Director, Head of Immerse India

Overview

Waters Corporation is establishing Immerse India, a new innovation lab in Genome Valley, Hyderabad—one of India’s most important life sciences ecosystems. As the Director, you will build a nationally visible center that connects Waters with India’s scientific talent, pharma and biopharma industry, academic institutions, and entrepreneurial community. This is an opportunity to shape the lab from the ground up and strengthen India’s role in Waters’ global innovation network.

Immerse India is designed to serve as a convergence point for customers and collaborators to be surrounded by the latest technologies. It will enable external research partnerships, development collaborations, customer engagement, scientific seminars and hands-on demonstrations, focused on biosimilars, small molecule generics, and advanced materials characterization. Working closely with leadership across the four global Waters Divisions, Global Research, India commercial teams, and other local sponsors, the Director will convert regional customer needs into differentiated scientific solutions, research programs, and measurable growth opportunities.

This is a highly visible leadership role with a direct reporting line within Global Research and connection to Waters’ growing global network of Immerse labs. The Director will oversee a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and operational staff and will be a key architect of Waters' long-term growth strategy in India.

Responsibilities

Site Leadership & Strategy

Lead the overall strategy, operations, and scientific direction of Immerse India, ensuring alignment with Waters' global innovation priorities and India-specific market needs.

Collaborate on the build-out of an :1000 sq meters laboratory and collaboration space

Assist in recruiting, onboarding, and developing the full Immerse India team – including directs reports within Global Research as well as hosted scientists from Waters Divisions

Establish and manage a high-functioning, safety-compliant laboratory environment optimized for both research collaboration and customer demonstration activities.

Report progress, performance metrics, and strategic recommendations to the SVP of Research and Strategy.

External Collaboration & Customer Engagement

Develop and manage a robust portfolio of collaborations with India's leading pharma and biopharma companies as well as premier academic and research institutions.

Drive high-value research partnerships focused on biosimilar characterization, small molecule generics, GLP-1 workflows, multi-omics, and advanced materials characterization.

Translate customer scientific challenges into innovative analytical and materials science solutions using Waters' full portfolio of instrumentation.

Represent Waters as a scientific thought leader at regional symposia, industry conferences, and customer events hosted at the Immerse India facility.

Scientific & Commercial Impact

Oversee research and collaboration programs targeting biosimilar characterization (LNPs, viral vectors, conjugates) and small molecule/generic drug workflows (nitrosamines, impurities, PK/PD studies).

Support material science programs in thermal analysis and rheology applications for pharmaceutical formulations and advanced materials.

Build a measurable pipeline of customer engagements and collaboration-led opportunities by partnering with Indian commercial leaders, applications teams, and divisional sponsors. Track instrument utilization, customer progression, influenced pipeline, adoption outcomes, and revenue impact while protecting the scientific integrity and long-term value of the lab’s research portfolio.

Co-develop and lead research programs with Global Research scientists, connecting Indian customer insight, samples, scientific expertise, and external collaborators with Waters’ global technology and innovation priorities. Ensure locally generated knowledge is shared across the global organization and translated into research, development, application, and commercial decisions.

Enable publication of high-impact scientific work co-authored with external collaborators to build Waters' scientific credibility in the region.

Team Development & Operations

Recruit, mentor, and develop a growing multidisciplinary team of scientists and operational colleagues, creating a culture of scientific rigor, safety, inclusion, customer partnership, and continuous learning. Initial size anticipated to be 6+ Global Research FTE direct reports and 3+ dotted-line reporting FTEs from Divisions.

Manage day-to-day site operations in coordination with the Lab Manager, ensuring instrument readiness, consumables availability, safety compliance, and event execution.

Partner with the local divisional sponsors to coordinate application support and collaboration priorities.

Work with the Event Coordinator to manage the lab calendar, host high-value customer visits, and support Waters' commercial and marketing initiatives in India.

Stakeholder Communication & Visibility

Serve as the primary internal and external spokesperson for Immerse India, communicating the lab's value, impact, and scientific vision to Waters leadership, business divisions, and external partners.

Collaborate with Global Research Leadership, divisional commercial teams, and the Communications team to amplify Immerse India's story internally and in the market.

Connect with other Immerse Labs to establish a global innovation network working to solve grand challenge problems

Provide regular updates to executive sponsors and stakeholders on scientific milestones, collaboration health, customer engagement, talent development, operational performance, commercial pipeline influence, and progress against the lab’s strategic objectives.

Required

Qualifications

Advanced degree in analytical chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, biochemistry, materials science, or a closely related scientific or engineering discipline. A PhD is preferred; candidates with a master’s degree and substantial scientific, technical, and leadership experience will also be considered.

10+ years of progressive experience in life sciences tools, analytical instrumentation, pharmaceutical R&D, biopharma, or a related field, including demonstrated leadership of scientific teams.

Deep scientific expertise in at least one of the following domains: chromatography and mass spectrometry (HPLC/UPLC, LC-MS), biosimilar/biologic characterization, small molecule pharmaceutical analysis, or thermal/rheological analysis.

Proven track record of building and managing external research collaborations with pharma, biopharma, or academic institutions.

Strong commercial acumen demonstrated by converting scientific or customer insight into qualified opportunities, strategic accounts, application adoption, portfolio decisions, or revenue growth. Able to build investment cases, make portfolio trade-offs, manage budgets, and communicate value and risk to senior leadership.

Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with experience influencing senior management and engaging external scientific communities.

Strong knowledge of India’s pharma, biopharma, analytical sciences, and academic ecosystem, with the credibility and relationship-building ability to establish a network across customers, key opinion leaders, research institutions, industry associations, start-ups, CROs, and CDMOs.

Experience operating responsibly within India’s scientific and business environment, including awareness of relevant laboratory, environmental, employment, import, data, intellectual property, and industry compliance considerations. Able to work effectively with local functions and external advisers while applying Waters’ global standards.

Preferred

MBA or equivalent business training is a plus.

Experience in a multi-national company managing cross-functional stakeholders across geographies.

Familiarity with Waters instrumentation or competing analytical technologies.

Prior experience standing up a new lab, center of excellence, or innovation hub.

Publications record in peer-reviewed journals relevant to analytical sciences or materials characterization.

Company Description

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of :16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.