Director, Vaccine Immunologist

ROLE SUMMARY

This is a senior position within the Clinical Immunology and High-throughput Operations group within Pfizer's Vaccine Research and Development.  Reporting to the Head of Clinical Immunology, the incumbent will drive the strategy for evaluation of vaccine-induced immune responses by overseeing development of relevant in vitro assays such as antibody-binding serology assays.  The incumbent is expected to serve as immunology SME for vaccine program team(s) to which they are assigned. This role involves collaborating on cross-functional teams and influencing across functions. The incumbent is also expected to apply their skills in clinical immunoassay development to support lifecycle management of multiple serological assays that support vaccine pre-clinical and clinical studies.  The position will lead or influence multiple managers who may have oversight of various types of assays ready for use in pre-clinical or clinical studies.

In addition to these activities, the incumbent can serve as a member of program teams and applies technical/scientific expertise to guide clinical testing strategy, as well as design of preclinical/clinical vaccine-related studies.  This would involve presenting experiment results, clinical assay development status updates, development vision, root cause analyses, assay trending results, and proposals to senior leaders within Vaccine Research and Development and beyond.  The incumbent will also facilitate assay transfers between teams and clinical testing groups which may be internal or external to Pfizer.  The incumbent is accountable to line / senior management and project leadership. All work is to be completed in a compliant manner according to relevant SOP guidelines and GCLP guidelines, when required.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Sets objectives for and manages multiple immunoassay development projects. 

• Collaborate as necessary with the appropriate leaders/scientists within Vaccine Research and Development to drive strategy for evaluation of vaccine-induced immune responses. 

• Interact with intra- and interdepartmental personnel in scientific discussions while advocating the appropriate clinical assays to address the scientific questions.  The incumbent may also to lead or support external collaborations and/or technology transfers.

• Immunology subject matter expert throughout assay lifecycle, including immunoassay qualification and/or validation.

• Author publications relevant to the work being performed

• Manage a diverse team of scientists at various levels

• Write and review reports, technical documents and presentations to support assay development, qualification, validation and transfer.

• Supervises laboratory staff including Managers. 

• Keep abreast of new scientific/ technology development by participating in scientific meetings/ seminars and through regular scientific review; in-house new technology/approaches as appropriate.

• Quality: Ensure that Pfizer's values are reflected on a continuous basis in day-to-day job functions.

  

Qualifications  

Must-Have  

• PhD in Immunology or related field

• 10 -15 years of post-graduate experience (preferably in industry)

• Strong background in Immunology

• Immunoassay development experience

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• People Management Experience

Nice-to-Have  

• Experience with vaccine clinical studies

• Regulatory agency interaction experience
   

  
Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.
 

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to perform complex data analysis

Ability to convey complex information to teams/leadership

NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

Role-related travel may be required (eg travel to external laboratories)

Relocation support available

Work Location Assignment: On Premise

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $161,600.00 to $269,400.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus