Associate Principal Scientist, Immunology Discovery

with strong background in Immunology and experience in drug discovery to join our Immunology Discovery team in San Diego, CA. This role will serve as Project Lead on early-to-late stage immunology programs, driving the design and implementation of innovative strategies and technologies to enable target validation, differentiation and derisking, and development of next-generation modalities. The successful candidate will lead large cross-functional teams, defining and executing the discovery strategy for multiple programs to support advancement of immunology and inflammation therapeutics from early discovery to clinical candidates, and represent the project teams at senior governance meetings to support portfolio and investment decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and drive drug discovery immunology project/program strategies and collaborate effectively with colleagues within Discovery Immunology and across other functional areas (i.e. Discovery Biologics, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics) to achieve organizational objectives
• Lead multiple cross-functional teams to advance therapeutic candidates from early discovery to clinic, ensuring successful and timely completion of project/program milestones
• Present program recommendations, key milestones, and strategic decisions to senior-level governance committees.
• Lead from the bench - independently designing, executing and interpreting complex in vitro and ex vivo studies aligned with program goals, while also leading and overseeing the experiments of others
• Identify, validate and implement new and innovative approaches (including novel technologies) to increase efficiency and productivity and drive program progression
• Share expertise with colleagues and provide mentorship to less experienced scientists to ensure a culture of scientific rigor, collaboration and continuous learning
• Integrate and interpret complex data and communicate science and strategy to stakeholders and management

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. (with 5+ years) in immunology, cell biology or related biomedical science and relevant experience in drug discovery

• Demonstrated experience leading early-to-late stage discovery programs and cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment
• Strong immunology background with extensive knowledge of immune-mediated diseases across Gastroenterology, Rheumatology or Dermatology, and related preclinical models
• Broad experience in cell biology techniques (including culture of cell lines, immune cells and other primary cells, in vitro and ex vivo cell-based assays, multi-color flow cytometry), immunoassay platforms (e.g. ELISA, our company) and molecular biology (e.g. RT-PCR)
• Proficiency in data analysis using Excel, Prism (GraphPad), FlowJo
• Ability to work independently and operate effectively within cross-functional and matrixed teams
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Ability to lead by influencing and mentoring others
• Ability to communicate data and program strategies effectively to broad audiences

• Experience leading cross-functional biologics or chemistry discovery programs for Gastroenterology, Dermatology, and/or Rheumatology, especially autoimmune or immune-mediated disorders, including in both large and small pharma contexts
• Experience in translational research and biomarker discovery
• Prior experience working with multiple therapeutic modalities (small molecule, peptide, biologic, etc.)

#EligibleforERP

Required Skills:

Assay Development, Autoimmune Diseases, Cell Biology, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Drug Discovery Process, Drug Discovery Research, Immunology, Immunology Research, Molecular Biology, Program Leadership