Vice President, Human Genetics and Genomics - 2403

What if you could repair broken genes? That is the question we ask ourselves at Editas Medicine. We’re focused on translating the power and potential of the CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/Cpf1 (also known as Cas12a) genome editing systems into a robust pipeline of medicines for people living with serious diseases around the world. Our goal is to discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize transformative, durable, precision genomic medicines for many diseases. We’re looking for talented, dedicated, passionate people to join our team and help us pioneer this field and do big, bold things that have never been achieved before. Are you full of hope, possibilities, and a belief that, working together, we can truly revolutionize the development of medicines to help patients around the world? If the answer is yes, then Editas Medicine is the place for you.

Position Summary

Editas Medicine is seeking an experienced R&D professional with a proven track record of target identification and validation in multiple therapeutic areas, including rare diseases, to establish a new Genetics and Genomics function within our Discovery organization. The right candidate should have experience with IND filings, and leadership in translational activities including clinical trial design and pharmacovigilance. Leveraging a strong technical background and skillsets in computational sciences, therapeutic discovery and development, and gene editing technologies, they will be instrumental in driving impactful discoveries in human genetics/data science at Editas. Lastly, they will be critical in identifying, managing, and developing future talent at the company and acting as a champion of our culture within the Editas Discovery organization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key member of the CSO’s senior scientific leadership team
• Oversee human genetic and genomic efforts to inform target identification and target validation, leveraging genomic resources including rare disease and small- and large-scale population-scale studies to identify new drug targets and precision medicine strategies across multiple indications with unmet clinical need
• Build external collaborations around rare disease patient collections and large population resources to enable and inform novel target identification and validation
• Support the translation of gene-editing medicines to clinical development through leadership in genetic-based biomarkers and clinical trial design.
• Provide leadership to the team to enhance delivery of genetic-led biomarker identification, utilizing state-of-the-art methodologies and data, fostering strong collaborations internally and externally to explore innovative opportunities in genetic-led biomarker identification.
• Support clinical trial design, execution/regulatory filings for all clinical stage programs
• Support pharmacogenomics for early and late-stage programs
• Partner with peers in Commercial and Business Development functions to evaluate therapeutic opportunities and competitive landscape
• Make independent decisions related to studies and daily management of employees, promoting a culture of cross-functional collaboration
• Work effectively with internal multi-disciplinary team members and external partners/CRO to help drive programs consistent with Editas strategy, deliver results to agreed timelines
• Collaborate closely with key stakeholders to set strategic direction for the department and ensure scientific rigor in all activities.
• Communicate concepts, strategies and results to various stakeholders within and outside the organization
• Provide support for peer-reviewed publications and patent filings
• Be responsible for budget and scientific/personnel management, achievement of corporate goals, as well as mentorship of broader teams across Editas
• Recruit and develop exceptional talent within the group, and actively enhance the company culture

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• A PhD in human genetics, computational genetics, or a related discipline, coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the human genome, genome-wide association studies, integration of multi-omics and clinical measures with human genetics, and big data analysis methods
• S/he will have either a minimum of 15 years of drug discovery experience in the pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology industry, with a focus on cell and gene therapy, regenerative medicine and a consistent and proven track record of achievement & career progression; or they will have successfully established the