Associate Director - Preclinical Development, Immunology

About the role

The Associate Director will lead the team responsible for all cell-based assay development and execution, including hit validation, structure-activity relationships, and lead optimization. They will provide immunology expertise to evaluate new targets and expand our internal pipeline programs. They will be a pivotal collaborator within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small, highly motivated team of assay scientists who develop and run cell assays in support of internal and partner pipeline programs
• Work closely with scientists across the company in biology, chemistry, platform, screening, data, and computational teams to efficiently advance projects from hit validation through hit-to-lead and lead optimization to lead candidate selection
• Develop cell-based assay funnels to support structure-activity optimization for our inflammation target portfolio as programs progress to hit-to-lead and lead optimization
• Expert understanding of inflammatory pathways as they relate to the target and disease mechanism
• Analyze and interpret experimental data and communicate results in project team meetings

Qualifications

• PhD in the small-molecule field of immunology with 10+ years of small-molecule drug discovery industry experience
• Deep expertise in immunology, with a strong understanding of immune signaling pathways, disease mechanisms, and immune modulation strategies
• Extensive experience with small-molecule drug development from target validation through lead optimization
• Expertise in evaluating novel targets for drug development, including developing a robust screening approach and desired target product profile
• Strong leadership and mentorship skills with demonstrated experience managing a small team of highly motivated scientists
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team and drive program progress; comfortable working on multiple projects in parallel and operating within a matrixed structure
• Hands-on experience in developing and optimizing a range of immunological assays (Flow cytometry, cytokine profiling, ELISA, Luminescence/fluorescence-based, Western blot, immunoprecipitation, etc.) and measuring small molecule inhibition (IC50)
• Demonstrated technical proficiency, attention to detail, ability to troubleshoot and solve problems, and to deliver high-quality data
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills, and can thrive in a highly collaborative research environment

Compensation

$180,000 - $263,000 (annually) depending on skill level; participation in the Company's option plan; 3% retirement safe harbor contribution; fully-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits.