Director, Early Biotherapeutics Characterization, Discovery Biologics

Job Description

We are on a quest for cures and are committed to be the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Our teams combine leading drug discovery capabilities and world-class R&D with the purpose of turning breakthrough science into life-changing medicines.

We are seeking an exceptional and experienced scientist-leader in the role of Director of Early Biotherapeutics Characterization in the Boston Discovery Biologics group.  The Director will be responsible for the leadership of a multidisciplinary team of scientists focused on advanced analytical characterization including mass spectrometry, macromolecular interactions, and functional characterization of hits and leads in the quest to discover innovative large molecule therapeutics.  In this role, they will drive scientific excellence and innovation as the head of a group responsible for delivering high quality characterization data to advance discovery programs from hit-to-lead-to-candidate. The leader will be responsible for continued expansion of early developability workflows in Boston in collaboration with the broader Discovery Biologics organization and with downstream organizations at our Company.  In addition, Discovery Biologics is directly integrating computational and wet-lab researchers with state-of-the-art automation to accelerate the discovery, engineering, and characterization of novel biologics in the pre-IND pipeline. 

In collaboration with project teams and as a member of department working groups, they will drive the advancement of hits and leads through the biologics pipeline. The role is a key interface within the Boston and Cambridge discovery sites, the global Discovery Biologics network and other drug discovery and development functions within our company, as well as with external academic and industrial partners.

As a people manager, they will invest in the growth and development of current and future staff, which includes both people leaders and individual contributors, to create a culture of collaboration and accountability to enable shared success. The leader will work closely with their team members to leverage strengths and identify opportunities to continually expand skillsets, leadership, and enterprise thinking.  They will work to support the department’s efforts to recruit diverse and highly skilled key talent to the organization and be a champion for diversity and inclusion.  We recognize that the diversity in our team is our strength, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.  Successful candidates must demonstrate inclusive behaviors in working with a diverse group of researchers to drive our core mission.

What you will do:

• Lead a team of scientists in Boston Discovery Biologics focused on analytical characterization, macromolecular interactions, and functional characterization of a wide variety of protein therapeutic molecules to identify strong candidates for development

• As a member of the Biologics Discovery & Engineering Leadership Team, work across groups and departments to set and deliver on our strategic goals in scientific excellence, talent development, and pipeline advancement

• Lead and participate in cross-functional project teams to deliver impactful protein therapeutics from discovery to development

• Ideate and initiate new program concepts leading to pipeline programs in partnership with therapeutic area scientists

• Actively attract and develop talent, including strategically leveraging diversity to strengthen the team

• Foster a high-performance culture of collaboration, engagement, self-accountability and inclusion

• Effectively partner across multidisciplinary interfaces to achieve organizational objectives

• Manage priorities, resources, and investments aligned with the Discovery Biologics strategy

• Stay abreast of external advancements in the relevant scientific fields

• Promote the external reputation of our company’s Discovery Biologics department

What you will need to be successful in this role:

Qualifications & Experience

• PhD in life sciences with 8+ years of substantial industry experience, MS with 10+ years of experience, or BS with 14+ years of experience. A mix of industrial and relevant academic experience can be considered.

• Track record in leadership and managerial roles in biologics discovery

• Experience in advancing protein therapeutics through discovery to development

• Strong presentation and publication record

• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities

Required skills: