Raven StealthCo - Scientist/Senior Scientist, Biology and Pharmacology

About the role

Raven is RA Capital's healthcare incubator, turning scientific breakthroughs into transformative therapies across therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, and services. RA Capital Management, founded in 2004, is a multi-stage investment manager with over $10 billion in assets under management and more than 150 employees.

This well-funded, stealth-mode biotechnology company (incubated within Raven) focuses on next-generation oligonucleotide-based modalities targeting tissues beyond the liver, muscle, and kidney. The platform aims to deliver oligos with high precision to previously untargeted cells, addressing "undruggable" genes with pipeline-in-a-drug potential. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company is led by an experienced CEO and backed by RA Capital after a robust incubation process. Therapeutic areas lie outside commonly targeted cells and tissues, representing multi-billion-dollar markets with strong biological and genetic evidence.

The company is in the discovery stage, investing heavily in an emerging oligonucleotide delivery platform supported by highly predictive animal models with strong translatability to humans. The Scientist / Senior Scientist, Biology and Pharmacology will lead and execute in vitro and in vivo pharmacology across programs, reporting to the Director of Biology and Pharmacology. The role balances analysis of tissues from in vivo studies, cell-based assay development, and management of CRO-run in vivo studies, with the mix shifting as project needs evolve.

Responsibilities

• Lead pharmacology for early-stage programs, from research planning and study design through data interpretation, helping shape experimental strategy and go/no-go decisions.
• Design rigorous in vivo studies that deliver decision-quality data, with thoughtful dosing, appropriate controls, and adequate statistical power.
• Serve as the day-to-day sponsor contact for CRO-run in vivo studies and analytical vendors, overseeing qualification, scope, budget, timelines, pre-study alignment, in-life monitoring, and troubleshooting, while holding partners to high standards and building strong, productive relationships.
• Manage in vivo sample logistics end to end, including receipt, cataloging, storage, chain of custody, and shipment between CROs and analytical partners.
• Process and analyze tissue samples from in vivo studies to generate target engagement, pharmacodynamic, and efficacy readouts.
• Provide sponsor-side oversight of data integrity, documentation, and animal welfare for external studies, and maintain in vivo records, protocols, and SOPs.
• Develop and run biochemical, molecular, and cell-based assays in cell lines and primary cell models across a range of tissue types, adapting established methods and creating new ones as needed.
• Compile, QC, and interpret in vitro and in vivo data; author study reports; share results with cross-functional teams; and contribute to publications, patents, and presentations.

Qualifications

• B.S./M.S. or Ph.D. in pharmacology, physiology, cell and molecular biology, or a related discipline.
• Scientist level: B.S./M.S. with 8+ years of relevant biopharmaceutical industry experience.
• Senior Scientist level: Ph.D. with 5+ years, or B.S./M.S. with 10+ years, of relevant biopharmaceutical industry experience. (Title commensurate with qualifications and experience.)
• Demonstrated scientific leadership of in vitro and in vivo pharmacology projects in discovery and/or preclinical R&D, including study designs and interpretation that informed project decisions.
• Exceptional scientific aptitude: sharp critical thinking, sound experimental judgment, and agility to learn new biology quickly across disease areas.
• Strong hands-on skills in tissue processing and analysis (RNA and protein extraction, RT-qPCR, immunoassays, histology/IHC/ISH), mammalian cell culture in cell lines and primary cell models, and cell-based assays, with a record of establishing new methods.
• Track record managing CRO-executed in vivo studies: vendor qualification, protocol alignment, budget and timeline management, and critical evaluation of external data; non-human primate study experience is a plus.
• Hands-on rodent experience (dosing, in-life assessment, terminal collection) sufficient to design realistic protocols and challenge a CRO.
• Sound professional judgment: works independently, prioritizes across concurrent studies, and knows when to escalate.
• Strong quantitative and statistical fluency, including study powering and appropriate analysis of in vivo data.
• Clear scientific writing and communication: protocols, study reports, and data presentations to project teams and leadership.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a record of consistently delivering robust, decision-quality in vitro and in vivo data.
• Experience with oligonucleotide or other nucleic acid therapeutics (tissue exposure, target modulation, PK/PD) and exposure to IND-enabling studies are a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with oligonucleotide therapeutics (e.g., ASOs, siRNA) is a plus.

Pay

Base salary range: $110,000 – $160,000 USD. The role may also be eligible for an annual bonus and long-term incentives. Final compensation depends on experience, skills, and location; compensation and benefits may be updated in the future.