurance) are listed as US‑Remote.
- **Notable Perks**: Purpose‑driven work in a fast‑growing therapeutic area; opportunity to work with top industry veterans; exposure to a pipeline that spans multiple cutting‑edge modalities (injectable, oral, small molecule).
- **Growth Opportunity**: With 29 open positions across all levels (Associate Director to Senior Director), the company is scaling rapidly, offering significant career advancement in a high‑impact field.

## Sources
1. [kailera.com](https://www.kailera.com/)
2. [kailera.com/about-us](https://www.kailera.com/about-us/)
3. [kailera.com/leadership](https://www.kailera.com/leadership/)
4. [kailera.com/join-our-team](https://www.kailera.com/join-our-team/)
5. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/kailera](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/kailera)

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