About Loyal
Loyal is a clinical-stage veterinary medicine company developing longevity drugs for dogs. Our mission is to help dogs live longer, healthier lives.
We're pioneering a new category of veterinary prescription drugs that proactively and preventatively target the underlying drivers of aging, delaying the onset of disease and preserving quality of life as dogs age. We've already made significant progress in our mission to develop the first FDA-approved drugs to extend canine lifespan: as of early 2026 we've completed two of three major FDA review sections for our lead program, LOY-002, and are targeting submission of the third and final section later this year.
Loyal is a well-funded startup with teams of scientists, veterinarians, engineers, operators, and creatives. You'll help us continue on our path of earning FDA approval for the first lifespan extension medicine for any species — and change what's possible for the dogs we love.
About the role
The Head of QC & AD is responsible for the strategic leadership and execution of all analytical development and commercial quality control activities across Loyal’s pipeline and marketed products. This role owns the analytical and QC lifecycle from early development through commercialization, ensuring robust control strategies, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence for drug substance and drug product.
The Head of QC & AD will build and lead a scalable QC and analytical organization, establish fit-for-purpose operating models leveraging internal capabilities and external partners, and serve as a senior CMC thought partner to executive leadership. The role requires deep expertise in oral solid dosage (OSD) analytics, strong regulatory acumen, and demonstrated success across early-stage, clinical, and commercial environments.
You will be reporting to our Chief Technical Operations Officer.
Your daily work will include
- Set and execute the global analytical development and quality control strategy aligned with Loyal’s corporate and CMC objectives.
- Own the end-to-end analytical and QC lifecycle from early development through commercialization, including commercial QC readiness, product release, stability programs, and post-approval lifecycle management.
- Serve as the accountable executive for GMP analytical and QC operations, ensuring inspection-ready systems and sustained regulatory compliance.
- Act as a senior CMC leader on cross-functional program teams, influencing development strategy, timelines, and investment decisions.
- Lead the development, validation, transfer, and lifecycle management of analytical methods and control strategies, with immediate focus on small-molecule oral solid dosage products, while supporting additional modalities as the pipeline evolves.
- Lead cross-functional identification and lifecycle management of CQAs, specifications, and control strategies.
- Establish and oversee commercial QC operations, including governance of external GMP testing laboratories and service providers.
- Provide executive oversight of deviations, investigations, OOS/OOT events, and CAPAs related to analytical and QC activities.
- Serve as a senior analytical subject-matter expert in interactions with FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and other global animal health regulatory agencies, including regulatory submissions, responses, and inspections.
- Select, manage, and govern external analytical laboratories, CDMOs (as applicable), and other partners to ensure technical performance, compliance, and cost effectiveness.
- Build, scale, and lead a high-performing QC and analytical development organization, including hiring, mentoring, and developing senior technical leaders.
- Establish operating models that balance internal capabilities with strategic outsourcing to support a growing and commercial portfolio.
- Manage resource planning, aligning analytical and QC investments with pipeline priorities and long-term business objectives.
About you
- Ph.D., M.S., or B.S. in Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
- 16+ years of progressive experience in analytical development and quality control for pharmaceutical products, with deep expertise in small-molecule oral solid dosage forms.
- Demonstrated experience spanning early development, clinical programs, commercial launch, and post-approval lifecycle management.
- Proven success building and leading analytical and/or QC organizations, including hiring, mentoring, and developing senior technical leaders.
- Extensive experience with analytical method development, phase-appropriate validation, method transfer, and GMP QC operations.
- Strong knowledge of animal health regulatory requirements, including FDA CVM and relevant global guidelines (e.g., VICH; ICH as applicable), with direct experience supporting regulatory submissions and inspections.
- Track record of effective oversight of external GMP testing laboratories and analytical service providers, including governance, performance management, and quality issue resolution.
- Strategic mindset with the ability to translate scientific and regulatory complexity into clear, actionable business recommendations.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, growth-stage environment, balancing hands-on technical leadership with executive-level decision-making.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage credibly with executive leadership, regulators, and external partners.
Preferred Attributes
- Prior VP or executive-level leadership experience in CMC, Analytical Development, or Quality Control.
- Experience supporting first-time commercial launches.
- Strong judgment in risk assessment, prioritization, and lifecycle decision-making.
Salary Range: $230,000 - $300,000
Loyal benefits
- Full-coverage health insurance — medical, dental and vision — for you and your dependents
- $1,000 home office equipment stipend
- $1,200/year learning budget for books, courses, etc.
- $250/month wellness budget for gym, cleaners, spa, food, etc.
- All 3-day weekends are turned into 4-day weekends 🎉
- Unlimited vacation and paid holidays
- Paw-ternity leave — adopt a dog and get a day off with your new family member 🐶
- Competitive salary
- Company equity options grant for new hires
Loyal is founded and led by a first-gen female CEO and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against applicants based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.
Our values
Lean into moonshots
We don’t settle for incremental change. We have the bravery to take risks and shoot for the impact we want to have.
Opportunity is at the intersection
We lean into combining disciplines, expertises, and perspectives not normally adjacent. We design our organization to facilitate cross-pollination and cross-collaboration. We reject silos.
Expertise without ego
Titles do not determine who has a voice. We work on hard technical problems and have a ton of fun while at it.
Learning by doing
Our path is novel and many things we are doing have never been done before. We lean into MVPs and are open to unexpected outcomes.
Lead with context
We value leading with context. We equip people with the context and background necessary to make their own decisions and act in the best interest of Loyal. We empower teams to succeed.
Empathy and respect for all life
Our patients are not just numbers. Our work is intentional, thoughtful, and guided by respect for life. We take our responsibility to pets and pet parents seriously.
