Moderna is bringing back former executive Juan Andres in the newly created post of chief operating officer, as the vaccine maker expands into oncology.

Moderna on Wednesday said Andres, who previously spent nearly six years at the Cambridge, Mass., company before retiring as president of strategic partnerships and enterprise expansion, will take up his new role next week.

Andres' return to Moderna comes after the company and partner Merck reported that an experimental mRNA-based vaccine succeeded in preventing cancer from coming back or spreading in a study of high-risk melanoma patients.

Moderna said Andres, 62 years old, will receive an initial annual base salary of $800,000 and an annual bonus with a target of 90% of his base pay.

The company said Jerh Collins, who succeeded Andres as chief technical operations and quality officer at the start of 2023, is retiring.