Director / Sr. Director - Immuno-Oncology, Program Lead

About the role

Provide scientific leadership and strategic direction across oncology programs, ensuring preclinical models and study designs reflect clinically relevant tumor biology. Lead programs from early discovery through Development Candidate selection, driving key scientific decisions, stage gates, and go/no-go criteria.

Serve as the central scientific and programmatic leader across multidisciplinary teams in the U.S. and Israel. Direct cross-functional activities supporting in vivo pharmacology, screening, and preclinical studies. Develop translational strategies connecting preclinical findings to clinical hypotheses, including biomarker, pharmacodynamic, and patient-selection strategies.

Build and manage integrated program plans, timelines, budgets, milestones, and risk mitigation strategies. Identify scientific and execution risks early and provide clear recommendations at critical program decision points. Communicate program strategy, progress, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership and governance teams. Partner effectively with external vendors and collaborators. Mentor and develop team members while fostering a culture of scientific rigor, accountability, collaboration, and decisive execution.

Requirements

• PhD in Biology or a related discipline
• Deep expertise in tumor biology, the tumor microenvironment, and translational oncology models
• A proven track record of leading cell therapy or in vivo CAR programs through Development Candidate selection
• Experience leading in vivo/pharmacology teams, ideally within oncology
• Significant drug development and cross-functional program leadership experience
• Demonstrated ability to lead geographically distributed, multidisciplinary teams across multiple time zones
• Strong scientific judgment coupled with exceptional organizational, communication, and program management skills
• The ability to move comfortably between high-level scientific strategy and hands-on execution
• A proactive mindset and comfort operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with evolving priorities

Especially valuable: Experience with lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems and RNA payload technologies.

Work Structure

This position is based at our Watertown, Massachusetts office and laboratory facility. Flexibility in working hours is required to support collaboration across international teams and time zones.

Pay

The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $189,000–$285,000. The stated range represents Averna’s good-faith estimate for this role. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including individual qualifications, relevant experience, internal compensation alignment, and external market data.