Staff/Principal Scientist - Therapeutic Project Team Leader

We are seeking an exceptional individual to develop and lead an in vivo therapeutic project team implementing novel genome editing systems as a member of our growing preclinical research team. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Therapeutic Programs, this position will play a crucial role in enabling next-generation gene editing therapeutics; including the characterization of the therapeutic target, strategic development of genome engineering workflows, and the ability to nominate therapeutic strategies and candidates. You will have the opportunity to make a lasting impact as you partner with Genome Editing, Discovery and Preclinical teams to strategically advance in vivo therapeutic candidates toward the clinic. This role is based in Emeryville, California.

How you’ll contribute: 

• Provide strategic leadership and day-to-day management of your therapeutic project team to meet key organizational objectives and support the professional development of direct reports
• Work collaboratively with internal and external partners to develop key datasets to support nomination of therapeutic candidates, including activity and design optimization of editing technologies for indications of interest
• Conceptualize and oversee the development and execution of molecular and cell-based assays to quantitatively measure precision editing activity in primary cells in high throughput  
• Gather and analyze experimental data, present to key stakeholders to support the transition of  lead candidates to clinical development
• Be a source of technical advice for our Scientists and Research Associates across the company
• Prepare accurate and timely data summaries and contribute to writing of reports, papers, and patent manuscripts
• Keep up-to-date on the competitive landscape of therapeutic and technological advances and, where appropriate, propose new areas of research that will advance the therapeutic translation of the company’s technology platform

What you bring:

• PhD in STEM related discipline
• Minimum eight years of relevant research experience with > four years in industry
• Experience leading and mentoring research teams consisting of both BS- and PhD-level members
• Direct experience leading matrixed therapeutic project teams
• Direct experience testing genome engineering technologies in primary human cells
• Experience with lipid nanoparticle technologies for nucleic acid delivery
• Expertise in developing and optimizing molecular and cell-based assays to quantify outcomes of gene editing experiments (e.g. quantitative PCR, digital droplet PCR, RNAseq, ELISA, Enzyme activity assays, Immunostaining, etc.)
• Experience with NGS data generation and interpretation
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to effectively leverage a matrixed project team
• Extremely organized and able to efficiently manage your time and workflows, including skillfully prioritizing both long-term projects and the day-to-day responsibilities of your team
• Thrives in a fast-moving, results-oriented startup environment with urgent deadlines
• Strong track record of innovative research demonstrated in publications and oral presentations
• Self-motivated, passionate about your work, and eager to continuously learn more

Preferred additional qualifications:

• Familiarity with using programming languages and statistical software (e.g. Python, R)
• In-depth knowledge of or experience developing therapeutics for neurological disorders
• Familiarity with HTP screening workflows in primary human cells
• Experience working with large datasets such as UK Biobank, Finngen etc. and resources such as GnomAD, Exome variant server, 1000 Genomes etc.

California Pay Transparency Disclosure:

This position is classified as an exempt position under the Federal Labor Standards Act.  The anticipated base salary range for this position will be $165,000 - $205,000.  You will also be eligible to receive equity, bonuses, and a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits depending on the position offered. Please note that individual total compensation for this position will be determined at the Company’s sole discretion and may vary based on location, skill level, years and depth of relevant experience, and education. 

Please note, all candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

About Metagenomi

Metagenomi is a gene editing company committed to developing potentially curative therapeutics by leveraging a proprietary toolbox of next-generation gene editing systems to accurately edit DNA where current technologies cannot. Our metagenomics-power