Director, Biology
San Francisco Bay Area
I am currently partnered with an integrated genetic medicines company developing targeted, disease-modifying medicines for patients with life-limiting diseases. Their treatments address the underlying genetic cause in underserved populations and have the potential to tremendously impact the quality and length of patients' lives.
They bring a unique blend of rigor, creativity, and curiosity to their high-hurdle mission: harnessing their multi-platform approach to develop disease-modifying medicines. This team is uniquely positioned to tackle this challenge, given their extensive experience in RNA delivery technologies, protein structure, tRNA biology, mRNA manufacturing, gene editing, and drug development.
The Role:
I am seeking an accomplished, energetic, and detail-oriented leader to join our R&D team as a Director. The qualified candidate is a highly motivated, interactive, and team-oriented individual that possesses the ability to work across a highly matrixed environment to provide technical and scientific expertise to advance drug development programs from lead optimization to IND-enabling activities.
The Director of Biology will lead and mentor a group of scientists and technicians responsible for developing bioanalytical methods and executing the internal in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as help manage key relationships and develop detailed experimental plans with an array of external CROs. The candidate will be part of the preclinical leadership team. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a rapidly growing company developing a pipeline of therapies for severe life-limiting diseases.
Responsibilities:
- Leading, managing, and mentoring the internal in vivo, tissue culture, bioanalytical and mRNA production teams.
- Developing detailed experimental plans for preclinical CROs as well as for internal investigation
- Assisting with the evaluation, optimization, and management of preclinical CROs
- Lead, facilitate and document project team meetings, cross-functional communication and decision making, ensuring alignment with internal functional groups and leadership.
- Establish and maintain functionally integrated project schedules to enable accurate project analyses, identification of critical path activities and areas of resource constraint. Oversee project management activities, scenario planning, identify and manage project objectives, work plans, timelines, budgets, providing formal and informal status updates to stakeholders as needed.
- Interface with Innovation and Development team's Senior Management on project requirements, status review, and key development decisions.
- Contribute to preclinical strategy, vision, and operation
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL BRING TO THE TABLE
- D. with at least 10 years of drug development experience with biologics and a minimum of 3+ years in a group leadership and management role.
- Advanced knowledge of the drug development process and experience in late stage drug development through IND filing
- Enthusiastic mentor and leader with experience managing research scientists
- Extensive experience drafting detailed experimental plans and managing preclinical CROs
- Excellent communicator with exceptional verbal, presentation, and written communication skills; Proactive, innovative, with excellent problem-solving skills
- Highly organized and detail oriented with experience developing and executing on project plans and timelines, as well as budget management
- Excellent working ability across a highly matrixed environment
- Experience with biomolecules, gene therapy, or mRNA therapeutics is a plus